College Scholarships for LGBTQ Students

Amount: unspecified

Due Date: Mid-April

These educational grants are offered to LGBT students. This particular fund is designated for students in Austin, Texas however students should check for their local NGLCC chapter for scholarship opportunities close to home.

Specific Requirements:
Open to students in the LGBTQ community in Austin, Texas.

Austin LGBT Chamber of Commerce Scholarships

Amount: $2,000 Due Date: Mid-June

The Greater San Diego Business Association grants a scholarship to LGBTQ students and persons who have advocated for the lesbian and gay community.

Specific Requirements:
Applicants must be a resident of San Diego County.

Greater San Diego Business Association Scholarship

Amount: Up to $13,000 Due Date: Mid-January

GSBA’s educational scholarships are granted to LGBTQ and straight-ally students who are advocates for making a difference in the world. The awards renew annually for each year of a student’s undergraduate education.

Specific Requirements:
Applicants must be residents of Washington, although through a partnership with the Pride Foundation, students from Alaska, Idaho, Montana and Oregon are also encouraged to apply.

Greater Seattle Business Association LGBTQ Scholar Program

Amount: varies Due Date: Early January

A state-wide LGBTQ scholarship organization, the MCS gives three awards: the Missouri Courage Award for students working to advance LGBTQ and social justice, the Trans Courage Award for students who identify as transgender and the Rural Courage Award for students in rural areas of the state.

Specific Requirements:
Open to LGBTQ college-bound seniors from Missouri, and those who work to positively impact the lives of any other marginalized group, such as people of color, religious minorities, women, immigrants and people with disabilities.

Missouri Courage Scholarships

Amount: $1,250 to $10,000 Due Date: Early January

Open to LGBTQ students who demonstrate leadership potential, the Tom Markowski and Jim Leach scholarship fund was created to help further educational endeavors of applicants.

Specific Requirements:
Applicants must be accepted into San Francisco State University, Stanford University, University of California at Berkeley, University of California San Francisco or the University of California Hastings College of the Law to apply.

Markowski-Leach Scholarships

Amount: $500 Due Date: Early September

Providing up to three annual awards for LGBTQ students or allies living or attending a college in Eastern Kentucky, the Morehead Pride Scholarship is designed to help offset the cost of college tuition, housing and books.

Specific Requirements:
Open to students in high school or college that serve as positive role models in the local LGBTQ community.

Morehead Kentucky Pride Scholarship Award

Amount: varies Due Date: varies

Self-identified members of the LGBTQ community and straight allies can apply for scholarships through their local PFLAG chapters, which are located in major cities across 20 states.

Specific Requirements:
Open to students in Arizona, California, Connecticut, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Texas, Utah and Washington.

PFLAG Chapter Scholarship Programs

Amount: $4,000 to $12,000 Due Date: Mid-January

Through the Pride Foundation’s common application for scholarships, this fund supports LGBTQ students and allies in the Northwest United States. Their Scholarship List includes opportunities for LGBTQ students related to the following:

Specific Requirements:
Applicants must reside in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon or Washington; they do not need to attend college in these states. Some additional regional or city preferences may be assigned by scholarship, please follow the links above for details.

Pride Foundation Scholarships (Northwest)

Amount: $25,000 Due Date: not specified

LGBTQI students who are immigrants that do not hold a visa or green card and are not U.S. citizens, such as refugees or asylum seekers, can receive monies for their education through this scholarship program.

Specific Requirements:
Must be enrolled in an accredited non-profit school in New York City. Students must be at least sophomores with a cumulative GPA of 3.25 or higher to be eligible.

Stonewall Foundation Levin-Goffe Scholarship for LGBTQI Immigrants

Queens of the Castro Grace Towers Scholarship for the Arts

Amount: $1,000 and $2,000 awards available Due Date: May to June

This scholarship is open to LGBTQ students who are interested in pursuing degrees in the arts. All scholarship information is posted on the group’s social media pages during the live application period.

Specific Requirements:
Open to students 16 to 25 years old in California, Chicago and New York City.

Hampton Roads Pride Business Scholarship

Amount: $1,600 Due Date: May 1

LGBTQ students and allies majoring in business are eligible for this scholarship. Applicants must be in their junior or senior year of undergrad with a 3.5 GPA and submit an essay on their demonstrated service to the LGBT community.

Specific Requirements:
Open to students attending college in Virginia.

Morgan Stanley Richard B. Fisher Scholarship and Internship Program

Amount: $15,000 Due Date: May 1

LGBTQ college sophomores and juniors are encouraged to apply for this combination scholarship and internship program with Morgan Stanley, which students of all majors are encouraged to apply for.

Specific Requirements:
The internship portion of this award takes place at the company’s Baltimore, Maryland office.

Reaching Out LGBTQ MBA Fellowship

Amount: $10,000 minimum Due Date: Mid-January

LGBTQ and allied students participating in the Reaching Out LGBTQ MBA Fellowship Program will receive scholarship funds, mentoring and leadership opportunities as they pursue a master’s degree in business.

Specific Requirements:
Student must be attending one of the 40 participating colleges and universities.

Alexander G. Gray, Jr., Law Scholarship Award

Amount: $3,500 Due Date: February to March

The Massachusetts LGBTQ Bar Association provides a scholarship for a single student who demonstrates a commitment to and involvement in the LGBTQ community. Search for your state’s LGBTQ Bar Association here.

Specific Requirements:
Must be a law student in Massachusetts.

Donald Snow Law Scholarship

Amount: $3,500 Due Date: Mid-November

The LGBT Bar Association of Los Angeles offers a scholarship to locally enrolled law students with financial need who are either LGBTQ or have demonstrated an ongoing commitment to the promotion of the LGBTQ community’s civil rights.

Specific Requirements:
Must be a law student in the Los Angeles area to apply.

Out to Protect

Amount: $500 – $1,000 Due Date: varies

This scholarship provides funding for LGBTQ people enrolled in a basic law enforcement program, which can include police or sheriff’s academy, corrections academy or 911 dispatcher certification.

Specific Requirements:
Applicants can be self-sponsored students and financial need is not a required consideration.

Bill Caspare Memorial Fund Scholarship

Amount: $10,000 Due Date: Late June

Open to both LGBTQ and minority or multiracial students interested in pursuing careers in advertising and media, which could include new media, digital advertising or advertising data science.

Specific Requirements:
Applicants must be a junior or senior undergraduate or actively enrolling in graduate school with a GPA of 3.25 or higher.

Kay Longcope Scholarship Award

Amount: $3,000 Due Date: Early June

This scholarship through the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association provides tuition assistance to LGBTQ students of color pursuing a journalism career to promote fair and accurate media coverage for LGBTQ people.

Specific Requirements:
Open to both undergrad and graduate students at both community or four-year colleges.

Leroy F. Aarons Scholarship Award

Amount: $3,000 Due Date: Late May

This scholarship provides tuition assistance to LGBTQ students who intend to pursue journalism as a career and provide fair and accurate coverage for LGBTQ people, in accordance with the mission of the National Lesbian and Gay Journalists Association.

Specific Requirements:
Open to students at both community colleges and four-year institutions.

Messenger-Anderson Journalism Scholarship and Internship Program

Amount: undisclosed Due Date: undisclosed

This scholarship through the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force awards funds to LGBTQ undergraduate students pursuing a career in journalism at an accredited 4-year university.

Specific Requirements:
Scholarship details are reserved for members of the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.

California Teachers Association Safety in Schools Guy DeRosa Scholarship

Amount: $2,500 Due Date: Mid-December

Supporting self-identified LGBTQ community members enrolled in a teaching or counseling degree or graduate program, the California Teachers Association (CTA) aims to increase the number of LGBTQ educators in public schools to act as role models and promote respect for all.

Specific Requirements:
Open to public school students nominated by a member of the CTA or current CTA members.

Kenneth W. Payne Student Prize

Amount: $400 Due Date: Early June

Given by the Association for Queer Anthropology (AQA) to a graduate or undergraduate student who has done outstanding anthropological work on an LGBTQ topic.

Specific Requirements:
Open to all students dedicated to contributing to and advancing queer studies and our understanding of sexuality worldwide.

Malyon Smith Scholarship Research Award

Amount: $1,000 Due Date: Late March

An award from the Society for the Psychological Study of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Issues designed to mentoring and support the science of LGBTQ psychology.

Specific Requirements:
Any graduate student conducting research on LGBTQ psychology, sexual orientation and gender identity is encouraged to apply.

AfterCollege STEM Inclusion Scholarship

Amount: $500 Due Date: Late December

This scholarship provides students pursuing STEM degrees from underrepresented groups, including the LGBTQ community, funding for higher education.

Specific Requirements:
Candidates must have a minimum 3.0 GPA and be actively working towards a degree in Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics.

Edie Windsor Coding Scholarship

Amount: 50% of tuition Due Date: Mid-April

Specifically designated for gender nonconforming and queer women who are pursing degrees in coding, this scholarship is a partnership between Make School’s Summer Academy, Dev Bootcamp, Thinkful and Hack Reactor.

Specific Requirements:
Students submit information about the coding program and school they want to attend as part of the application process.

National Gay Pilots Association Education Fund Scholarship

Amount: $5,000 Due Date: First Saturday of June

Current pilots who have earned at least a private and instrument pilot certificate and who are active in the LGBTQ community are eligible for three scholarships through the National Gay Pilots Association to further their careers in the aviation field.

Specific Requirements:
Students must be enrolled in an accredited 4-year college or university in the United States.

Out to Innovate Scholarship

Amount: $5,000 Due Date: Early August

The National Organization of Gay and Lesbian Scientists and Technical Professionals provides scholarships for LGBTQ students or active allies pursuing degrees in STEM programs.

Specific Requirements:
Students must have completed at least 2 years of study in a STEM program at an accredited college or university while maintaining a 3.0 GPA.

Amount: $2,000 Due Date: Late December

This community scholarship specifically awards out black lesbian women who are 40 years of age or older and going to college. Applicants should be active within their local LGBTQ community.

Specific Requirements:
Must be registered as full- or part-time students at a technical, undergraduate or graduate school and maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

Audre Lorde Scholarship Fund

Amount: $2,000 Due Date: February 10

The Asian Pacific Islander Queer Women and Transgender Community scholarship funds queer API women and transgender people in their pursuit of technical/professional training or higher education.

Specific Requirements:
Asian Pacific Islander queer and transgender women who are high school seniors or current college students and are active members of the API community are encouraged to apply.

Asian Pacific Islander Queer Women and Transgender Community Scholarship

Amount: $500 Due Date: Late March

Two awards are given by the American Atheists organization each year, highlighting LGBTQ student activists who fight to maintain religious freedom and advocate for Atheism.

Specific Requirements:
Applicants do not have to be members of the organization when they apply, but membership is required to accept a scholarship.

Chinn Scholarships for LGBTQ Atheist Activism

Amount: $10,000 Due Date: Early March

LGBTQ and questioning youth activists who are under 20 years old are eligible for this scholarship through the Colin Higgins Foundation. Applicants must be nominated, and can be nominated multiple times.

Specific Requirements:
Applicants also receive a trip to the National Conference on LGBT Equality

Colin Higgins Courage Awards

Amount: $1,000 to $2,500 Due Date: Late March

Gamma Mu offers one scholarships to gay men for college, university or vocational or professional training programs. Their Folisi & Goodwin Scholarship in Memory of Ray Williams, which provides funds to a student from the broader LGBTQ community.

Specific Requirements:
Scholarship funds can only be used for on-campus (not online) education programs, and are reserved for full-time students only.

Gamma Mu Foundation Scholarships

Amount: $1,000 to $5,000 Due Date: Late March

Given to students who are making an impact in the LGBTQ and Asian Pacific Islander communities. Several scholarships are awarded per year.

Specific Requirements:
Open to any student who is active within the Asian Pacific Islander and/or the LGBTQ community.

GAPA Foundation Scholarship

Amount: $1,250 to $10,000 Due Date: Early January

A scholarship designed for individuals from groups that are underrepresented in study abroad programs, including LGBTQ students. A variety of different scholarships are offered, and applicants are automatically considered for all.

Specific Requirements:
Scholarship are selected based on financial need.

Fund for Education Abroad Scholarships

Amount: various awards Due Date: April

Openly LGBTQ students with a 3.0 GPA and proven community service are eligible for scholarships through the LEAGUE Foundation. Applicants who have worked with and held leadership roles in the LGBTQ community receive special attention. Awards include the Laurel Hester Memorial Scholarship, Matthew Shepard Memorial Scholarship, Stonewall Empowerment Scholarship and LEAGUE Foundation Scholarship.

Specific Requirements:
Students must be currently attending a college, university or vocational school in the United States or Canada to participate.

LEAGUE Foundation LGBT Scholarship

Amount: not specified Due Date: not specified

Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG) offers scholarships to LGBTQ students and allies who are graduating seniors. PFLAG chapters across the United States also offer local scholarships.

Specific Requirements:
Scholarships are open to both U.S. citizens and international students attending an accredited college or university in the United States.

PFLAG National Scholarship Program

Amount: varies Due Date: Late January

Point Foundation awards scholarships to 72 Point Scholars and 25 Community College Scholars based on academics, leadership, financial need, personal goals and LGBTQ community involvement.

Specific Requirements:
Preference is given to students who have lost family and/or community support due to their sexual orientation or gender identity.

Point Foundation Scholarships

Amount: $1,500 to $3,000 Due Date: not specified

Through the Stonewall Community Foundation, this scholarship provides tuition assistance to LGBTQ women. Applicants should demonstrate strong academic achievement, community service, leadership and a commitment to making an impact advocating for LGBTQ issues.

Specific Requirements:
Students who are be graduating high school or currently enrolled in undergraduate or graduate school are eligible to apply.

Stonewall Foundation Traub-Dicker Rainbow Scholarship

TLDR: whatever you are comfortable disclosing

The “Common Application” only offers two gender identities for students to choose from— ‘male’ or ‘female’ —but some colleges may include more inclusive identity questions in their supplemental materials. Answers to these questions are required to be kept confidential. Some colleges may permit students to change their pronouns and gender identities on campus records during their academic careers if those identities change over time, or allow students to use a first name different from their legal name in class or on certain records. A student accepted into college can contact their professors ahead of time to clarify the correct pronouns to use in class.

TLDR: yes and no

Young adults are legally considered “dependents” of their families until they turn 24, and it can be difficult to go through the process of emancipation. Instead, disowned LGBTQ students can indicate on their FAFSAs that they are “homeless” or “at risk of homelessness” and request to change their status to “independent.”

TLDR: yes

If a college is exempt from Title IX, which prevents admission discrimination based on sex, it may disallow LGBTQ students from attending. Colleges that can apply for exemption include privately-funded, religious institutions. If the college receives any financial assistance from the federal government, all other programs and activities of that college must adhere to Title IX and allow LGBTQ students to participate, and any scholarships that the college offers cannot restrict LGBTQ students from applying. Federal scholarships such as the Pell grant do not discriminate against LGBTQ students, but private scholarship foundations and organizations may choose not to award funds to LGBTQ students.

TLDR: private scholarships

Some organizations offer scholarships for students who are LGBTQ or have parents in the LGBTQ community. The Audria M. Edwards Scholarship Fund and the Joseph Towner Fund for Gay and Lesbian Families are two examples, and the organization COLAGE is a potential resource for connecting students who have LGBTQ parents with mentors to help guide them through the process of applying for scholarships.

TLDR: college-sanctioned or student-run organizations

Many colleges have a diversity center or an office of student diversity that can provide resources for LGBTQ students. There may also be LGBTQ resource centers, a gender center, a pride center or student-run organizations that bring LGBTQ students together and build community. These organizations will be advertised on the college’s website.