Going to school, whether a community college or 4-year university, is a decision anyone can make at any age or point in their life. Many young mothers choose to take a break from school and return later on or decide to continue pursuing their education while raising a baby. No matter your situation, there are scholarships to help you pay for college while still being the primary financial support for your family. Here is a complete guide to scholarships for single moms.

Best Single Mom Scholarships to Apply to

Scholarships are an excellent opportunity for single mothers who have a financial need while pursuing an undergraduate degree, bachelor’s degree, or even an undergraduate education. Below are 20 scholarships for single mothers or parents to apply for while they seek higher education.

Curtis Holloway Memorial Scholarship

This scholarship is open to any high school or undergraduate student who has lost a parent or lives in a single-parent household.

• Amount: $1,200
• Application Deadline: September 1, 2022
• Winner Announced: September 30, 2022

Treasure for Orphans Scholarship

Any student who has lost one or both parents is eligible for this scholarship as long as they are a high school senior or graduate student, live in Maryland, and obtain a GPA of 3.0 or higher.

• Amount: $500
• Application Deadline: October 1, 2022
• Winner Announced: November 1, 2022

Supermom Scholarship

This scholarship is specifically open to undergraduate or graduate students who are single mothers or the child of single mothers.

• Amount: $2,000
• Application Deadline: August 31, 2022
• Winner Announced: September 30, 2022

Cariloop’s Caregiver Scholarship

This scholarship is perfect for you if you are the primary caregiver in your family or community.

• Amount: $2,500
• Application Deadline: October 1, 2022
• Winner Announced: October 31, 2022

Pet Lover Scholarship

Single mothers don’t have only to have children. They can be pet moms too! This scholarship is open to all pet lovers who are high school seniors with a high school diploma, undergraduate, or graduate students.

• Amount: $500
• Application Deadline: August 15, 2022
• Winner Announced: September 15, 2022

Vicki Sartin’s Purpose in Nursing Scholarship

This scholarship is for you if you’re a single mom wanting to pursue a nursing or doctoral degree. As long as you’re an undergraduate or graduate student, you could be one of the two winners that will receive $1,000 each.

• Amount: $1,000
• Application Deadline: August 1, 2022
• Winner Announced: September 1, 2022

It Takes An Aggie Village Scholarship

Any pregnant or parenting undergraduate student who attends North Carolina A&T State University full-time may apply for this scholarship.

• Amount: $250
• Application Deadline: July 20, 2022
• Winner Announced: August 20, 2022

Debra Victoria Scholarship

This scholarship is open to any undergraduate Black, Indigenous, or Person of Color student from a single-parent household with a 3.0 GPA or higher. Two winners will be selected to receive the reward of $1,000 each.

• Amount: $1,000
• Application Deadline: July 21, 2022
• Winner Announced: August 21, 2022

Pettable Life Transitions Pet Lovers Scholarship

Any undergraduate junior or senior or recent graduate who’s a pet owner or pet lover may apply for this scholarship.

• Amount: $1,000
• Application Deadline: August 1, 2022
• Winner Announced: August 31, 2022

Pettable Pet Lovers Scholarship Fund

This scholarship is open to any undergraduate or graduate student who’s a pet owner or lover.

• Amount: $1,000
• Application Deadline: August 1, 2022
• Winner Announced: August 31, 2022

JoLynn Blanton Memorial Scholarship

This scholarship is for a hardworking, low-income student, either a high school senior or an undergraduate student.

• Amount: $700
• Application Deadline: July 1, 2022
• Winner Announced: July 31, 2022

A Dog Changed My Life Scholarship

This scholarship aims to honor our incredible furry friends and their loving owners by awarding one student $500 towards their education. Any high school senior, undergraduate, or graduate student who’s a US citizen or permanent legal resident impacted by a dog may apply.

• Amount: $500
• Application Deadline: August 15, 2022
• Winner Announced: September 15, 2022

DejSlays SlayBabe Scholarship

Any female undergraduate or high school senior in Louisiana or Texas with non-profit, volunteering, and/or community service experience may apply for this scholarship. The first-place winner will receive $1,000, and the runner-up will receive $500.

• Amount: $1,000
• Application Deadline: August 25, 2022
• Winner Announced: September 25, 2022

Ida Nickelson 104 Memorial Scholarship

This scholarship is open to any low-income female high school or undergraduate student studying in New York City.

• Amount: $500
• Application Deadline: September 1, 2022
• Winner Announced: September 30, 2022

Margalie Jean-Baptiste Scholarship

This scholarship is open to any first-generation, low-income, high-achieving female high school senior in New Jersey.

• Amount: $1,000
• Application Deadline: August 1, 2022
• Winner Announced: August 31, 2022

Empowering Women Through Education Scholarship

Any female high school or undergraduate student who is low-income may apply for this scholarship.

• Amount: $500
• Application Deadline: June 30, 2022
• Winner Announced: July 31, 2022

Women in Business Scholarship Fund

This scholarship is open to any female student pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree at Purdue University Northwest.

• Amount: $1,200
• Application Deadline: August 1, 2022
• Winner Announced: September 1, 2022

SKH Empowering Scholarship for Women

Any female high school senior or returning undergraduate student pursuing a business degree in Massachusetts with at least a 3.2 GPA and community commitment may apply for this scholarship.

• Amount: $500
• Application Deadline: June 29, 2022
• Winner Announced: July 29, 2022

Surya Education Assistance Scholarship

This open scholarship is available to any female high school senior or undergraduate student dedicated to their education.

• Amount: $500
• Application Deadline: June 28, 2022
• Winner Announced: July 28, 2022

Women’s History Scholarship

This scholarship seeks to support female students so they can complete their degrees and go on to promising careers. Any high school senior, undergraduate, or graduate student who identifies as female may apply. One winner of the $500 award will be announced on September 7, 2022. The application deadline is August 31, 2022.

• Amount: $500
• Application Deadline: September 7, 2022
• Winner Announced: August 31, 2022

About Single Mom Scholarships

Scholarships for single moms are for single mothers who care for dependent children without help or assistance from a partner while wanting to pursue higher education but have a financial need. While average college students are not mothers, many students can be. Whether they wish to attend community college, a 2-year institute, or a 4-year institute, as long as they attend an accredited college, they are eligible for scholarships and financial support.

What Are Single Mom Scholarships?

A scholarship for single moms is a financial award, similar to federal student loans, that help single mothers who have a financial need but want to return to college or university to pursue a bachelor’s degree. For single mothers attending college to qualify, they have to be college students raising at least one child by themselves without the assistance of a partner.

What Qualifies as a Single Mom Scholarship?

To qualify for a single mom scholarship, one has to be a single mom or a single parent raising at least one child at home. Many need- and merit-based scholarships are available to single mothers not tied to a particular school, major, or field.

General college scholarships available to all women who have a financial need, even if they aren’t parents or mothers who aren’t single, can open up an even more significant number of financial assistance and opportunities while pursuing a college education.

Type of Single Mom Scholarships Available

For those who need financial assistance while pursuing a college degree, college scholarships and opportunities come in various types. Scholarships are broken down into different categories, each of which can help with college and education costs and provide financial assistance to those who demonstrate financial need while pursuing a college education and a college degree.

Merit-Based Scholarships

Merit-based scholarships are scholarships for graduate or undergraduate students who are single mothers awarded to those with exceptional academic performance. It’s based on a student’s level of success and does not consider financial status. A common misconception is that merit-based scholarships are just limited to grades. However, the fact is that some universities consider any co-curricular talents, including athletic abilities or musical skills. The money granted by a merit-based scholarship is almost exclusively meant to cover tuition fees.

University Scholarships

University scholarships are from universities or colleges to help students and single parents fund their studies. Many of these are entrance scholarships, meaning students don’t need to apply to be considered for the award. By default, your admission into the university or college makes you eligible.

Government Scholarships

With government scholarships, different agencies register with the government and offer scholarships for students. Federal scholarships are awarded based on various criteria, ranging from financial need (usually determined by completing the FAFSA) to a student’s chosen major. National scholarship awards vary and can range to the total amount of a student’s tuition and fees, creating a whole ride for the student.

Private Scholarships

Private scholarships are scholarships funded by individual donors or privately owned businesses. Individual donors set up a private fund for students who need financial aid for personal or external scholarships. Depending on the donor, these scholarships are awarded based on academic merit or financial need. However, most private scholarships have strict eligibility requirements, such as being from a developing country or only for minorities in specific areas of study. Although some private scholarships out there specifically target single moms or single parents, it’s essential to make sure any private scholarships you’re applying for are legit.

Financial Scholarships/Bursaries

Also known as bursaries or need-based scholarships, financial scholarships are a form of aid to enable undergraduate students to attend graduate schools. If the student is still supported by their parents, the scholarship provider will analyze the parents’ income and ability to pay for the tuition fees. They may also look at factors such as citizenship and residence status, tax statements, or employment. If the student supports, their income will be assessed. Students may sometimes qualify for merit-based and need-based scholarships depending on the program or university. Independent single parents or single moms are more likely to receive financial aid scholarships.

How to Find Single Mom Scholarships to Apply For

If you already applied to the provided single mom scholarships above, or if you are looking for single parent or single mom scholarships, then there are plenty of ways to find more scholarships for single moms to apply for. You can conduct a quick Google search on single mom or single parent scholarships or check out reputable websites such as Scholarship Institute, SingleMothers.us, Scholarships360.org, and Sallie Mae. It’s essential to put in the extra work by conducting additional research to ensure any website or scholarship you discover is legit and accepted by the school or university you want to attend or are currently attending. You could also contact your school’s financial aid office to see if there are any internal scholarships you are eligible to apply for or any additional financial support you could receive as a single mom.

Tips For Winning Single Mom Scholarships

Throughout every year, various scholarships are offered by educational institutions for students who are single moms or single parents. These single mothers’ scholarships and single parent scholarship opportunities can lead to low-income mothers achieving a bachelor’s degree or even an associate’s degree.

Firstly, applying to as many scholarships as possible is essential while still being mindful of which ones you meet the qualifications for. However, don’t just stop after applying to one. Apply to as many scholarships as possible, as the more you apply for, the higher your odds of winning.

Then, it’s helpful to practice and improve your skills in writing essays. As you may have noticed, many scholarships require personal papers for an applicant to be considered.

Additionally, you want to ensure you have the proper documents to apply for any scholarship. To avoid mishaps, make a checklist of required documents for specific scholarships. This can include letters of recommendation, transcripts, and even language certifications.

When applying for scholarships, it’s essential to give 100% effort. Hard work pays off, and to fulfill your dreams. It would be best if you were willing to go the extra mile.

Frequently Asked Questions About Single Mom Scholarships

Single mom scholarships can be a complicated subject to cover since many rules and regulations come with being considered eligible for scholarships. Here are some frequently asked questions about single mom scholarships.

Are Single Mom Scholarships Legit?

Yes, scholarships for single moms are legit. Many companies and schools offer tons of scholarships for minorities (including women) and single parents, no matter what field of study you’re studying. Always ensure the application is not a scam to obtain personal information, especially if they ask for private information, like social security numbers or bank information.

How Can I Improve My Chances of Winning Single Mom Scholarships?

As mentioned previously, the best way to improve your chances of winning a single mom is to be prepared and confident. It is critical to conduct plenty of research to ensure it’s valid and that you match all of the qualifications it asks for.

How Many Single Mom Scholarships Can You Get?

There is no limit to how many you can receive! Whether they are going toward tuition or books, scholarships are available for eligible students.

Are Single Mom Scholarships Taxable Income?

Any scholarships, including scholarships for single mothers, are not taxable income. According to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), scholarships are not taxable as long as they are only used for educational expenses, such as tuition, fees, books, or other supplies.

What’s the Best Way to Apply For Single Mom Scholarships?

The best way to find scholarships is to be vigilant online, or by contacting the financial aid office of the school you currently attend or the school you plan on attending.