Without help from scholarships, funds and grants, it takes most people decades to pay off their student loans from college. Luckily, scholarships can help you wipe away a large part of that debt. If you are an older minority woman, there are plenty of opportunities out there, from scholarship funds to fellowships, that will allow you to get money for college. Generally applications are due in the fall and spring for the upcoming academic year, so you will need start researching requirements and deadlines a year or more in advance of your intended enrollment date.
Margaret McNamara Memorial Fund
The Margaret McNamara Memorial Fund (MMMF) awards educational grants to older minority women, from developing countries, who want to study in the United States and Canada. In order to be eligible for help from the fund, which awards grants of about $12,000 each (nonrenewable), students must have a record of service to women and children in their home country. The applicant must also be at least 25 years old and demonstrate financial need. MMMF is part of the World Bank, and so applicants should be from lower- or middle-income World Bank member countries.
AAUW Selected Professions Focus Profession Fellowship
The American Association of University Women (AAUW) has a Selected Professions Focus Profession Fellowship for African-American women seeking a graduate or post-graduate degree in fields such as medicine, law and business administration. AAUW awards fellowships of $500 to $12,000 a year to each successful female applicant.
Hispanic College Fund Scholarships
The Hispanic College Fund has annual scholarships for eligible women. In 2008, the fund gave more than $2 million in scholarship money to Hispanics. To be eligible, you must be of Hispanic decent and a U.S. citizen or permanent resident living in the United States or Puerto Rico. You also must be enrolled as a full-time student in an undergraduate program in order to be eligible for one of the Hispanic College Fund scholarships.
Talbots Women's Scholarship Fund
If you graduated from high school more than 10 years ago and have yet to attend college, the Talbots Women's Scholarship Fund may be right for you. This is specifically for older women who want to finally get a higher education. Candidates must be planning to or are currently enrolled in an undergraduate degree at a university or technical school. Five women win $10,000 each annually, while 50 women win $1,000 annually through this scholarship.
AARP Foundation Women's Scholarship Program
For older women wanting a college education, the AARP Foundation Women's Scholarship Program is extremely helpful. In order to be eligible, you must be a woman who is more than 40 years old and enrolled in a university or technical college. You must also be able to demonstrate financial need in order to win the AARP Foundation Women's Scholarship.
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