Nayreth Garcia
Content Writer at Gradehacker
You are looking for the best scholarships for non-traditional students, and that’s why you’re here. Life is unpredictable, sometimes as much as we want to have things under control, our plans do not go as we expected, and you do not have to feel bad; that is okay too, especially when you are a non-traditional student.
Education has long been encouraged by parents and teachers for generations. As soon as we finish middle school, we go to high school with our minds already thinking about what career we will choose or which colleges are the best.
Maybe you didn’t know what your passion was after finishing high school, and you needed more time to figure it out. Or maybe instead, after finishing high school, you directly began a full-time job, or you needed to take care of your children.
Whatever the case is, despite your decision to postpone college later in your adult life, you may have eligibility for different non-traditional students’ scholarships.
Your age doesn’t matter; it is just a number! There are many great reasons education is good for us, and scholarships are an important part of helping your educational goals.
Here’s an interesting fact from Unigo: about 7.4 million students aged 25 or older went to college in the fall of 2019. Also, in that same year, 10% of college students attending 4-year public colleges are non-traditional!
Here at Gradehacker, we have years of experience assisting and guiding non-traditional college students in different ways, such as coursework or exams, and being a trusted resource in ensuring their college journey is as easy as can be. In addition to this, we are always looking for new information about everything that is scholarship-related to make paying for college easier on you and your pocket.
Side note: If you want to understand better what a non-traditional student is, we invite you to visit our article for a detailed look.
In this article, we wanted to give you a list of scholarships for non-traditional students to help you earn a college degree. We wrote this list based on our research and experience. It does not follow a specific order, so whether you are a single parent, a graduate student, or having a hard time juggling your job with your education, you will find many options to apply to and find the one that will fit perfectly into your adult student life. Let us start!
The “Mom to Scholar” Scholarship drawing is open to U.S. Citizens, Permanent Legal Residents, or DACA. As its name indicates, it was created especially for mothers who want to begin or continue their journey in a technical or college degree and is funded by Scholarships360’s own Maria Geiger. As a mother pursuing your degree, you truly are the embodiment of a true non-traditional student.
Application requirements for the "Mom to Scholar" Scholarship:
- In case it is not clear, you need to be a mother.
- Be age 35 or over
- Have financial need
- Submit an essay that shares why you would be a deserving winner with a minimum of 250 words
- Share proof of enrollment at a technical, community, or four-year college/university
- Be a U.S. Citizen, Permanent Legal Resident, or DACA
Additional information:
If you get selected as a winner, you will need to send income and college enrollment information. They select the winner based on your essay response’s strength regarding your life experiences as a mother and your motivation to achieve higher education.
Amount:
This Scholarship is worth $1,000, and the funds will be sent directly to the college the winner is/will be attending.
Deadline:
The “Mom to Scholar” scholarship application form is due on June 1, and they notify the winner by June 15. Do not worry if you miss the date; you can try every year!
The American Legion Auxiliary Scholarship for Non-traditional Students’ goal is to allow adult students that are part of The Legion Family get a college degree or get back on track from where they were in the case you stopped your studies. That way, you can find a better job or improve in your workplace.adult students
Application requirements for the ALA Scholarship for Non-Traditional Students:
- You must be a member of The American Legion, Auxiliary, or Sons of The American Legion
- Dues must be paid for the two preceding years and for the calendar year in which the application is made
- You may be pursuing training in a certified, trade, professional, or technical program or a two-year or four-year degree program
Amount:
It is an annual $2,000 scholarship per Auxiliary geographic division.
Deadline:
The scholarship deadline is March 1 of every year. So if you missed it, do not worry, you can try next year!
The Gen and Kelly Tanabe Scholarship is open to students of all ages, which is great if you are a non-traditional student! Gen and Kelly Tanabe started this scholarship program to support and contribute something to students. They were accepted to all of the Ivy League colleges and won more than $100,000 in merit-based scholarships to graduate from Harvard debt-free. You can learn more about Gen and Kelly Tanabe here.
Additional information:
This Scholarship is completely merit-based, so they do not consider financial need as a requirement. What the committee takes very seriously is the essay you write in the application form. This essay should be short (250 words or less) and answer one of the three following options:
- Why do you deserve to win this scholarship?
- Describe your academic or career goals
- Any topic of your choice.
Application requirements for Gen and Kelly Tanabe Scholarship:
- 9th - 12th grade high school, college, or graduate student, including non-traditional adult students
- You need to be a legal resident of the U.S.
- You must currently be in school or planning to start school within the next 12 months.
Amount:
It is a $1,000 scholarship. This fund can be used for tuition, room and board, required fees, or educational expenses.
Deadline:
This scholarship program has two deadlines, July 31st and December 31st.
If you are a single dad, the Little Bundle Superdad Scholarship might be perfect for you. They allow you to focus on your education to give your children a better start in life. This scholarship recognizes your efforts and pushes you to pursue your higher education goals.
Application requirements for the Little Bundle Superdad Scholarship:
- You need to be an undergraduate or graduate student
- You must be a single father or the child of a single father
- In the scholarship application, you must write an essay (500-1000 words) telling your story and the difficulties you have had as a single father or as the child of one.
Amount:
It’s a $2,000 scholarship. In addition to this, the winners receive a year of free organic baby formula from Little Bundle. In case you do not need it, you can defer for later use or donate it.
Deadline:
This scholarship is due on June 30. Remember there is one winner every six months, so you have a chance to apply twice each year.
The College JumpStart Scholarship is an annual and merit-based scholarship funded by corporate donations, so they do not accept individuals’ contributions. It has a wide range of eligibility since it is open for 10th-12th graders, college students, and non-traditional students. So, keep reading; this scholarship will probably suit you perfectly!
Requirements for the College JumpStart Scholarship Application:
- As we said above, you must be a high school 10th-12th grader, college student, or non-traditional student.
- You need to be a U.S. citizen or legal resident.
- You must attend or plan to attend an accredited 2-year, 4-year, or vocational / trade school in the U.S.
- You need to fill a personal statement in the online application form of 250 words or less, answering 1 of the following four prompts they give you:
- What are your educational goals?
- How will winning this scholarship help you attain your goals?
- Write about a time when "hard work" paid off.
- Describe your experience with community service and volunteering and how that has affected you and your outlook.
Amount:
The winner gets $1,000 that will help cover educational expenses. The best thing about this scholarship is that it can be used at any college or university in the U.S.
Deadline:
For this scholarship the deadline is midnight, April 15th. If you could not apply by then, do not worry! The College JumpStart Scholarship is held multiple times each year, and the deadlines are October 17th and April 15th of every year.
The Lombard Area American Association of University Women (AAUW) created this scholarship especially for women who want to pursue a degree to lead inequality awareness through education, advocacy, and research. The AAUW members develop programs that will allow women to grow and improve their education for the future of other women.
- You must be a resident in Lombard, Villa Park, Oakbrook Terrace, Wheaton, Addison, Glendale Heights, or Glen Ellyn, Illinois
- Must be continuing Higher Education after a significant interruption
- Be a certification program, undergraduate or graduate degree, not including a doctoral program
- You will need a letter of reference from a professional source detailing your qualifications and character. Consider a faculty member, employer, colleague, minister, or another associate
- College transcripts
Amount:
With this scholarship, the woman who wins will have the assistance they need to complete an undergraduate or master’s degree or a certification program for the amount of $2,500.
Deadline:
Applications must be sent by April 1 to be awarded in May. Do not worry if you miss the date; you can apply next year.
For this scholarship, the priority of candidates are women, part of the non-traditional student population who have suffered from an abusive partner and have the greatest barriers to continuing and completing their education
- Identify as a female survivor of intimate partner abuse
- Be physically separated from her abuser for a minimum of one year but not more than seven.
- Have sought services from a non-profit agency that provides services to survivors of intimate partner abuse for a minimum of 6 consecutive months.
- Be a citizen or permanent legal resident of the United States, or have an immigration status that makes her eligible for FAFSA.
- Be a current physical resident of the United States or its territories.
- Have applied to or been officially accepted into an accredited course of study at a United States institution.
Amount:
The women that win this scholarship receive an amount from a range of $500-$2,000 per semester or quarter. For master’s degrees, it is an average of $1,000 per semester or quarter too. You must know that the number of credits a student is enrolled in can influence the scholarship amount awarded.
Deadline:
Applications must be sent by January of each year.
The President’s Scholarship is awarded to men and women non-traditional graduate students that indicate the need for financial help and demonstrates educational achievement. If you want to be eligible for this scholarship, you must be a non-traditional student member of ANTSHE.
- Complete ANTSHE Scholarship Application; for that, you will need to create an account
- Must be considered a non-traditional student
- You must be enrolled in a four-year program as a full-time student of study at an accredited college or university
Amount:
This scholarship offers you the minimum amount of $500 up to full tuition so you can continue your education in any university with no worries about money!
Deadline:
The applications are accepted through February of each year.
This scholarship is funded by The Poway Peñasquitos Branch of the American Association of Women and its design to help non-traditional students who have experienced life challenges to continue a traditional four-year path education.
Requirements for Re-entry Woman Scholarship Application
- You must be a woman high school graduate or GED equivalent without a bachelor's degree
- Enrolled or accepted in a degree program at a community college, 4-year college, or university
- You must be currently taking courses toward the stated goal
- Engaged in leadership activity
- You must live or attend school in North San Diego County, including the northern city of San Diego
Amount:
This scholarship offers not only one but three winners for the scholarship amount of $2,000.
Deadline:
The applications must be sent by May 1st, but it is available each year if you missed the date.
It is never too late to pursue the education you want!
Stop thinking your age is an inconvenience to go back to school and accomplish the career you want. You might have complete eligibility, so fill an application and start. It does not cost you anything to try, and it can only benefit you and your pocket.
This list proves you have many choices of scholarships that will be a great fit for you! We encourage everyone not to give up on the education they want to get their degree and push their lives forward.
We know how expensive and frightening it can be to attend some colleges after your 25’s and go through the application process. However, the benefits of a college education will always be higher than the disadvantages.
We hope you can fulfill some of the eligibility requirements in the non-traditional scholarship options we presented, which will help you find the scholarship you need to get your degree.
If you’re a non-traditional student and want to learn more information about your options, we have some interesting articles for you to read:
by the IslandApps.io team.