What Different Types of LGBT Scholarships Are Available for College?
LGBT scholarships are for college students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender. LGBTQ+ students may face various financial obstacles. Scholarships for LGBT college students help make a degree more affordable. There are scholarship programs based on financial need that use your FAFSA info. Some awards also look at GPA, LGBT community service and activism.
There are general scholarships for all LGBT students. Other awards may be for your specific major or career. Others focus on a specific gender identity such as:
Transgender scholarships
Gay scholarships
Queer scholarships
Bisexual scholarships
LGBTQI scholarships include queer and intersexed students
Scholarships for LGBTQI+ may include an active ally, minorities, children of LGBT parents as well. Active allies support LGBTQ issues through advocacy. This support may also help break down barriers to equality.
LGBTQ applicants should check with their high school counselor and college for financial aid. Some public and private organizations and donors may have LGBT awards.
Beyond being a key source of financial aid, these programs also promote diversity. Some programs have extra perks too. Mentoring could be beneficial to gain support. You may also work on human rights campaigns that boost awareness for LGBTQI+ students.
For instance, Phoenix Pride High School Scholarship is for LGBTQ or Allies. High school seniors who apply must have a minimum 2.5 GPA, and be an Arizona state resident. The same provider also offers an award for LGBTQ grad and undergraduate students. Selection uses financial need, recommendations and grades.
Make sure to also check the schools you are applying to. Michigan State University offers the Stephen P. Pougnet and Christopher J. Green Endowed Scholarship. It is from the LGBT Resource Center and is open to college juniors and seniors. Academic achievement is one criteria. You must also show contributions to the LGBTQA+ community.
10 LGBTQ Scholarships You Should Apply for in 2021
Get a head start on 2021 with these 10 scholarships for LGBTQ students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or intersex. If you qualify for one of these awards, apply today!
Stantec Equity & Diversity Scholarship
Jonathan Lax Scholarship Fund For Gay Men
Traub Dicker Rainbow Scholarship
The New York Ramblers Scholarship for Student Athletes
Maylon Smith Scholarship Research Award
Adoption STAR Scholarship for LGTBQ+ Prospective Parents
David Womack Memorial Alabama LGBT Scholarship
David Womack Memorial West Virginia LGBT Scholarship
Women in Medicine LGBTQ Leadership Scholarship
David Knapp Scholarship
What Organizations Support LGBTQ Students Through College?
Many nonprofits such as NOGLSTP and PGLAG could help pay for higher education. They advocate diversity for students part of the LGBTQ community and allies as well.
PFLAG stands for Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians and Gays. It is the first and largest group for LGBTQ+, their families and allies. They have 400 chapters in the U.S. The Tucson Chapter is one that also awards scholarships.
National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals: NOGLSTP is a professional society. It educates and advocates for LGBTQ students and those that work in STEM. Their Out to Innovate award provides at least two $5,000 scholarships. You also must pursue a STEM teaching field.
Point Foundation is also the nation’s largest scholarship grantor for LGBTQ. Point Scholars must be full time students with leadership, financial need and solid grades. High school seniors, undergraduates and graduate students may apply.
League Foundation began as a grassroots group. They have several national scholarship funds. They offer financial support to LGBTQ+ high school seniors. Their annual awards may also be for students with a 3.0 GPA or higher.
5 Tips to Help You Earn a Scholarship for LGBT
While not everyone qualifies for a LGBT scholarship, these suggestions may help you feel confident about your application. Keep in mind, many scholarship applications open every year on October 11 (Coming Out Day). So, keep track of annual awards you may have missed this time.
1. Until age 24, the FAFSA looks at your parent’s tax info and considers you a dependent. But there is a place on the form where you can indicate you are “homeless”, “at risk of being homeless” and self supporting. So if your parents disowned you when you came out, you may be able to claim independent status.
2. Fill out the FAFSA and submit it on time. That may help you access and qualify for a range of scholarships, work study and grants (like the Pell Grant). Also apply for any scholarships based on ethnicity, academic major or other talents you may have.
3. Disclosing your gender identity or sexual orientation is optional. The answers you give may likely be private and not shared.
4. The “Common Application” has a Gender category but only provides ‘male’ or ‘female’. But some colleges permit you to change your pronoun for campus records. You may have more inclusive identity questions in other materials. For example, Ithaca College allows you to change your name on VoiceThread.
5. Title IX schools receive federal funds. They should follow the statute that protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs. This means they cannot legally prohibit LGBTQ students from applying. On the other side, private foundations may choose not to select LGBTQ for their scholarships.
This award is available for U.S. and international high school seniors who self-identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender, as well as supporters and allies. Applicants must reside in San Mateo or Santa Clara counties in California, must have a grade point average of 3.0 or higher, and must show an interest in service to the GLBT community.
This scholarship is available for undergraduate nursing majors in California who have a grade point average of 3.0 or higher. Applicants must identify as LGBT or demonstrate a record of advocating for LGBT equality. Click here to learn more and apply today!
This award is available U.S. undergraduate and/or graduate students who attend or have graduated from a high school located in San Mateo County or Santa Clara County and are a resident of California. Students must also have a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher and demonstrate community involvement over a period of several years.
This award is available for U.S. undergraduate and/or graduate students who have graduated from a high school located in San Mateo County or Santa Clara County and are residents of California. Students have a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher and demonstrate community involvement over a period of several years.
This award is available for U.S. high school seniors who are residents of California attend a high school located in San Mateo County or northern Santa Clara County (Daly City through Mountain View) and have a cumulative grade point average of 3.3 or lower. Students must demonstrate community involvement over a period of several years and be able provide evidence of partial self-support (e.g., savings from summer jobs, part-time work, etc.).
The Financial Executives International (FEI) Scholarship is available for U.S. and international students at Santa Clara University. Applicants must have a history of academic excellence, leadership, and must demonstrate an interest in finance or accounting.
This award is available for Idaho high school seniors who are graduating from a high school in Idaho and planning to enroll in an eligible postsecondary educational institution in Idaho. Students must have a grade point average of 2.8 or higher. High consideration for selection is given to students with a demonstrated commitment to public service.
This award is available to California students with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher who are transferring to a four-year college or university to study full time. To be eligible, the student’s parents and/or grandparents must be the proprieters of an establishment with a California liquor license or be employed full-time by an individual or corporation with a California liquor license.
This award is available to openly gay men from the five-county metropolitan Philadelphia region (Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery or Philadelphia counties) studying anywhere in the U.S., or openly gay men from anywhere in the U.S. who are studying in the five-county metropolitan Philadelphia region.
This award is available for graduating high school seniors in Massachusetts who identify as gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender. Applicants must participate in athletics and serve as a constant role-model or advocate for LGBT causes.
