Women have never been more empowered in Australia than today. According to the ABS, women are consistently more likely than men between the ages of 25 and 29 to gain a bachelor qualification. Many postgraduate scholarships are designed exclusively for women, making top-level education even more accessible.
These opportunities are more numerous than ever. Benefactors like the Australian Society of Exploration Geophysicists and Australian Federation of Graduate Women work tirelessly to fund the postgraduate academic exploits of women, specialising in a number of different field and capacities. The former naturally favours its namesake, with thousands of scholarships being distributed to develop successful applicants' abilities in energy and engineering. Funding is generously provisioned to grow their leadership capabilities while working in these sectors.
On average, recipients can expect between $1,000 - $6,000 in funding. This considers all the various types of scholarships, such as smaller bursaries awarded to socio-economically disadvantaged students. Grants, on the other hand, are for one-time payments conferred to whoever wrote the best grant application regarding what they want to accomplish. To be successful in applying for grants, make sure to do the following:
What can’t be understated is the experiential value of these opportunities. Although some won’t offer much in the way of money, they provide a great deal of networking and professional opportunities, which can be worth a great deal.
A grant, no matter how small, is a chance to get a meaningful project under your belt that you can point to on your resume. The chance to travel to a developing country shows you’re adventurous, have initiative and aren’t afraid to try new things. Try to see past the monetary value of these opportunities wherever possible and you can find some real gems.
With that said, here are some of the best scholarships available to women. If you find any are currently closed, that’s OK; they generally come back annually.
Scholarship |
Discipline |
Value |
Requirements |
Adore Beauty Women in Tech Scholarship |
Computer Science |
$2,000 + Internship at Adore Beauty |
250-word application answering the question, “what is your motivation to succeed?” |
Any |
$10,000 pa |
Write a 1,000-word blog post about your idea for changing the world. Must feature sections on your vision to change the world, how you'll accomplish your goals, what support you'll need and a reference to Toptal Scholarships. |
|
Law & Justice |
$550 |
Complete the Toni Dick Prize application form available here and send it to law.scholarships@qut.edu.au |
|
Aerospace Engineering |
$13,498.65 |
|
|
Any |
$2,000 pa |
|
|
Master of Business Administration (MBA) Scholarship for Women |
Business Administration |
50% off tuition fees |
|
Any |
$7,500 pa |
|
|
UQ Women in Action Fund |
|
$2,000 |
|
Women in Leadership Scholarship |
Business Administration |
66% off tuition fees |
|
Business Administration |
$10,000 |
Demonstrable previous IT experience detailed in a written application |
|
Business Administration |
66% off tuition fees |
|
|
Any |
$1,000 - $8,000 |
Must be registered with the Australian Federation of Graduate Women. |
If you want to see more scholarship opportunities for women, click here.