A fellowship is a program that offers financial help to students who are pursuing or have pursued their graduation or post-graduation. Many fellowships are available for women, giving them unique opportunities to pursue further in their field of interests, be it science or technology or medicine or law or business studies. A fellowship helps one to study and gain work experience at the same time.
How does fellowship differ from scholarship?
A scholarship is a financial aid that is generally awarded to an undergraduate student. There are partial scholarships and full scholarships that can be availed. This aid is provided to students to complete their graduate program.
Whereas in a fellowship, apart from monetary aid, the person is also provided with a permanent residence in the college or university they are associated with. Fellowship is not just granted to students, but also the alumni, teachers and research personnel.
Getting a fellowship opportunity is not very easy especially in the field one might be interested in. We have government and private organizations that are offering fellowship now a days. Before applying for your fellowship, do your research. Check on the eligibility criteria and the different benefits offered by them.
The following are a list of the top 20 fellowships for women that are available not just in India but also in different countries of the world.
UCG- Post Doctoral Fellowship for Women Candidates
This program is funded by the University Grants Commission (UCG), Govt. of India. This is for 5 years and is specifically for unemployed women with a Ph.D. degree. This fellowship is to help women advance in their studies and research particularly in their field of interest. There are a hundred slots available under this scheme every year.
Indo-US Fellowship for women in STEM
The target audience for this fellowship is women scientists. Funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST), Govt. of India, the program is for a duration of 3-6 months. This helps women commence international collaborative research in US institutes. During the fellowship, candidates are not only provided a stipend but also airfare and health insurance during their stay in the US.
Dorothy Marchus Senesh Fellowship
Women candidates from developing countries are eligible to apply for this fellowship. Students who have finished their graduation and are doing their Masters in a relevant field are eligible. Special preference is given if you show interest in peace, prosperity, or development studies. Applicants are offered 5000$ a year.
Microsoft Research Women’s Fellowship
If you are interested in a Ph.D. program and would like to study abroad in the US then this fellowship is for you. This program is open to women studying in partner universities of Microsoft in US. They offer monetary aid of 20,000$ a year, of 18,000$ is paid for tuition and the remaining 2000$ for conference trips.
Elizabeth Neuffer Fellowship
This fellowship is offered to women journalists who cover human rights and social justice. Female journalists working in print, broadcast, internet media and freelancers with a minimum of three years experience are eligible for this fellowship. A monthly stipend is provided during the fellowship program.
Amelia Earhart Fellowship
The fellowship is awarded in the honor of pilot Amelia Earhart to women pursuing a PH.D. in aerospace-related sciences and engineering. This fellowship is available to women of all nationalities. Every year 35 special women are chosen and awarded with a fellowship amount of 10,000 USD.
L’Oréal USA Fellowships for Women in Science
This is a national award program. Every year Loreal USA fellowships for Women in Science recognizes five women researchers who are at the beginning of their careers. These beneficiaries receive 60,000 USD that they are required to used for their postdoctoral research. Applicants are required to have completed their Ph.D. before applying for this fellowship.
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Forte Fellows Program
To avail this fellowship, one has to submit an MBA application to a participating school. The school takes a call on awarding the fellowship to its students. The fellowship is exclusively for women students pursuing an MBA at a participating business school. Not just full-time students but also part-time students and executives are eligible for it.
Faculty for Future Fellowship
This fellowship is awarded to women worldwide especially those from developing and emerging countries. They award a maximum amount of up to $50,000 a year to women pursuing Ph.D. or post-doctoral studies in the field of STEM -Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
TechWomen
This is a US-based mentorship program that helps women leaders in STEM. Women with two years of experience in the field of STEM from Africa, Asia and the Middle East can apply for this mentorship and exchange program. The course duration is 5 weeks where the fellows participate in a professional development program offered by leading US companies based in San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley.
Foundation for the History of Women in Medicine Research Fellowship
Foundation fellowship is offered to women doing history-related research at Harvard University, Boston. A grant amount of $5000 is provided for travel, accommodation and other expenses for the research period. All students including graduates are encouraged to apply for the fellowship at the Foundation of History of Women in Medicine.
Anita Borg Memorial Awards by Google
Women leaders in the tech industry who would like to pursue a career in Arizona State University are awarded the Anitha Borg Memorial award. A sum of 10,000 USD is given over the academic year to the women who want to carve a niche for themselves in this industry. An annual retreat by Google is another thing that the awardees can look forward to.
Graduate Women in Sciences (GWIS) National Fellowships Program
This fellowship offered by GWIS is awarded to women in the field of sciences in order to encourage a career in research. Women of outstanding ability who are pursuing a degree in science from a recognized institute in the US or abroad are eligible for this fellowship. An amount of 10,000 USD is given for the research purpose which includes the purchase of supplies, travel cost to the field and publication of the findings.
Her Voice Fellowship
If you are a young East African woman who likes to help other women facing social challenges, then you are eligible for Her Voice fellowship. This program is spread over two months with three hours a day for three days a week. It is conducted in Kampala, Uganda where the participants are coached on social media engagement, photography and digital storytelling.
Schlumberger Foundation Scholarships
This scholarship is provided to students studying in different countries of the world. It is awarded to students in the field of Ph.D. or postdoctoral studies. A scholarship amount of $50,000 is provided the first year. If the student performs well, then it continues the consecutive year too.
Margaret McNamara Memorial Fund for Women
MMMF has many scholarship programs for women and is awarded to those from underdeveloped and low-income nations. It is to motivate and help students thrive and succeed. An amount of $40,000 is provided to cover all educational related expenses.
Running start/Walmart Star Fellowship
This is specifically for women in the US. Every term, 7 women college students are chosen to intern for a female Senator. They intern from Monday to Thursday and on Friday they participate in a political seminar. Apart from a stipend, housing facilities are also provided. This fellowship is to motivate and encourage more women to join politics.
Foreign Policy Interrupted Fellowship
This fellowship is for women who are US citizen as we as non-US citizens who speak English fluently. This fellowship is specifically for women in Foreign Policy arena where 6 weeks of media training is offered followed 1–3-month externship with a major media outlet. Applicants have to be 26 years or older with experience in Foreign Policy and International Affairs.
AAUW International Fellowships
AAUW International provides fellowship to non-US citizens. The women should be citizens of other countries. Financial assistance is provided for both graduate and post- graduate studies at various colleges and universities.
AAUW Selected Professions Fellowship
AAUW Selected Professions fellowship enables women of color in US to pursue graduate and other professional degree courses in the field of mathematics, information science, engineering and architecture.
According to statistics in 2020, only 38.3 per cent of women in US had completed four years or more of college. If that is the case of one of the most developed countries then it is very difficult to imagine the scenario in developing and underdeveloped countries. There is a long way to go before all eligible women are educated and given an opportunity to outshine their male counterparts in different fields. Hoping that these fellowships encourage more women to pursue higher studies in the near future.
