The costs of attaining a college degree continue to rise year after year. Students majoring in psychology often face a heavy financial burden when paying for their education. With elevated tuition rates and additional expenses like textbooks, lab fees, and living costs, the price tag for a psychology degree can quickly become daunting. Fortunately, scholarships aimed at psychology students can provide much-needed financial assistance for both undergraduate and graduate programs scholarships for students majoring in psychology.
Scholarships offer psychology majors a means of funding their education while avoiding student debt. Unlike loans, scholarships do not need to be repaid. They provide recipients with free money for college that reduces the overall cost of attendance. For many students, scholarships make earning a psychology degree affordable.
This comprehensive guide will provide psychology majors with valuable information about finding and applying for scholarships at every degree level. It covers the ins and outs of psychology scholarships, top providers, application tips, and listings of specific undergraduate, graduate, and minority student scholarships. Read on to learn how to maximize your chances of earning free college funding.
Understanding Scholarships for Psychology Students
Before diving into the process of finding and winning scholarships, it helps to have a clear understanding of what psychology scholarships are and how they work.
What Is a Psychology Scholarship?
A psychology scholarship is an award of free money given to students pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree related to psychology. These awards help pay for expenses like:
- Tuition and fees
- Textbooks
- Lab and research costs
- Housing
- Meal plans
- Travel to conferences
- Technology like laptops
Scholarship providers, including colleges, professional associations, nonprofits, corporations, and government agencies, give out the awards. Applicants compete with other students by meeting eligibility requirements and submitting application materials.
Types of Psychology Scholarships
Psychology scholarships come in various types, with different criteria that applicants must meet. Common categories include:
- Merit-based: For outstanding academic achievement, such as a high GPA.
- Financial need: For students who demonstrate economic hardship.
- Minority: For underrepresented racial or ethnic group members.
- Women: For female psychology majors.
- Research: For students conducting psychology research projects or theses.
- Specific specialization: For those studying a psychology subfield like social, cognitive, developmental, or clinical.
- Specific career: For those pursuing a profession like school psychologist or counselor.
- Location-based: For students from/studying in a certain state or region.
Where Do Psychology Scholarships Come From?
Many different individuals and institutions provide scholarships aimed at psychology students, including:
- Colleges and universities: Campus financial aid offices often administer psychology scholarships for enrolled students. These are called institutional scholarships.
- Professional associations: Groups like the American Psychological Association (APA) and Psi Chi offer awards.
- Psychology foundations: Such as the American Psychological Foundation and California Psychological Foundation.
- Private businesses: Some corporations offer scholarships as part of community engagement.
- Nonprofit organizations: Groups with missions related to education, mental health, or scientific research.
- State and federal government: Agencies distribute public funds in the form of state and national scholarships.
Finding and Applying for Scholarships
With countless psychology scholarships out there targeting all types of students, finding the right opportunities takes research. Fortunately, several go-to resources and search strategies can help streamline the process.
Where to Find Psychology Scholarships
Psychology majors looking for scholarships can search in several places online and offline. Helpful places to find award opportunities include:
- College financial aid office: The starting point for institutional aid and local scholarships.
- Professional association websites: Including the APA, Psi Chi, APS, and more.
- Online scholarship databases: Such as Fastweb, Scholarships.com, and Bold.org.
- Scholarship finder tools: Like the U.S. Department of Labor Scholarship Search.
- University psychology department: Faculty often know about regional and national awards.
- Public/college libraries: Many have books listing detailed scholarship profiles.
- Employers, religious groups, and nonprofits: Community organizations sometimes provide aid.
Tips for Finding the Right Opportunities
With so many scholarships out there, filtering and focusing your search is key. Useful search strategies include:
- Using database filters to limit results by major, degree level, award amount, and eligibility criteria.
- Performing keyword searches for terms like “psychology scholarship,” “minority mental health award,” or your subfield.
- Searching for your specific psychology concentration like “cognitive psychology scholarship.”
- Looking for awards associated with your demographic identifiers, religion, heritage, or hobby.
- Focusing first on scholarships with upcoming deadlines.
- Consulting your advisor or professors for personalized award suggestions.
Elements of a Strong Application
Applying for scholarships takes dedication and attention to detail. Here are key elements to include for a standout application:
Eligibility
- Verify that you meet all eligibility criteria for awards before applying. Requirements may relate to GPA, major, residency, and financial need.
Academic Profile
- Highlight relevant coursework, grades, test scores, research projects, honors, and psychology-related extracurriculars. Quantify your achievements with numbers.
Personal Essay
- Tell your story and make it personal. Discuss your background, interests in the field, key experiences, challenges overcome. Make the essay shine.
Activity Resume
- List extracurricular activities, leadership roles, volunteer work, jobs, and internships. Show off skills.
Letters of Recommendation
- Ask psychology professors or advisors who know you well to write you strong letters.
Interview Preparation
- If required, practice interviewing to be able to eloquently discuss your qualifications.
When to Apply for Scholarships
Applying for scholarships early and often is key. Important timing tips include:
- Search for awards starting freshman year of college or earlier in high school.
- Note scholarship deadlines on your calendar so you don’t miss key dates.
- Apply yearly since many awards are non-renewable.
- Meet early fall deadlines for awards funding the next academic year.
- Follow application periods for awards given on a rolling basis.
- Research scholarships for graduate school as you near the end of your bachelor’s degree.
Scholarships for Undergraduate Psychology Students
Numerous psychology scholarships exist to help fund an undergraduate education. Here are 10 great examples:
Psi Chi Undergraduate Research Grants
Provider: International Honor Society in Psychology
Amount: Up to $1,500
Deadline: Varies
Eligibility: Active Psi Chi members pursuing psychology research.
APF Undergraduate Student Scholarship
Provider: American Psychological Foundation
Amount: $5,000
Deadline: Varies
Eligibility: Junior/senior psychology majors with 3.5+ GPA and financial need.
Behavioral Sciences Student Scholarship
Provider: American Psychological Foundation
Amount: $1,000 – $3,000
Deadline: Varies
Eligibility: Undergrads majoring in behavioral science disciplines.
Psi Chi Undergraduate Scholarship
Provider: International Honor Society in Psychology
Amount: $3,000
Deadline: June 30
Eligibility: Psi Chi members with demonstrated financial need.
SR Education Group Behavioral Science Scholarship
Provider: SR Education Group
Amount: $2,500
Deadline: October 31
Eligibility: College undergraduates majoring in behavioral science.
Undergraduate Scholarship for Psychology Majors
Provider: AfterCollege Succurro Scholarship
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: Varies
Eligibility: Students planning to become psychologists who have faced challenges.
Indiana Federation of Business and Professional Women Scholarship
Provider: Indiana Federation of Business and Professional Women
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: March 1
Eligibility: Indiana women undergrads in psychology or social work.
Maine Community Foundation Psychology Scholarship
Provider: Maine Community Foundation
Amount: Varies
Deadline: Varies
Eligibility: Maine undergraduates majoring in psychology.
Connecticut Psychoanalytic Society Scholarship
Provider: Connecticut Psychoanalytic Society
Amount: $5,000
Deadline: June 1
Eligibility: Connecticut undergrads planning a career in mental health.
Psychological Health and Wellness Scholarship
Provider: American Psychological Association
Amount: $5,000
Deadline: Varies
Eligibility: Undergraduates with disabilities studying psychology.
Scholarships for Graduate Psychology Students
Here are 10 examples of excellent psychology scholarships for graduate students
Here is the continuation of the article:
APA Dissertation Research Awards
Provider: American Psychological Association
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: Varies
Eligibility: APA student affiliates conducting PhD dissertation research.
NBCC Minority Fellowship Program-Mental Health Counseling
Provider: NBCC Foundation
Amount: $10,000
Deadline: January 31
Eligibility: Minority counseling master’s students.
APIRE Shapira Fellowship for Mental Health Research
Provider: American Psychiatric Institute for Research and Education
Amount: $25,000
Deadline: January 13
Eligibility: Medical students and graduate psychology students performing psychiatry research.
VA Psychology Training Scholarship
Provider: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
Amount: Up to $28,954
Deadline: Varies
Eligibility: Doctoral psychology students who commit to VA employment.
Charlotte W. Newcombe Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship
Provider: Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation
Amount: $30,000
Deadline: November 15
Eligibility: Doctoral candidates in the final dissertation stage studying ethical or religious values topics.
Scott Mesh Honorary Doctoral Scholarship
Provider: American Psychological Foundation
Amount: $5,000
Deadline: October 1
Eligibility: Doctoral psychology students researching drug and alcohol addiction treatment.
Psi Chi Graduate Research Grant
Provider: International Honor Society in Psychology
Amount: Up to $1,500
Deadline: Varies
Eligibility: Active Psi Chi graduate student members performing psychological research.
APA Minority Fellowship Program
Provider: American Psychological Association
Amount: Up to $30,000 stipend
Deadline: January 31
Eligibility: Minority psychology doctoral students.
ROSS Graduate Scholarship
Provider: Ross Medical Education Center
Amount: $2,500
Deadline: November 30
Eligibility: Graduate students in mental health fields including psychology, counseling, and social work.
NBCC Minority Doctoral Fellowship
Provider: NBCC Foundation
Amount: $22,000
Deadline: April 18
Eligibility: Minority counseling doctoral students preparing to become counselor educators.
Minority Scholarships for Psychology Majors
Diversity remains limited in the psychology field, making minority scholarships crucial for expanding representation. Here are 10 examples:
Felix M. Lopez Scholarship
Provider: National Latinx Psychological Association
Amount: Varies
Deadline: September 15
Eligibility: Latinx graduate and undergraduate psychology majors.
Asian American Psychological Association Scholarships
Provider: Asian American Psychological Association
Amount: $500-$2,000
Deadline: October 1
Eligibility: Asian American undergraduate and graduate psychology students.
Cheryl Kane Scholarship
Provider: B.A. Rudolph Foundation
Amount: $2,500
Deadline: February 1
Eligibility: LGBTQ+ graduate students studying psychology or social work.
Verna M. Keener Minority Fellowship
Provider: Illinois Psychological Association Foundation
Amount: $2,000
Deadline: April 1
Eligibility: Illinois minority students entering an accredited clinical psychology doctoral program.
Black Minds Graduate Psychology Scholarship
Provider: Dr. Richard and Sharon Seward
Amount: $2,500
Deadline: Varies
Eligibility: African American doctoral psychology students researching severe mental illness.
Chicana/Latina Foundation Scholarship
Provider: Chicana/Latina Foundation
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: April 1
Eligibility: Grads promoting Chicana/Latina health and mental health.
APA Minority Fellowship Program Summer Institute
Provider: American Psychological Association
Amount: Full tuition coverage
Deadline: January
Eligibility: 1st/2nd year minority doctoral psychology students.
Zarrow Scholarship
Provider: American Indian Graduate Center
Amount: $5,000
Deadline: Varies
Eligibility: Graduate psychology students of American Indian or Alaska Native descent.
Society of Indian Psychologists Graduate Scholarship
Provider: Society of Indian Psychologists
Amount: $1,500
Deadline: September 1
Eligibility: Native American psychology master’s and doctoral students.
Hispanic Scholarship Fund
Provider: Hispanic Scholarship Fund
Amount: $500-$5,000
Deadline: Varies
Eligibility: Hispanic and Latinx undergrads and graduate students in all majors.
Final Thoughts on Funding Your Psychology Degree with Scholarships
The costs associated with earning a psychology degree can be intimidating. Fortunately, students willing to take the time to research and apply for scholarships can subsidize a significant portion of expenses with these awards.
Seeking out psychology scholarships takes dedication. But with early preparation, casting a wide net for opportunities, and submitting strong applications, psychology majors have an excellent chance of securing funding. This allows them to focus on their education rather than financial worries.
By following the guidance in this guide, undergraduate and graduate students can uncover scholarships to pay for tuition, books, housing, and other costs. Psychology majors deserve access to an affordable education that allows them to follow their professional passions. Scholarships help make that possible.
