Adult women who are facing challenges including divorce, death of a spouse, disabilities, domestic violence, and job loss oftentimes need to go back to school. They seek to secure careers and support their families. Education has the potential to give women the economic power to overcome all these challenges.

Low-income adult women face unique challenges in pursuing higher education. Many are raising a family, so they have greater responsibilities than younger college students. While there are many scholarships available for youth who go to college after high school, there are far fewer for non-traditional, adult students.

Jeannette Rankin, the first woman elected to the U.S. Congress, was an advocate of women’s rights. The Jeannette Rankin Women’s Scholarship Fund provides scholarships to low-income women who are 35 and older in order to help them change their lives and succeed through education. Scholarships are $2000 per student. Awards are typically administered through financial aid offices with $1000 awarded for fall term and $1000 for spring term.

Scholarship Eligibility Criteria

The JRF scholarship is intended to help with expenses while the scholar is in school. Support may be used for books, transportation, child care, utilities and living expenses. An applicant for a JRF scholarship must be a woman, age 35 or older accepted to or already pursuing a technical or vocational education, an associate’s degree, or a first bachelor’s degree at an accredited school, a U.S. citizen, and meet the fund’s income guidelines.

The Jeannette Rankin Foundation makes financial awards without regard to race, creed, religion, color, ancestry, marital status, sexual orientation, national origin, or physical disability. Selection factors consider each applicant’s goals, plan for reaching the goals, the applicant’s financial situation, and the challenges they have faced.

“By awarding scholarships to low-income women 35 and older, JRF provides opportunities for women nationwide to secure careers and break the cycle of poverty. Each scholarship recipient has a vision of how education will benefit herself, her family and her community. While the women come from diverse backgrounds, they are all united and motivated by their goal to succeed through education.”

JRF Scholarships For The 2010 – 2011 School Year

Applications must be postmarked by March 1, 2010 and review will take place from March through June 2010. The process involves an initial screening followed by three levels of review. The names of the 2010 scholarship recipients will be posted at www.rankinfoundation.org by 7/1/10. Selection is competitive, which means that meeting the eligibility requirements does not guarantee that you will receive a scholarship, so the quality and completeness of information in your application is critical!

Download Scholarship Application Form

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