PhD Scholarships for Women

Getting a scholarship for pursuing Post Graduate study is highly competitive as the available PhD scholarships are few. Women with low income face many challenges in pursuing higher education. Scholarship and grant programs exist to help women face those challenges and succeed in their education.

Most of the PhD candidates study in university graduate schools, where they are often employed in teaching assistantships and fellowships.

Here is the list of the available scholarships and grants for female doctoral students worldwide.

Inter-American Foundation (IAF) Grassroots Development Ph.D. Fellowship Program:

Study Subject(S): Physical Sciences, Technical, Social sciences fields, related to grassroots developments

Scholarship Grantor: The Inter-American Foundation (IAF) established by the United States Congress, is an independent agency with a mission to deliver development assistance to the organized poor in Latin America and the Caribbean. IAF funds fellowships with intent to increase the awareness of grassroots development efforts.

Scholarship Overview: IAF’s Grassroots Development program is for those PhD candidates from United States universities, who are interested in conducting their dissertation research in the Latin America and the Caribbean. The fellows examine the ways the urban and the rural people work to improve their lives, their methods of production and organization, and their developmental programs and policies designed to relieve their poverty. The Institute of International Education (IIE) administers IAF’s Grassroots Development Fellowship Program. IAF shares the research findings by the Fellows at international events and in their publications.

Eligibility for the Fellowship:

1. The competition for the fellowship is open to U.S. citizens and citizens of independent Caribbean and Latin American countries. Citizens of Cuba are not eligible. Proposals for field research in British, Puerto Rico, French or Dutch territories are not accepted.
2. Candidates must be a Ph.D. student, enrolled in a U.S. university, in the and the professions related to grassroots development issues. The candidates must complete all the course examinations and requirements for the doctoral degree.
3. The applicants must be able to speak and read the language(s) required for the research. An evaluation stating that the applicant is fluent in that language(s) is required.
4. A planned collaboration with an allied or developed research institution located in the Caribbean or the Latin American country, during the field research period, must be demonstrated by each applicant. A confirmed letter of affiliation with the institution is required.
5. Funding from other resources in support of research is not accepted for the recipients of the IAF Fellowship, without IAF’s consent.

Fellowship Benefits:

In 2012, the IAF is expecting to award up to 15 Doctoral Field Research Fellowships. The Foundation funds the Fellows for between four and 12 months. The Fellowship benefits includes:

1. Up to $3,000 for research allowance
2. Up to 12 months, a stipend of $1,500 per month.
3. Round-trip economy-class transportation will be provided from the Fellow’s primary residence to the field research site.
4. Sickness and accident insurance.
5. The selected candidates must attend the Grassroots Development Conference, where they get a chance to meet the IIE and IAF staff and discuss their research progress with the members of the IAF’s academic review committee.

Contact Information:

For further details, call +1 202.326.7796, fax: +1 202.326.7698 or contact
IAF Fellowship Program
Institute of International Education
1400 K Street, NW; Seventh Floor
Washington, DC 20005

For enquiries, e-mail: iaffellowships@iie.org . Visit the program website http://www.iie.org/Programs/IAF-Grassroots-Development-Fellowship-Program, to know more about the fellowship details.

The United States Institute of Peace (USIP)’s Jennings Randolph (JR) Peace Scholarship Dissertation Program:

Study Subject(S): Peace, International Security and Conflict

Scholarship Grantor: The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) is funded and established by Congress, with a mission to resolve, manage and prevent the international conflicts without violence. USIP offers The Jennings Randolph (JR) Program, which awards Peace Scholar Dissertation Scholarships to students.

Scholarship Overview:

Every year USIP’s Jennings Randolph (JR) Program awards ten Peace Scholar Dissertation Scholarships for those students who are writing doctoral dissertations on topics related to international security, conflict and peace.
The program accepts the proposals from all disciplines. A successful proposal for USIP Jennings Randolph Senior Fellowships should have certain elements like

1. The proposal should fit the USIP’s goals and priorities.
2. Describing the objectives and principles of the proposal
3. A precise and clear outline demonstrating how the project will be undertaken
4. The schedule and the likelihood of project completion.

Eligibility for the Fellowship:

1. Applicants can be citizens of any country.
2. Applicants must be enrolled in doctoral programs at accredited U.S. Universities.
3. The applicant’s doctoral dissertations should be on topics related to conflict, international security and peace.
4. By the time the Fellowship begins, the selected Fellows must complete their examinations and course work, which are essential requirements towards their doctoral degrees.
5. Three reference letters must be submitted electronically along with the online application.

Fellowship Benefits:

1. Fellowship award is set at $20,000, which last for 10 months.
2. The award cannot be deferred and cannot be combined with any other fellowship or award without the approval of the Institute.
3. Fellows can carry out their Fellowship work at their universities or at other research sites.
4. Fellows must provide periodic reports of their research to the institute.
5. Fellows are invited to give a presentation and to participate in conferences and workshops at the institute.

Contact Information:

Visit http://www.usip.org/grants-fellowships/jennings-randolph-peace-scholarship-dissertation-program to learn more details of the program and for any questions, contact the JR Program at jrprogram@usip.org .

Gertrude M. Cox Scholarship for Women:

Study Subject(s): Statistics, Biostatistics and other Statistical Sciences

Scholarship Grantor: Established in 1989, the Gertrude M. Cox Scholarship is jointly sponsored by Caucus for Women in Statistics and ASA Committee on Women in Statistics, to encourage more women towards statistically oriented professions.

Eligibility:

1. Applicants are limited to women who can be citizens or permanent residents of the U.S. or Canada
2. Applicants must be enrolled in a full-time graduate statistics program, which includes biostatistics and other statistical sciences.
3. Women currently enrolled or entering in graduate training (MS or PhD) are more eligible to apply.

Scholarship Benefits:

A $2,000 prize and a certificate will be given to the selected recipient at the Joint Statistical Meetings.

Required Documents:

The following documents are required to apply for the scholarship:

1. A completed application form
2. Three reference letters
3. Academic transcripts

Contact Information:

All the mentioned documents must be submitted electronically to pamela@amstat.org or by mail to
American Statistical Association
Attention: Award Nominations
732 N. Washington Street
Alexandria, VA 22314

To download the application form, visit the page http://www.amstat.org/awards/coxscholarship.cfm

Earth Institute and Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (EI/LDEO)’s Marie Tharp Fellowship:

Study Subject(s): Earth Science

Scholarship Grantor: The Earth Institute and Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory at Columbia University sponsor the Marie Tharp Fellowship with intent to promote more women in science.

Scholarship Overview: The award honors Marie Tharp, who is the first to work on mapping the ocean floor on a global scale. The earth scientists will have an opportunity to pursue research at Columbia University for 2-3 months. During the fellowship, the fellows will be working with their post docs, faculty, graduate students and research staff. The fellow will be giving a scientific presentation and will be participating in in EI/LDEO activities.

Eligibility:

1. Applicants can be junior and mid-career scientists holding a Ph.D. in the earth sciences.
2. Postdoctoral scholars cannot apply.
3. Researchers and fulltime or adjunct faculty at Columbia University are not eligible.

Required Documents: Applicants must submit the following documents:

1. A proposal describing the objectives and principles of the proposed project along with whom they are planning to work at Columbia.
2. Before submitting the application, the proposed Columbia collaborators must endorse the applicant.
3. Curriculum Vitae
4. Budget form, according to their guidelines.
5. Two letters of reference.

All the above-mentioned documents must be combined as a single combined PDF document and must be emailed to Kuheli.Dutt@columbia.edu.

Scholarship Benefits:

The fellowship is for a period of two to three months.

1. Up to a maximum of $25,000 will be provided to the fellow for supporting research, travel and salary expenses.
2. During the fellowship period, the fellow must reside at one of the eligible earth science research units of Earth Institute (EI).
3. The proposed collaborator and the fellow must agree upon the duration of the fellowship period.

Contact Information:

To know more details about the fellowship, budget proposal form and the list of eligible research units, see the official application document.

For further information, contact
Dr. Kuheli Dutt, Assistant Director for Academic Affairs & Diversity
Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University
61 Route 9W, Palisades, NY 10964-8000

Zonta International Foundation Amelia Earhart Fellowship for Women:

Study Subject(s): Aerospace related sciences and engineering.

Scholarship Grantor: Zonta International is a global organization, working to promote the status of women worldwide through advocacy and service. The fellowship was established by the organization in honor of Amelia Earhart, a famed pilot and Zontian.

Scholarship Overview: The fellowship was established to encourage women in pursuing their studies in the fields of aerospace-related sciences and engineering.

Eligibility:

1. Women pursuing a Ph.D./doctoral degree with a record of excellent academic performance in the field of aerospace-related engineering and aerospace-related sciences are eligible.
2. Applicants can be of any nationality.
3. Applicants must be enrolled in a Ph.D./doctoral program full-time before the funds are received.
4. Current fellows are eligible to apply in order to renew their fellowship for a second year. They have to follow the same application and evaluation procedures.
5. Employees and members of the Zonta International Foundation or Zonta International are not eligible to apply.
6. Post-doctoral research programs

Required Documents:

1. A completed application form
2. Three professional and/or academic letters of reference.
3. Academic Transcripts.

The above-mentioned documents must be sent as PDF and must be submitted by email at programs@zonta.org

Scholarship Benefits:

1. Every year, 35 fellows around the globe, will be awarded with a fellowship of US$10,000.
2. Each fellow receives a wings pin and a certificate, which are sent to the District Governor where the fellow is studying. Recipients having the award for the first time receive both the items whereas the second time recipients get the certificate only.
3. Fellow(s) may be invited to a District Conference or at a Zonta event, to present the certificate and wings pin items or the District Amelia Earhart Chairman or Club President or Area Director will be presenting them at a local event.

Contact Information:

The applications are accepted by mail, fax or email.
Mail: ZONTA INTERNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS, 1211 West 22nd Street, Suite 900, Oak Brook, IL 60523, USA
Phone: 1.630.928.1400
Fax: 1.630.928.1559

For downloading the application form and to know more details, visit http://www.zonta.org/WhatWeDo/InternationalPrograms/AmeliaEarhartFellowship.aspx

American Physical Society in Physics (ASP)’s M. Hildred Blewett Fellowship:

Study Subject(s): Physics

Scholarship Grantor: The American Physical Society (APS) is a non-profit organization working towards the diffusion and advancement of the physics through its scientific meetings, education and research journals, international activities, advocacy and outreach.

Scholarship Overview: APS through CSWP (Committee on the Status of Women in Physics), promote the women physicists at all levels. The award was established in honor of accelerator physicist, M. Hildred Blewett, who wants to help women to overcome the obstacles in pursuing their research in physics.

Eligibility:

1. Applicants must be U.S. citizen, permanent resident by law, or resident alien of the United States or Canada.
2. Women who have interrupted their existing physics research careers and want to return to those careers are eligible to apply.
3. Applicants must reside in United States or in Canada.
4. All the required work towards a PhD must be completed.
5. A written proof from the institution must be provided stating that they will have institutional affiliation during the fellowship period,
6. Scholarship Benefits: The scholarship consists of a one-year award of up to $45,000 covering tuition, fees and other expenses, which includes dependent care, travel, salary and equipment expenses.

Required Documents:

1. A completed application form must be submitted electronically, which includes applicant’s research purpose, budget, reason for career break and Curriculum Vitae.
2. Letters of recommendation, out of which one letter must be from the designated mentor, sent to Blewett@aps.org,
3. A letter stating the institutional support, sent to Blewett@aps.org

Contact Information:

For questions regarding special circumstances or eligibility, contact APS at (301) 209-3231 or blewett@aps.org. For downloading the application, visit http://www.aps.org/programs/women/scholarships/blewett/index.cfm

Schlumberger Foundation’s Faculty for the Future fellowship Program for Women:

Study Subject(s): Physical Sciences, Engineering and related disciplines

Scholarship Grantor: Schlumberger Foundation launched the Faculty for the Future program with intent to promote more women pursuing scientific disciplines. The program funds fellowships for women from emerging and developing countries, to advance their graduate study in engineering and science related disciplines.

Scholarship Overview: Faculty for the Future program awards fellowships to women who are preparing for post-doctoral study or PhD in the field of physical sciences and related disciplines at accredited universities around the world.
The applicants will be selected based on their leadership qualities, their scientific talents and after completing their studies, the recipients must be in a position to return their home country to continue their career and inspire young women into science related disciplines.

Eligibility:

The following criteria must be met by the applicants:

1. Applicants must be women.
2. Applicants can be citizen of any developing country.
3. Applicants pursuing Post-doctoral research or a PhD degree in the field of physical sciences or related disciplines are eligible to apply.
4. The candidates can be either currently applied or been admitted or might have enrolled in a university abroad.
5. Upon completing their study, the recipients must wish to continue their academic career, after returning to their home country.
6. Excellent academic performance record.
7. Must be committed to teaching and should participate in outreach work and faculty work, thereby encouraging more women into the science disciplines.

Required Documents:

Depending upon the following criteria, the grant recipients are selected:

1. Record of academic performance
2. Quality of letters of references.
3. How far the recipient is committed to teaching and return to their home country.
4. How the recipient’s research is relevant to home country
5. How far the recipient is committed to encourage and inspire young women into the sciences.
6. Details of the host country university.

The applications are accepted only through their on-line system www.fftf.slb.com.

Scholarship Benefits:

A fellowship of USD 50,000 for PhDs and USD 40,000 for Post-doctoral study, based on the costs of studying and living, will be awarded to the selected recipients. Depending upon the recipient’s performance and recommendations from supervisors, the grant may be renewed.

Contact Information:

To know more details of the program, visit the page http://facultyforthefuture.ows.fr/content/grant-application-process

Campbell Fellowship for Women Scholar-Practitioners from Developing Nations:

Study Subject(s): Social sciences: psychology, education, anthropology, linguistics, history, social work, or sociology, economics, law, political science, geography or an interdisciplinary field which incorporates two or more of the mentioned disciplines.

Scholarship Grantor: The School for Advanced Research (SAR) through the generous support of the Vera R. Campbell Foundation, sponsors the Campbell Fellowship for women social scientists from a developing nation, whose work is related to women’s social and economic empowerment in that nation.

Scholarship Overview: The fellowship is awarded, with intent to promote the scholarly careers of women social scientists from developing countries and to support the research that is related to identifying the causes of gender inequity, which is one of the concerns in the developing nations.

Eligibility:

1. Applicants must be citizens of developing countries, which have the ability to borrow from the World Bank. To know the list of those countries, visit the official application page.
2. Applicants must be female social scientists, either a PhD or post-doctoral scholar, from the developing countries.
3. Applicants should pursue research in any of the following social sciences which includes:
• Political science
• Anthropology
• Psychology
• Economics
• Linguistics
• Education
• Law
• History
• Social work
• Sociology
• Interdisciplinary field, which includes two or more of the above mentioned fields.
4. The topics of research that are favored to be eligible must be related to the causes of and/or solutions to gender inequity in the developing countries and thus how their research can contribute to women’s economic and social empowerment in those developing nations.
5. Applicants must be fluent in English. Fluency in English must be demonstrated.

Required Documents:

Six copies of each of the following documents are required:

1. A completed Resident scholar Application Form
2. An abstract, describing the objectives and principles of the applicant’s project.
3. A proposal, describing what the applicant want to accomplish during the fellowship period, status of the applicant’s research project and its significance.
4. Curriculum Vitae
5. Bibliography of the references
6. Three recommendation letters

All the above-mentioned documents should be mailed to
Director of Scholar Programs
School for Advanced Research
Attn: Resident Scholar Program
Post Office Box 2188
Santa Fe, New Mexico 87504-2188

Scholarship Benefits:

During the six-month fellowship, the Campbell fellow will receive

1. A $4,500/month stipend
2. Low-cost housing
3. Office space on the SAR campus
4. Health insurance
5. Shipping, library assistance and travel resource funds
6. Support from a mentoring committee comprising of well-known scholar-practitioners

Contact Information:

For further information, contact the Director of Scholar Programs at scholar@sarsf.org. To download the application form, visit http://sarweb.org/index.php?resident_scholar_apply

U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)’ s Doctoral Dissertation Research Grant program:

Study Subject(s): Housing and Urban development

Grantor: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) sponsors the Doctoral Dissertation Research Grant program. Its mission is to create strong, healthy, inclusive neighborhoods and build quality homes, affordable for everyone. It is working towards stabilizing the housing market in order to improve the economy and protect the consumers.

Grant Overview: The Doctoral Dissertation Research Grant program is established with intent to inspire doctoral candidates to pursue their research on topics related to housing, community and urban development. The program provides an opportunity to share the research findings by the new scholars.

Eligibility:

1. Applicants must be doctoral candidates enrolled in accredited programs in any academic discipline that are related to HUD’s mission and commitments.
2. Candidates, who are eligible to receive the grant, must have proposals related to housing and urban development, fully approved.
3. Women and minority candidates are more encouraged to apply for the program.
4. Before the grant begins, the candidates must complete all the course requirements of PhD.
5. HUD requires the recipient university to support their research by waiving tuition and fees, computer time, office space, equipment, or other items that may be needed to complete the dissertation.

How to Apply: HUD posts the program announcement on the internet and sends the details to the Ph.D. granting departments of accredited universities. To get an application kit, contact the University Partnerships Clearinghouse, P.O. Box 6091, Rockville, MD 20849-6091, or call 1-800-245-2691.

Grant Benefits:

1. HUD grants 15 doctoral candidates with an award of $15,000 per student each year.
2. The program assists the recipients to complete their dissertation research.

Contact Information:

Visit http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/programdescription/ddrg, to know more details of the program and for guidance, call the Office of University Partnerships located in HUD’s Office of Policy Development and Research (PD&R), at (202)708-3061.

The Educational Foundation for Women in Accounting (EFWA)’s Laurels Fund Scholarship:

Study Subject(s): Accounting

Scholarship Grantor: The Educational Foundation for Women in Accounting (EFWA) encourages and inspires women to advance their career in the accounting profession. The foundation offers scholarships every year at graduate, undergraduate and postgraduate levels, for women pursuing their degree in Accounting.

Scholarship Overview: Educational Foundation for Women in Accounting (EFWA) established the Laurels Fund scholarship, with intent to promote women who are interested in pursuing their advanced careers in the field of Accounting.

Eligibility:

1. Applicants must be women being U.S. citizen.
2. Applicants must be pursuing or enrolled currently in Ph.D. program related to accounting, with outstanding academic performance.

Required Documents:

1. Curriculum Vitae
2. Official transcripts
3. An abstract of the papers written by the applicant
4. A letter of reference based on scholarship and teaching potential of the applicant
5. Another letter of reference based on the applicant’s leadership capabilities and character
6. A statement demonstrating the applicant’s career goals and objectives

The above mentioned application materials should be mailed to
Educational Foundation for Women in Accounting
136 South Keowee Street
Dayton, Ohio 45402-2241
FAX: 937-222-5794

Scholarship Benefits:

A scholarship ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 each will be awarded to the selected candidate, for a period of one-year. The recipient may be invited to regional or national accounting conferences.

Contact Information:

For further information, contact them at 937-424-3391 or info@efwa.org. To download the application form, visit http://efwa.org/scholarships_postgraduate.php

National Science Foundation’s Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) Program:

Study Subject(s): Mathematics, Science and Engineering

Scholarship Grantor: Created by Congress, the National Science Foundation (NSF) is a federal agency, funding sources for most of the federally supported researches conducted by America’s universities and colleges.

Scholarship Overview:

Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) is National Science Foundation’s multi-disciplinary doctoral traineeship program, developed with intent of educating those U.S. engineers and scientists, who have excellent knowledge in their discipline and personal, technical and professional skills. Through this IGERT program, graduate students receive their Ph.D. in one of the STEM fields with benefits from a host of multidisciplinary research and education activities.

Eligibility:

1. Applicants applying for the traineeship program must be citizens or permanent residents by law of the U.S. and its territories.
2. The trainees must be enrolled in a Ph.D. program in one of the NSF-supported STEM fields of study for full-time.
3. Applicants having joint degrees such as D.V.M. /Ph.D., or J.D. /Ph.D., or M.D. /Ph.D., are also ineligible.
4. For some IGERT programs, applicants in non-STEM fields and foreign students, who are not eligible to receive any funding, participate in all IGERT activities.
5. Applicants studying for professional degrees are not eligible which include clinical psychology, medical, business, law, veterinary medicine degrees etc.
6. Underrepresented groups, defined as Pacific Islander (native of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa), American Indian/Alaskan Native, Hispanic, persons with disabilities, Black and/or female are more encouraged to apply.
7. Graduate students, who are veterans of the U.S. Armed Services are also encourageed to apply.

How to Apply:

There are many IGERT individual programs and to know the list of the actively recruiting IGERT programs, visit the link http://www.igert.org/projects?[project][is_recruiting]=1 and another way to find a program that might be of most interest is to click on http://www.igert.org/projects/search . Once the project profile pages open up, program website can be accessed by clicking on the link provided. Application form and details regarding how and when to apply can be known from the program website.

Scholarship Benefits:

1. Depending upon the availability of funds and the quality of the proposals, the foundation grants 18 new and renewal awards.
2. 20-30 trainees will receive NSF IGERT funding for 2 years over the course of the 5-year award.
3. NSF contributes a stipend of $30,000 per trainee per year to the graduate students who have an intention to complete Ph.D.
4. After 2 years, for remaining years of study, the trainees will get departmental support through Teaching or Research Assistantships.

Contact Information:

For more details about the program requirements, like proposal preparation guidelines, eligibility etc., visit http://www.nsf.gov/pubs/2011/nsf11533/nsf11533.htm#awd_info

12. International Women’s Media Foundation (IWMF)’s Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship:

Study Subject(s): Journalism

Scholarship Grantor: Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship was established by the International Women’s Media Foundation in memory of Elizabeth Neuffer, who is a Boston Globe correspondent and IWMF’s Courage in Journalism Award winner.

Scholarship Overview: IWMF offers the fellowship every year to one outstanding woman journalist. Created with Neuffer’s family and friends, the fellowship creates an opportunity for women journalists to increase their journalistic skills and promote the international understanding of social justice and human rights.

Eligibility:

1. The fellowship is open to worldwide woman journalists, whose work focus is social justice and human rights.
2. Journalists working in the Internet media, broadcast and print are eligible to apply for the fellowship, including freelancers.
3. Three years of experience in journalism is required for the applicants.
4. The non-native English speakers require excellent verbal and written English skills, in order to apply for this program.

Application Process: The following documents are required to apply for the fellowship:

1. A completed application form
2. Two recommendation forms
3. For non-native English speakers, English assessment form
4. Curriculum Vitae
5. 3 Work samples

Fellowship Benefits:

The fellow will be working with IWMF in designing a program, which enables her to conduct academic research and improve her journalistic skills on the topics related to social justice and human rights. Some of the benefits of the fellowship includes:

1. During the research phase of the fellowship, the fellow will work as a research associate at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Cambridge, Massachusetts, a Center for International Studies.
2. During the journalism phase, the fellow will be spending her time with the media outlets like The New York Times, the Boston Globe and others.
3. A stipend will be provided to cover the ground transportation, housing and meals expenses.
4. A round-trip economy airfare will be provided form the fellow’s home city or country to Washington, D.C., and from Washington, D.C to the fellow’s home country or city.
5. For applicants outside of U.S., the costs for applying and obtaining U.S. visa will be covered.
6. salary or honoraria is not provided.

Contact Information:

All the above-mentioned documents can be submitted electronically to neuffer@iwmf.org or can be submitted by either regular post or international courier, to:
Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship
International Women’s Media Foundation
1625 K Street, NW, Suite 1275
Washington, D.C. 20006
USA.

For downloading the application form, visit http://iwmf.org/pioneering-change/elizabeth-neuffer-fellowship/neuffer-fellowship-faq.aspx and for any information, contact them at neuffer[at]iwmf.org.