How to find graduate school scholarships

Not only is graduate school usually more expensive than undergraduate, but scholarships are also harder to find.  Most graduate school scholarships will come straight from the schools themselves, but there are a few other ways to find them.

Many master’s programs offer scholarships based on the field of study.  Careers in high demand tend to have more funding available to students in pursuit of that particular degree.  For example, The Federal Cyber Service offers scholarships to individuals earning degrees for Homeland Security and the Department of Defense.  The most common types of graduate school scholarships offered today are in teaching, healthcare, and especially nursing.

Women and minorities are often eligible for specific types of scholarships in industries that are dominated by white males.  White males actually make up the largest population of individuals with master’s degrees.  They are especially prevalent in the fields of physical science and engineering; thus The National Physical Science Consortium offers scholarships to women and individuals of minorities to help increase the numbers practicing in the field.

Additionally, master’s programs will offer scholarships to students based on merit, vocation, and even background and gender.  In several cases they will award money to students in need with outstanding academic histories.  Some schools will even waive out of state tuition costs for high performing students in a master’s program.  While they are much harder to find, graduate school scholarships are available, you just need to know where to look and what you qualify for.