In this article, we will be covering the 18 best scholarships in the world for international female students. This article will cover recent trends in female education and navigate through the major scholarships available. If you want to skip our analysis, go directly to the 5 Best Scholarships in the World for International Female Students.
Female Participation in Education and the Workforce
Women have been through the darkest of times trying to de-stigmatize women's presence in education and the workforce. Years of movements, campaigns, and protests have contributed to the notion that education for women is as important as it is for men. According to UNESCO, as of today 129 million girls are still out of school. Amongst them, 32 million girls belong to the primary school going age while 97 million belong to the secondary school age.
The report suggests that while enrollment rates for both men and women in primary and secondary school tend to be equal, the completion rate of women is significantly lower than that of men. In lower-income developing countries, only 63% of girls complete primary school and only 36% complete secondary school. Higher secondary and high school experience similar trends, where the completion rate of girls from developing countries is barely 21%.
The impact of such tends to have a multiplier effect on the labor force participation rate of women. According to a report by The World Bank, as of 2022, the global labor force participation rate for women was reported at 47%. Regions performing poorly in terms of female participation rate include South Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East.
UNESCO suggested that the prominent reasons for this disparity are the inherent gender bias, poverty, and violence against women. However, there are a range of universities across the globe that do not charge a tuition fee. Some of the universities that do not charge a tuition fee include the Technical University of Munich, the Free University of Berlin, and the University of Hamburg, among others.
Notable Companies Leading the Women's Empowerment Race
Women feel more than empowered by large companies offering funded scholarships and fellowships to women. The emergence of technology has not only allowed women to upskill themselves from home but also to avail massive leadership opportunities across the globe. In today's globalized world, companies like Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG), Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), and Adobe Inc (NASDAQ:ADBE) have significantly contributed to empowering women with their development programs and scholarships.
Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) is one of the leading companies in the world with an immense focus on empowering women and diversifying their workforce. The company offers generous scholarships to women from developing countries to pursue higher education in STEM. These include Generation Scholarships for Women in STEM. On August 1, Forbes reported that Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) recently launched a fund to back startups in Asia-Pacific. The fund is called Google for Startups Women Founders Fund. This fund will provide $100,000 in cash to six women founded and led startups in the tech industry.
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), a prominent digital powerhouse, offers generous scholarships to women across the globe. One of the most popular scholarships is the Microsoft Women Scholarship. The scholarship is offered to students in their senior year of high school and students enrolled in an undergraduate degree in STEM. On March 29, Bloomberg reported that Kamala Harris, the Vice President of the United States, joined hands with Pfizer Inc. (NYSE:PFE) and Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) to close the gender gap in the digital economy. The program aims to contribute a total of over $1 billion to enhance women's well-being and improve their position in the digital industry in Africa. The program will offer skill-enhancing training sessions to equip African women with the latest technology.
Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ:ADBE) was ranked as one of the best companies for women to work for by Forbes. The company offers generous scholarships to graduate and undergraduate female students majoring in computer science. The number of awards offered and provided is not defined. In fact, whoever meets the criteria is awarded a grant of $10,000.
Moreover, on January 10, Forbes published an article that said that Adobe Inc. (NASDAQ:ADBE) celebrated the 10-year anniversary of its Leadership Circles Program this year. The Leadership Circles Program was established to empower women and train them to exercise their duties in leadership positions. As of today, over 30 women have graduated from the Leadership Circles Program and have been placed as directors and managers within the company.
Women Taking Leaps in Entrepreneurship
According to a report by The World Economic Forum, as of 2022, women consisted of 47% of entrepreneurs in the United States. The industries with the largest number of women entrepreneurs were Non-governmental and Membership Organizations and the Education industry, with 47% and 46% of women entrepreneurs respectively.
Some of the notable startups and projects by women entrepreneurs have been praised across the globe. These include Helping Hand, Naturemetrics, Umgraumeio, Flash Forest, TrashCon, and Aquacycl.
In January 2023, the World Economic Forum reported these six startups as the tech companies leading the future in 2022. Helping Hand is a joint venture between a Norwegian digital learning software company, Attensi, and clinical psychologist Dr Solfrid Raknes. Helping Hand is a gamified simulation to help people in war zones deal with anxiety and depression. As of now, Helping Hand has helped 2000 Syrian teenagers in camps in Lebanon.
Naturemetrics, founded by Kat Bruce, is a biodiversity data provider based in the United Kingdom. The company employs DNA sequencing to identify diverse species and gather data. This data is then provided to companies in the energy, infrastructure, and agriculture sector to ensure they comply with environmental standards. Umgraumeio, another tech startup, uses AI to prevent and fight wildfires. The technology allows the team to identify risk zones and send alerts to the concerned authorities. Flash Forest is another great initiative based in Canada. The company uses drone technology to reforest areas impacted by wildfires, using developed seeds rich in nutrients to assist with speedy germination.
TrashCon is a waste management company, currently setting up a recycling plant in Bangalore. The new recycling plant will be equipped with the machinery to process 500 tonnes of metals, plastics, glass, and fiber every day. Aquacycl, a wastewater management company, is based in the United States. Aquacycl’s BioElectrochemical Treatment Technology (BETT) treats and cleans wastewater using natural bacteria. Furthermore, the company uses the treated water to generate electricity.
Compared to the past decade, women have begun to take charge to create wealth for themselves. Such changes can be attributed to women-friendly policies in education and the workforce. Some of the most prominent self-made female billionaires today include Zhang Ning, Lu Yiwen, Melanie Perkins, and Tatyana Bakalchuk.
Acquiring adequate education and exposure is crucial to be able to execute your ideas. Therefore it is important that females avail equal education and employment opportunities. While millions of women shy away from higher education due to financial circumstances, we have compiled a list of some prestigious scholarships for international female students across the globe.
18 Best Scholarships in the World for International Female Students
We acquired information about the scholarships available to international female students from top universities.com, leverageedu.com, and scholars4dev. Using this information, we shortlisted the top 18 scholarships based on the scholarship amount offered to the candidate. The exact funding amount was acquired from the official sites of the scholarships; our basis of ranking. The total coverage of the scholarships consists of the tuition fee waiver and ancillary benefits such as travel and airfare.
The number of awards available and the course level for each scholarship were prominent factors contributing to our rankings. However, the availability of these metrics was inconsistent through the scholarships we narrowed down. Therefore, we have mentioned the metrics that were available of the two for each scholarship. We have ranked these scholarships in ascending order of the coverage they provide and used the number of awards or course level (whichever was available) as the tie-breaker.
18 Best Scholarships in the World for International Female Students.
18. Microsoft Women Scholarship
Course Level: Undergraduate Level
Total Coverage: $5,000
The scholarship is targeted at distinguished women enrolled in the senior year of high school, women enrolled in an undergraduate program, and non-binary people, all majoring in STEM degrees. To be eligible, the applicant must demonstrate a strong academic record, usually with a high school GPA of at least 3.0 or higher. The scholarship amounts to a one-time payment of $5000. The scholarship can be renewed for up to four years.
In today's globalized world, companies like Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG), Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), and Adobe Inc (NASDAQ:ADBE) significantly contribute to empowering women in the workforce.
17. The Generation Google Scholarship for Women
Course Level: Undergraduate Level
Total Coverage: $7,665
The Generation Google Scholarship for Women offers scholarships to women pursuing computer science degrees. To be eligible for the scholarship, the applicant must be enrolled as a full-time bachelor's student, or are yet to enroll in a bachelor's program in Europe, the Middle East, or Africa, with a major in computer science. The award amounts to €7,000 per annum.
16. Dorothy Marchus Senesh Fellowships in Peace and Development Studies for Women from Developing Countries
Number of Awards: 2
Course Level: Graduate Level/Masters
Total Coverage: $10,000
The Dorothy Marchus Senesh Fellowships in Peace and Development Studies for Women from Developing Countries provide a scholarship amount to two women excelling in the field of peace. These two women are provided with $5000 each for two years, contributing to total coverage of $10,000 for each.
The scholarship is offered to women from developing regions who have completed their bachelor's in peace education.
15. Adobe Women in Technology Scholarship
Course Level: Undergraduate and Masters Level
Total Coverage: $10,000
The Adobe Research Women in Technology Scholarship is awarded to women currently enrolled in an undergraduate program, or intend to enroll in an undergraduate program in the field of computer science or computer engineering.
The award is a one-time payment of $10,000. Additional benefits include a creative cloud subscription membership, placement under an Adobe research mentor, and an internship opportunity at Adobe. The $10,000 award allows female students to pay for the degree they are currently enrolled in or intend to enroll in.
14. Amelia Earhart Fellowships for Women
Number of Awards: 30
Total Coverage: $10,000
The Amelia Earhart Fellowships for Women was established in 1938 and provides awards to women pursuing Ph.D. or doctoral degrees in aerospace engineering and space sciences. To be eligible, the applicant must be admitted or enrolled as a Ph.D. student in STEM.
13. The European Central Bank (ECB) Scholarship 2023-24
Number of Awards: 15
Total Coverage: $10,950
The European Central Bank (ECB) scholarship is among the best scholarships for international female students. The scholarship is awarded to 15 students enrolled in a postgraduate or master's program. The scholarship allows students to pursue degrees in the following fields: Economics, Business, Engineering, and Computer Science. The award amounts to €10,000.
12. Oxford Executive Diploma Scholarship for Women
Total Coverage: $12,730
The Oxford Executive Diploma Scholarship for Women is aimed at female students from all over the world. The scholarship covers 50% of the diploma fee which is usually valued at £10,000 ($12,370) and provides a membership to the Oxford Alumni Community. With the prestige attached to the scholarship, it is among the best scholarships for international female students.
11. ESMT: Bringing Technology to Market Scholarships
Number of Awards: 4
Total Coverage: $13,580
The ESMT: Bringing Technology to Market Scholarship is for women leaders in business. Two women are awarded the full scholarship amounting to €12,400 each and 2 women are awarded a partial scholarship amounting to €6,200 each.
Women leading a business or leading a department within a business are encouraged to apply. It is to note, however, that the award only covers the tuition fee. The living expenses are the responsibility of the candidate. The award is one of the best scholarships for international female students.
10. AAUW International Fellowships for Women
Course level: Masters
Total Coverage: $18,000
For these fellowships, the student must be a citizen of any country other than the United States. Moreover, to apply, the student must have at least a bachelor's degree, have acquired a proficiency level in English, and have an intention of returning to their home country after the completion of their degree. On a master's level, the scholarship amounts to $18,000.
9. FINCAD Women in Finance Scholarship Program
Number of Awards: 1
Total Coverage: $20,000
The FINCAD Women in Finance Scholarship Program is a finance scholarship awarded to one woman every year to support their graduate studies in finance. Half of the award is paid directly to the winner, while the other 50% is paid to the institution for efficient tuition management.
To be eligible to apply, the student must be enrolled in a master's in finance or a Ph.D. in finance program. Moreover, the scholarship limits the work experience a candidate must have to be eligible. For instance, the candidate must have less than 10 years of total work experience and less than five years of experience in the finance industry.
8. AAUW International Fellowships for Women
Course level: Doctoral
Total Coverage: $20,000
The award is directed towards women from developing countries. These countries usually translate a high need for foreign education for development. The award covers tuition, and housing, and provides a stipend to the award winners.
The award is directed towards women from developing countries. These countries must indicate a high need for foreign education for development. The award covers tuition, and housing, and provides a stipend to the award winners. For the Doctoral level, the scholarship amounts to $20,000.
7. ESMT: General Management Seminar Scholarships
Number of Awards: 4
Total Coverage: $20,600
The ESMT: General Management Seminar Scholarship is for women running their own businesses or leading another profit or not-for-profit company. Two women are awarded the scholarship in full amounting to €18,800 each. The other two awards are awarded to two women on a partial basis amounting to €9,400.
6. Foundation Rainbow Bridge MBA Scholarships for African and Asian Women
Course Level: Post Graduate Level (MBA)
Number of Awards: 2
Total Coverage: $21,880
The Fondation Rainbow Bridge MBA Scholarships for African and Asian Women is dedicated to Asian and African women applying to a full-time MBA program at HEC Paris. To apply, applicants must provide a resume in English, two recommendation letters, a motivation letter of 1500 words, and three years of professional experience. The grant amounts to $21,880 (€20,000) per annum.
The dreams of women should not end up receiving the best quality education. In fact, they should be able to enjoy their time as an employee. Some women-friendly companies in the world include Alphabet Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG), Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT), and Adobe Inc (NASDAQ:ADBE).
