Paying for college – whether you are starting directly after high school, picking up after a hiatus, or going for the very first time as a non-traditional student – is always difficult.  Almost no one can pay out of pocket, as even community and state college fees can be surprisingly high.  There are a variety of income sources, from loans to scholarships to grants, which can help you fund your (continuing) education.  Many of these come from the institutions themselves, but there are thousands of private or government sources of financial aid, as well.

If you are a female looking for grants and other funding for your education, you are in luck.  Many financial aid awards are designated especially for women.  In addition, they are targeted towards specific academic areas or purposes, which means that if you are unsure of what you want to study, you may be inspired by a grant to choose a certain field.

For example, the Association for Women in Mathematics offers prizes, awards, and even travel grants to women and girls interested in mathematical sciences (www.awm-math.org).  The Educational Foundationf or Women in Accounting offers grants to women who are studying accounting at either the undergraduate or post-graduate level, in amounts from $1000 to $5000 (www.efwa.org/scholarships.htm).

Another field-specific grant is offered by the Association for Women in Science in the amount of $1000 for high school seniors.  The AWIS foundation also supports college sophomores and juniors who are studying physics or geosciences (www.awis.org/careers/edfoundation.html).  Google offers a special grant to women who are studying computing and technology, the Google Anita Borg Scholarship.  This scholarship amount ranges from $1000 to $10,000; you can find more information at http://www.google.com/anitaborg/.

For those women interested in studying physical education or sports, the Dorothy Harris Endowed Scholarship awards $1500 annually.  Another option for US citizens that are already employed in or planning careers in national security or defense is the Horizons scholarship for women.  In addition, the American Association of University Women (AAUW) offers many different fellowships and grants to women, in the following categories:  American fellowships, international fellowships, career development grants, communication action grants, and selected profession fellowships.  For more information, visit http://www.aauw.org/fga/index.cfm.

These are just a few of the many grants for women that are out there.  But because these are designed to fund specific areas of study, it is important to know what is out there before choosing your major.  If you choose a common or overpopulated major (such as English or history), you may find grant options limited.  However, studying areas that need more people in general, or in which women are historically underrepresented, can mean increased access to grants, such as those presented here.

Consider, therefore, studying fields such as science, mathematics, technology, and political science.  Not only will this make you eligible for these women-specific grants, but it will also make you able to apply for non-gender-specific scholarships, grants, and loans in general.