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Scholarship Funding for Social Workers
Social workers strive to make a difference in the lives of others by working with the disadvantaged. As a Social Work student, before you can help others, you must help yourself. And that means funding your education - through scholarships.
Social Work Field-Specific Scholarships
Within the field of Social Work, there are a number of specialties where students can concentrate. Some scholarships are based on those particular specialties.
The Association of Gerontology in Higher Education offers several scholarships to Social Work students who are gearing their area of study to older adults or senior citizens.
- AARP Andrus Foundation Undergraduate Scholarship Program for the Study of Aging and Finance are $5,000 scholarships for a full-year that are awarded to undergrads whose main focus is gerontology.
- AARP Andrus Foundation Graduate Scholarships are awarded to both master and doctoral students. Doctoral students receive $15,000 and master's students receive $7,000. Both are for full-year scholarships.
Association Scholarships
There are a number of state as well as national associations specific to Social Work. Some of them offer their own scholarship programs to support students who display outstanding academic achievement. In addition, some are ethnicity specific.
The Council on Social Work Education offers the Carl A. Scott Book Scholarships which target African Americans, Asian Americans and other ethnic groups of color. They are $500 monetary awards.
The National Association of Social Workers awards several scholarships in master's and doctoral degree programs. The Verne LaMarr Lyons Scholarship is awarded to a student in a master's degree program who is committed to working with the African American community. The Consuelo W. Gosnell Memorial Scholarship is for Social Work students in master's degree programs who have committed to working with the Hispanic and American Indian populations or public and nonprofit sectors.
Offerings from Colleges
New York University's Shirley M. Ehrenranz School of Social Work offers tuition scholarships to first and second year students based on financial need as well as academic achievement. They also offer several other scholarships based on a variety of issues.
- Shirley M. Ehrenkranz Scholarship - Outstanding academic accomplishment and financial need are two attributes Social Work students need to apply.
- Claudia Mann Oberweger Scholarship Fund - Scholastic achievement, financial need and a dedication to concentrate their Social Work careers to helping people with drug and alcohol addictions.
Youngstown State University's School of Social Work in Ohio has several undergraduate scholarships for Social Work students.
- The Doris Burdman Scholarship - Undergraduates who have completed at least twelve hours of courses in Social Work and display financial need and a promising future in Social Work are eligible.
- The Barbara Lewis Roberts Memorial Scholarship - Up to two scholarships a year are awarded to Social Work students with at least a 3.0 GPA and a goal of working with child welfare services or adoption of special needs children.
- The Kimberly Ann DeOnofrio Memorial Scholarship - Students with a 3.0 GPA or higher are encouraged to apply. A focus on working with chronically ill people is essential.
