Scholarships for LGBTQ+ College Students
Updated October 9, 2023 · 4 Min Read
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High school seniors, undergraduate students, and graduate-level learners in the LGBTQ+ community can pursue scholarships tailored to their needs. The LGBTQ+ scholarships detailed in this guide are open to candidates enrolled in colleges, universities, and technical/vocational programs.
Learners can also help pay for their nursing degrees through financial aid programs. For more information on these funding opportunities, check out our guide on financial aid and scholarships for nurses.
Better Brothers Los Angeles Scholarship
Who Can Apply: This award supports Black LGBTQ+ students enrolled or enrolling in accredited degrees, vocational schools, and licensing programs. Recipients may use these funds for tuition, textbooks, and other academic expenses.
Amount: $500-$5,000
Davis-Putter Scholarship Fund
Who Can Apply: College, university, or technical/vocational school students who are active or emerging participants in progressive social movements that promote social and economic justice can apply for this need-based scholarship.
Amount: Up to $15,000
eQuality Scholarship Collaborative
Who Can Apply: The eQuality Scholarship supports students who have demonstrated service to the lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender communities in California. Each applicant must be enrolled or plan to enroll in a two-year or four-year undergraduate program or medical school to qualify for this LGBTQ+ scholarship.
Amount: $6,000
Gamma Mu Scholarship
Who Can Apply: Gay men with high school diplomas or GED certificates who have been admitted to accredited colleges or vocational schools may apply. Applicants must be U.S. citizens under the age of 35.
Amount: $1,000-$2,500
Hampton Roads Pride Scholarship
Who Can Apply: This merit-based scholarship supports LGBTQ+ students and allies who demonstrate academic excellence and community involvement. Recipients must reside in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
Amount: Varies
League Foundation LGBTQ Scholarships
Who Can Apply: The League Foundation awards five LGBTQ+ scholarships for high school seniors. Each candidate must possess a minimum 3.0 GPA entering their first year in a college, university, or vocational program, along with U.S. citizenship or legal residency.
Amount: Varies
Little Bird Scholarship for LGBTQI Immigrants
Who Can Apply: LGBTQ+ or intersex high school juniors or seniors who do not hold U.S. citizenship, green cards, or F-1 visas may apply. Candidates must maintain enrollment in accredited nonprofit schools in New York City.
Amount: $18,000
Live Out Loud Young Trailblazers Scholarship
Who Can Apply: Open to New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut residents, this LGBTQ+ scholarship funds graduating high school seniors pursuing degrees from accredited colleges, universities, vocational schools, or other postsecondary programs.
Amount: $5,000
Mark J. Glancey and John G. Gray LGBT Scholarship
Who Can Apply: LGBTQ+ students enrolled in degree programs at accredited colleges or universities can apply for this Mensa-sponsored scholarship. Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents to qualify.
Amount: $1,000
New York Ramblers Scholarship
Who Can Apply: LGBTQ+ and ally student-athletes actively involved in the LGBTQI community may apply for this need-based award. Graduating high school seniors and current undergraduates between the ages of 15-21 qualify.
Amount: $2,500
Pedro Zamora Young Leaders Scholarship
Who Can Apply: The National Aids Memorial funds this scholarship in honor of educator and activist Pedro Zamora for students who demonstrate a commitment to ending the HIV/AIDS epidemic while pursuing public service leadership roles. Current or incoming undergraduate students (ages 27 and younger) enrolled in U.S. community colleges or four-year universities may apply.
Amount: $5,000
PFund Scholarship
Who Can Apply: Applicants must either live in or attend postsecondary programs in Iowa, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, or Wisconsin. Candidates should be at least 17 years old and members of LGBTQIA+ communities.
Amount: $1,000-$12,000
Point Foundation Community College Scholarship Program
Who Can Apply: This scholarship provides financial support and academic coaching to LGBTQ+ students. Each candidate must currently attend or plan to attend an accredited community college before transferring to a four-year institution or graduating with an associate degree.
Amount: $4,800
Prism Foundation Scholarship
Who Can Apply: Students attending or planning to attend community college, college, or vocational/technical school may apply for this merit-based award. Applicants should demonstrate a strong history of engagement within the Asian and Pacific Islander and/or LGBTQIA+ communities.
Amount: $1,000-$5,000
Acorn Equality Fund Scholarship
Who Can Apply: The Acorn Equality Fund offers scholarships to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people and allies with permanent residency in downstate Illinois (all Illinois counties except Cook, DuPage, Grundy, Kane, Kendall, Lake, McHenry, and Will). Each applicant must have a 3.5 GPA and demonstrate financial need.
Amount: $1,00-4,000
Asian and Pacific Islander Queer Women and Transgender Community (APIQWTC) Scholarship
Who Can Apply: This all-volunteer organization awards two annual LGBTQ+ scholarships to Asian/Pacific Islander lesbian, bisexual, or queer women or transgender individuals pursuing technical, professional, trade certification, or other tuition-based learning. Eligible applicants need to demonstrate professional commitment and community involvement.
Amount: $2,500
Audre Lorde Scholarship
Who Can Apply: ZAMI NOBLA, the National Organization of Black Lesbians on Aging offers this scholarship to Black lesbians 50 years and older. Recipients may apply their awards to continuing education in accredited technical, undergraduate, and graduate programs.
Amount: $1,000
Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) Scholarship for LGBTQ Students
Who Can Apply: This scholarship for Black individuals, Indigenous people, and people of color provides financial assistance, coaching, and community support. An applicant must be a member of the LGBTQ+ community enrolled or planning to enroll at an accredited community college, four-year college/university, or graduate program.
Amount: $1,500
Chinn Scholarship for LGBTQ Atheist Activism
Who Can Apply: Open to students currently attending vocational, college, graduate, or law school, the Chinn scholarship honors members or allies of the LGBTQ+ and atheist communities engaging in LGBTQ+ and atheist activism at their school or with other students.
Amount: $500
Deloris Carter Hampton Scholarship
Who Can Apply: This scholarship supports LGBTQ+ women of color with a demonstrated history of activism and/or leadership in the LGBTQ+ communities. Applicants must reside in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, or Washington and pursue degrees in dance, education, or women's health to qualify.
Amount: Varies
James Crump Memorial Scholarship
Who Can Apply: This scholarship supports students planning on a career in nursing, medicine, social work, teaching, or another helping profession in the northwest U.S. Applicants must reside in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, or Washington but may study elsewhere. The Pride Foundation provides awards to students who are self-identified LGBTQ+, LGBTQ+ family members, and allies who demonstrate strong support for the LGBTQ+ community.
Amount: Varies
Keith Williams Law Group Scholarship
Who Can Apply: Eligible students must be accepted into or currently enrolled in an accredited postsecondary program. Applicants should demonstrate how they have overcome adversity due to difficult home lives, socio-economic disadvantages, disabilities, ethnic/racial/gender challenges, and other biases.
Amount: $1,500
LGBT Heart Scholarship Fund
Who Can Apply: This award provides supplemental funding for graduate students in health professions who have demonstrated their commitment to promoting change in LGBTQ+ communities. Eligible applicants must be members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Amount: $2,000
Point Foundation Flagship Scholarship
Who Can Apply: This need-based LGBTQ+ scholarship, renewable for up to four years, honors students earning undergraduate, graduate, or doctoral degrees at accredited institutions. Successful applicants receive financial support, access to leadership development programs, mentoring, and coaching.
Amount: Varies
The Tang Scholarship
Who Can Apply: This need-based scholarship awards LGTBQ+ students of Asian or Pacific Islander descent. Applicants must be graduates of a high school in one of the nine San Francisco Bay Area counties. Recipients may renew this award for a maximum of three more years.
Amount: $15,000
Out for Education Scholarship
Who Can Apply: This award supports LGBTQ+ students between the ages of 17-25 who are graduates of Houston-area high schools or plan to attend accredited colleges or universities in the Houston, Texas, area. Each applicant must have at least a 2.75 GPA.
Amount: $1,000-$2,500
Traub-Dicker Rainbow Scholarship
Who Can Apply: Lesbians who plan to attend undergraduate or graduate school in the United States qualify. Applicants should demonstrate their commitment to community service and leadership that addresses LGBTQ+ issues. The 2023 application will be available in Spring 2023.
Amount: $4,000
Markowski-Leach Scholarship
Who Can Apply: Each candidate must identify as LGBTQ+, have a minimum 2.5 GPA in all prior college-level coursework, and demonstrate promise for becoming a positive role model for other LGBTQ+ individuals. Recipients may only use their awards at San Francisco State University, Stanford University, UC Berkeley, UC San Francisco, or University of California Hastings College of Law.
Amount: $2,500
Ronald P. Wilmot Scholarship
Who Can Apply: This need-based award supports children of gay or lesbian parents who plan to enroll or already have enrolled in full-time undergraduate or graduate programs. Eligible applicants must reside in the greater San Francisco Bay area.
Amount: Up to $2,000
The Welcoming Project
Who Can Apply: This nonprofit organization offers two annual scholarships for undergraduate and graduate studies to U.S. citizens and international students. Candidates must demonstrate their contribution to LGBTQ+ activism that positively affects the community.
Amount: $500
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