Most undergraduate aid in the United States is gender-neutral: women and men file the same FAFSA, qualify for the same Pell and state grants, and compete for the same institutional scholarships. On top of that baseline, a number of foundations and professional associations specifically fund women undergraduates — particularly women returning to school, women in STEM, and women in underrepresented fields. This page maps the real 2026 programs.
Start with federal aid (everyone)
The single most important step for any prospective student, regardless of gender, is filing the FAFSA. It opens access to:
- Federal Pell Grant — up to $7,580 for 2026–27 for low-income undergraduates.
- FSEOG — $100 to $4,000/year for Pell-eligible students with exceptional need.
- TEACH Grant — $4,000/year for students entering teaching in high-need fields/schools (service obligation; converts to a loan if unmet).
- Federal work-study — part-time on-campus jobs.
- Direct Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans — federal student loans with fixed rates and income-driven repayment options.
Women constitute the majority of Pell Grant recipients each year; federal need-based aid is the financial foundation of most women's college budgets.
State need-based and merit grants
Most states administer their own grant programs using FAFSA data — Cal Grant, TAP, Bright Futures, TEXAS Grant, Illinois MAP, Pennsylvania PHEAA, HOPE, and dozens of state-specific awards. Check your state higher-education agency for women-specific programs (a handful of states fund single-parent or displaced-homemaker awards, often available to non-traditional women students returning to school).
Major foundation programs for women undergraduates
AAUW — American Association of University Women
AAUW is the most-cited national funder for women in higher education. Its undergraduate-relevant programs include Career Development Grants ($2,000–$20,000) for women who already hold a bachelor's degree and are pursuing a credential, certification, or second bachelor's to advance their careers. AAUW also funds graduate fellowships (see our graduate grants for women page).
P.E.O. International
P.E.O. operates several programs specifically for women students:
- P.E.O. Program for Continuing Education (PCE) — grants up to about $4,000 for women whose education was interrupted and who need to complete a degree or certification to support themselves and their families.
- P.E.O. Scholar Awards — $20,000 for women pursuing doctoral-level degrees.
- P.E.O. STAR Scholarship — $2,500 for high school senior women entering college.
- P.E.O. International Peace Scholarship — for international women studying in the U.S. or Canada at the graduate level.
Society of Women Engineers (SWE)
SWE scholarships support women pursuing ABET-accredited engineering and engineering-technology programs. One application is reviewed for dozens of named scholarships, with awards from about $1,000 to $15,000.
Zonta International
Zonta administers the Jane M. Klausman Women in Business Scholarship ($2,000–$8,000) for women undergraduates in business and management programs and the Women in STEM Scholarship for undergraduate women in STEM.
Patsy Takemoto Mink Education Foundation
The Patsy Mink Foundation provides Education Support Awards of up to about $5,000 for low-income mothers pursuing post-secondary education — undergraduate, graduate, vocational, or certification.
Field-specific programs
- American Business Women's Association (ABWA) scholarships.
- Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) scholarships for several fields.
- Women's Independence Scholarship Program (WISP) — for survivors of intimate-partner abuse pursuing higher education.
- Executive Women International — for high school senior women.
Returning students and non-traditional women
A significant share of women in college today are adults returning to school. Programs targeting that audience include:
- AAUW Career Development Grants (above).
- P.E.O. Program for Continuing Education (above).
- Jeannette Rankin Foundation Scholarships — for low-income women age 35+ pursuing technical, vocational, or undergraduate degrees.
- Bernard Osher Reentry Scholarship — funded at many community colleges and four-year campuses for adult students returning to college.
- Many community colleges run a Women's Resource Center with locally administered emergency aid, textbook funds, and childcare grants.
How to apply
- File the FAFSA as early as possible after October 1 each year.
- Apply to your state's need-based grant through the state higher-education agency.
- Apply to the major women-specific foundations above — AAUW, P.E.O., SWE, Zonta, Mink — that match your situation.
- Apply to school-specific scholarships at every college you're admitted to. Many institutions list dedicated women-undergraduate or non-traditional-student awards.
- Search field-specific women's professional associations (engineering, business, nursing, law, journalism, etc.).
There is no application fee for any legitimate scholarship or grant. Any "free scholarship kit," "guaranteed match," or processing-fee service is a scam. Report scams to the FTC at reportfraud.ftc.gov.
Common questions
Is there one federal "college grant for women"? No. Federal undergraduate aid (Pell, FSEOG, TEACH) is gender-neutral. Women-specific funding comes mainly from private foundations and professional associations.
Are there grants for women going back to college as adults? Yes — AAUW Career Development Grants, P.E.O. Program for Continuing Education, Jeannette Rankin Foundation, and Osher Reentry Scholarships specifically target adult women returning to school.
Are there scholarships specifically for women in STEM? Yes — SWE (engineering), Zonta Women in STEM, AAUW STEM-related fellowships, and Microsoft, Google, Adobe, and Cadence diversity-in-tech scholarships are well-known sources.
What about single mothers? See our dedicated college grants for single mothers page for TANF, CCDF childcare, Head Start, and parent-specific scholarships layered on top of Pell.
Federal need-based aid first; women-targeted foundation grants and field-specific scholarships layered on top. Done well, this combination can cover most of a typical in-state undergraduate budget.