Scholarships for Women in STEM Fields
By Muntasir Minhaz • Published Dec 20, 2025 • US Financial Aid & Scholarships
The Society of Women Engineers and the American Association of University Women run the two largest scholarship networks for women in STEM, with individual awards from $1,000 to $20,000 and up. Most require you to be enrolled or accepted in an engineering, computer science, or related technical major, with separate tracks for undergraduate and graduate students.
🎓 SWE Scholarship Program: $1,000-$20,000, engineering, tech, and computer science majors
💵 AAUW Career Development Grants: up to $8,000 for women returning to school or changing careers
💵 AAUW Selected Professions Fellowships: support women in fields where they remain underrepresented, including STEM
📩 Many SWE and AAUW awards run through local chapters, not only the national program
Society of Women Engineers Scholarship Program
The Society of Women Engineers runs one of the largest scholarship programs specifically for women in engineering, engineering technology, and computer science. SWE distributes dozens of individual named scholarships each cycle, ranging from $1,000 to $20,000, with several renewable for more than one year of study. The program supports incoming freshmen, current undergraduates, graduate students, and re-entry students returning to a STEM degree after time away from school.
SWE reported awarding nearly $1.6 million in scholarships in 2025 through this program. Eligibility depends on the specific named scholarship you apply for, since SWE's donors set individual criteria that can include specific majors, school year, or membership in a SWE chapter. Applying through the single SWE Scholarship Program portal automatically considers you for every named scholarship you qualify for, so you do not need to apply to each one separately.
AAUW fellowships and grants
The American Association of University Women funds several national programs that support women in fields where they remain underrepresented, STEM among them, though AAUW's national awards target graduate-level and career-changing students rather than incoming freshmen.
| Program | Who it targets | Typical award |
|---|---|---|
| Career Development Grants | Women who already hold a bachelor's degree and are returning to school or changing careers, including into STEM | Up to $8,000 |
| Selected Professions Fellowships | Women pursuing a full-time graduate degree in a field where women remain underrepresented | Varies by fellowship |
| International Fellowships | Women pursuing doctoral or postdoctoral study in the US, open to international students | $20,000-$50,000 depending on degree level (master's $20,000, doctoral $25,000, postdoctoral $50,000) |
Beyond national programs, AAUW's hundreds of local branches run their own scholarships independently, often smaller in dollar amount but with far less competition than the national awards. Search for your state or nearest city plus the phrase AAUW branch scholarship to find local opportunities not listed on the national site.
Other national programs worth checking
Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers scholarships, which include awards specifically for Hispanic women in engineering and STEM fields.
National GEM Consortium fellowships for underrepresented students, including women, pursuing graduate STEM degrees, which pair scholarship funding with a paid internship.
Individual professional societies in your specific major, such as the American Chemical Society, IEEE, or the American Society of Civil Engineers, many of which run scholarship programs with categories or preferences for women applicants.
Your target university's engineering or computer science department, which often runs its own scholarship funds for women students separate from general university financial aid.
How to apply efficiently across multiple programs
Build one strong core essay about why you chose your STEM field and what you plan to do with your degree, then adapt it for each application rather than writing from scratch each time. Most STEM scholarship applications ask for similar materials: transcripts, a resume or activities list, one or two recommendation letters from a teacher or professor in your field, and a personal statement.
Apply to SWE through its single portal first, since it automatically screens you against every named scholarship in the program based on your profile. For AAUW, check whether you meet the graduate-level or career-change criteria for the national fellowships before you apply, and separately check your nearest local branch for undergraduate-friendly awards, since national AAUW programs mostly serve non-traditional and graduate students rather than students entering their first bachelor's degree.
Timing your applications
SWE's scholarship application typically closes in the spring for funding the following academic year, so build it into your spring semester alongside other scholarship deadlines. AAUW's national fellowships run on their own separate calendar, with Career Development Grant and Selected Professions Fellowship applications typically due in the fall. Confirm exact current deadlines directly on each organization's site before you plan around them, since both programs adjust dates from year to year.