Scholarships for LGBTQ+ Students: A Comprehensive Guide

Study abroad can be a defining moment in any student’s educational journey, one filled with opportunities for growth, numerous realizations, and many more meaningful experiences. According to a 2023 survey by the CDC, about 1 in 4 students identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community. Fortunately, there are many scholarships for LGBTQ students that can help you pay for school. These scholarships empower students in the LGBTQ+ community to pursue their education and reach their goals.

Why LGBTQ+ Scholarships Matter

By achieving greater recognition, inclusion, and understanding of diverse sexual orientations and gender expressions, societal perceptions of people who identify themselves as LGBTQ+ have grown. Scholarships for LGBTQ+ students dramatically decrease the cost of college tuition for those in the LGBTQ+ community. These scholarships alleviate the monetary requirements LGBTQ+ students face when pursuing post-secondary education. LGBTQ+ college students will find external funding and support through these scholarships for their college education.

Breaking Down Barriers

LGBTQ+ students often have a harder time paying for school than their straight, cis peers. There are now many programs, resources, and events throughout the country to show support for LGBTQ+ students. As a result, there are numerous scholarships available for members and allied students of the LGBTQ+ community. A plethora of scholarships are distributed through colleges and organizations for LGBTQ+ students, making it easier for students in the LGBTQ+ community to pursue post-secondary education.

Finding and Applying for LGBTQ+ Scholarships

One of the first steps in searching for LGBTQ+ scholarships is to reach out to your college's financial aid office to see what financial support and scholarships your college offers. In addition to institutional aid, external scholarship platforms can help provide resources and other scholarships to assist you in your educational journey. When researching institutions, reach out to the colleges you are interested in to see if they have an LGBTQ+ resource center for support and information regarding scholarships for LGBTQ+ students.

Online Scholarship Platforms

Bold.org is dedicated to fighting student debt by assisting students in finding funding opportunities to lessen their tuition costs. Whether in high school, college, or graduate school, Bold.org is an excellent place to start your scholarship search. Simply create a Bold.org account and begin browsing available scholarships for people in the LGBTQ+ community. This scholarship platform is the largest independent scholarship program in the country and had an abundance of scholarship opportunities waiting to be awarded to LGBTQ+ students.

Application Tips

Simply follow the application prompts and click "apply now" to complete your application! Scholarships will differ in eligibility criteria; students must make sure they are eligible for each application to maximize their earnings. Never assume all scholarship providers want the same information from you, but rather give careful attention to each prompt. Scholarship applicants can make their applications stand out through impressive personal essays.

Don't worry if you're not a great writer.

Featured LGBTQ+ Scholarship Programs

Students in the LGBTQ+ community will find general scholarships that welcome all LGBTQ+ applicants and other scholarships that focus on specific subgroups of this community like transgender students or those who demonstrate academic excellence, financial need, specific academic year, or have participated in community service. The best scholarships for LBGTQ+ students are those explicitly tailored towards LGBTQ+ students, as this requirement limits the number of eligible candidates. Lesbian students, gay students, bisexual students, transgender students, and allied students can lessen their educational expenses with scholarships.

Point Foundation

An excellent resource for LGBTQ+ students is the Point Foundation, a specific scholarship program providing lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer students with scholarship funding, mentoring, leadership training, and community service activities. As the nation's largest scholarship-granting organization for LGBTQ+ students, the Point Foundation offers leadership training programs, special events, and a mentor to each scholar.

The main reason I applied to the Point Foundation scholarship is because I was looking for community - and I have found one through Point.

Read also: Eligibility for Art Scholarships

With your support, Point Foundation provides its scholars with the financial ability to attain postsecondary education. Partner with Point to create a scholarship, volunteer opportunities for employees, internship programs with our students, and more. Your one-time or monthly gift empowers more LGBTQ+ and ally students across the country to achieve their academic and leadership potential. Impact the lives of LGBTQ+ and ally students by leaving a planned gift or creating a scholarship program. Your bequest can shape the future of Point Scholars.

The Point Foundation is a national, publicly-supported, scholarship-granting organization focused on helping LGBTQ students. It seeks to empower promising LGBTQs to achieve their academic and leadership potential. Aside from financial support, the Point Foundation also provides mentorship, leadership development, and community service to LGBTQ students in high school and university.

The Point Foundation has three scholarship options:

Point Foundation Flagship Scholarship: LGBTQ+ students who are at least high school seniors. Must be pursuing or planning to pursue a bachelor’s, graduate, or professional degree at a four-year institution. The award amount varies depending on financial need for up to four years.
Point Foundation Community College Scholarship: LGBTQ+ students enrolled or intending to enroll in a community college for an associate degree or cosmetology degree/certificate program. You must be enrolled at least half time during the academic year and have 1-2 years of community college left with intent to transfer to a four-year institution for a bachelor’s or graduate with an associate degree. The award amount is $2,400 per semester.
Point Foundation BIPOC Scholarship: LGBTQ+ students who identify as Black, Indigenous, or people of color (BIPOC) enrolled or intending to enroll in an associate, bachelor’s, graduate, or professional degree program. You must be enrolled in one or more credit-bearing classes per semester. The award amount is up to $1,500.

Pride Foundation

Additionally, The Pride Foundation enables LGBTQ+ student leaders across the Northwest to receive essential financial and community support. If you are an undergraduate student or pursuing graduate school, the Pride Foundation scholarships are an excellent resource for LGBTQ+ students facing unimaginable barriers. The Pride Foundation awards over 60 different scholarship funds covering various characteristics and majors. Receiving a pride scholarship from the Pride Foundation allows LGBTQ+ students to pursue their academic endeavors.

Established in 1985, the Pride Foundation is a regional community organization that is dedicated to giving opportunity and equality to LGBTQs across the Northwestern region of the United States. The Pride Foundation has over 50 scholarships available for LGBTQ students. These scholarships are categorized by academic pursuits, community leadership, cultural identities, and geography, but are available to students at every degree level. The Pride Foundation awards several scholarships annually through one application for LGBTQ+ students and student allies from Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, or Washington who pursue any postsecondary education.

Gamma Mu Foundation

Moreover, The Gamma Mu Foundation Scholarships Program supports gay men interested in pursuing an institution, vocational school, or professional training program. The Gamma Mu Foundation awards two scholarships annually to two students from the broader LGBTQ+ community, “The Folisi & Goodwin Scholarship in Memory of Ray Williams” and “The Phil Papel Memorial Scholarship.” Grants and scholarships are awarded annually. The Gamma Mu Foundation seeks to award individual scholarships to gay men who are interested on attending a postsecondary institution or a vocational school. The foundation supports a wide array of educational options, so that every gay student can pursue their specific educational aspirations, including associate degrees, bachelor’s degrees, graduate programs, and vocational and technical training.

Additional Scholarship Opportunities

At Bold.org, scholarships for LGBTQ+ students are grouped together so they're easy to browse through and apply for.

General LGBTQ+ Scholarships

National Rainbow College Fund Scholarship: The National Rainbow College Fund awards scholarships to 200 California LGBTQ+ students who are at least high school seniors and enroll in at least six credits at a four-year, community college, or trade/vocational institution. The award amount is $2,500.
League Foundation Scholarships: These scholarships are awarded annually to LGBTQ+ students graduating from high school who have a GPA of 3.0 or better.
Audria M. Edwards Scholarship Fund: This scholarship is open to LGBTQIA+ students or students with an LGBTQIA+ parent who are pursuing a professional certificate, associate, or bachelor’s degree who’ve lived in Oregon or the following counties in southwest Washington: Clark, Cowlitz, Skamania, and Wahkiakum for at least one year. The award amount is up to $5,000.
The Aritzia Scholarship: The scholarship is available to students identifying as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, asexual, or two-spirit who are currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program studying or planning to work in fashion design, retail management, mental health, or social justice advocacy. The award amount is $5,000.
Traub-Dicker Rainbow Scholarship: These annual scholarships are awarded to lesbian high school seniors, undergraduates, and graduate students. The program supports students who have demonstrated academic excellence and made a difference through community service. The award amount is $4,000.
PFund Scholarship: This scholarship is awarded to LGBTQ+ students who are from or currently enrolled in school in Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota or the Native Nations. Students can be enrolled in or admitted to a GED program, community college, four-year college, university, graduate school, trade school, professional certificate program, or apprenticeship program. The award amount is $1,000-$12,000.
Pearl Berlin Scholarship Fund: The Pearl Berlin Scholarship is dedicated to celebrating and supporting continuing education for gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, and allied students who exhibit courage and leadership in their schools and communities. Applicants must be residents of Guilford, Forsyth, Rockingham, Randolph, or Alamance County, North Carolina. The scholarship awards will be awarded to graduating.

Discipline-Specific LGBTQ+ Scholarships

Out to Innovate Scholarships: Out to Innovate gives out scholarships to undergraduate LGBTQ+ students pursuing careers in STEM fields who have finished two years of college with a 2.75 GPA or higher.
Leroy F. Aarons Scholarship Award: The scholarship awards current or incoming undergraduate and graduate LGBTQ+ students pursuing journalism. Applicants must demonstrate a passion for the field, value fair and accurate news coverage, and show an awareness of issues facing the LGBTQ+ community. Graduates are required to be enrolled in a journalism program and must be NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists members in good standing. The award amount is up to $5,000.
Kay Longcope Scholarship Award: Undergraduate and graduate student applicants must be an LGBTQ+ person of color pursuing a career in journalism. Graduate students are required to be enrolled in a journalism program. All applicants must be NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists members in good standing. The award amount is up to $3,000.
Reaching Out LGBTQ+ MBA Fellowship: This fellowship is available to students at participating business schools. Alongside a scholarship, students will receive exclusive benefits to the program. Students will serve as ambassadors of the LGBTQ+ community at large and take an active role in on-campus LGBTQ+ activities.

Scholarships for High School Students

High school seniors planning to attend college will discover LGBTQ+ scholarships. In support of the LGBTQ+ youth, many scholarships are offered on Bold.org's platform. Many scholarships are tailored toward graduating high school seniors. However, don't be discouraged if you're not a high school senior! Scholarships for higher education are not limited to high school seniors. Instead, students in high school, regardless of year, are encouraged to apply for these scholarships.

Scholarships for College Students

A common misconception is that scholarships are only for high school students seeking an undergraduate education. While many students believe that they will have the best chance of applying for scholarships in high school, there are plenty of options available to current college students attending an accredited college. Current undergraduate and graduate students should consider applying for scholarships to reduce the cost of their tuition and related expenses. College students, including community college and graduate students, are encouraged to apply for scholarships.

Additional Scholarship Programs and Organizations

Live Out Loud: LGBTQ youth who are pursuing a degree at a college or university can apply for a scholarship with Live Out Loud, a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering and inspiring LGBT youth and the larger LGBT community to live proud, live out, and live free. The scholarship is open to LGBT high school seniors in the tri-state area.
LEAGUE Foundation: Since 1996, the LEAGUE Foundation has been providing financial resources to American LGBT high school seniors who want to pursue higher education. The foundation has three separate scholarship awards: the Laurel Hester Memorial Scholarship, the Matthew Shepard Memorial Scholarship, and the LEAGUE Foundation Scholarship.
Asia Pacific Islander Queer Women and Transgender Community (APIQWTC): Asia Pacific Islander Queer Women and Transgender Community (APIQWTC), pronounced as “Api-cutesy”, is a volunteer-based organization founded in 1987. The APIQWTC scholarship is awarded to two Asian Pacific Islander, lesbian, bisexual, queer, or transgender students pursuing technical or professional training or full degree programs at higher education institutions each year.
PFLAG National Scholarship: The organization is committed to advocating for equality and societal affirmation of LGBTQs. The PFLAG National scholarship is open to LGBT and allied students worldwide, who plan to pursue a higher education and demonstrate an interest in participating in the LGBT community. Many PFLAG chapters have scholarship programs of their own.
Stonewall Foundation: Since 1990, the Stonewall Foundation has been focusing on the needs of the LGBTQ community specifically in the state of New York. The foundation inspires meaningful change by creating scholarship opportunities for LGBTQ students. The Stonewall Foundation offers several scholarships to LGBTQ people in New York City and throughout the US.
Colin Higgins Foundation: Established in 2000, the Colin Higgins Foundation gives away the Youth Courage Award annually to recognize exceptional students who demonstrate courage in the face of adversity and discrimination.
National Gay Pilots Association (NGPA): Gay, lesbians, and their straight allies who are interested in pursuing an aviation career can apply for a scholarship provided by the National Gay Pilots Association (NGPA). This international organization promotes equality as well as aviation safety.
Rainbow Scholarship: Made possible by the generous donations and support of numerous international education professionals that are dedicated to helping LGBT students participate in international programs, the Rainbow Scholarship is awarded to LGBT students who want to pursue meaningful, intensive education programs abroad. This scholarship is for LGBTQI students who want to participate in a study abroad program.
International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association Foundation: The International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association Foundation offers Annual Global Convention Scholarships in order to support future LGBT leaders in the fields of tourism and hospitality. Some scholarships require students to be a part of a particular minority to apply.
The Gay’s Den Scholar Award: The Gay’s Den Scholar Award is for LGBTQ+ people graduating from high schools in Florida. You must write an essay describing the impact of your coming-out experience.

Frequently Asked Questions About LGBTQ+ Scholarships

During your scholarship application process, you may have questions about how to proceed or how Bold.org works.

How do I know if I'm eligible for a scholarship?

A scholarship donor or sponsor may set specific criteria or conditions for their scholarship. This may reflect an organization's fundamental values and objectives or be in memory of an individual to support those from a similar background. The eligibility requirements for scholarships will vary, but they will always be displayed in the description. Scholarships are available to students of all levels and degrees. Still, some might have stricter requirements, such as requiring an applicant to demonstrate academic achievement, leadership development, or financial need. Students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or of other marginalized sexual orientations can apply for scholarships.

Before you begin a scholarship application, carefully read the instructions and eligibility criteria to ensure you are an eligible candidate. You can improve your chances of winning a scholarship award by applying to scholarships with more narrow requirements. The stricter the qualifications are, the less competition there will be.!

To receive a scholarship, do I have to fill out the FAFSA?

Scholarship policies vary from one college to another. Generally, if you apply for any form of financial support, your school may ask you to submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid. Scholarship applications typically do not require a completed FAFSA form but may ask for supporting documentation during the application process. To be sure, reach out to your college's financial administration office.

How will I receive my scholarship award?

To determine each scholarship winner, representatives from Bold.org or the scholarship donor will review the accepted scholarship applications. Once a scholarship fund is awarded and verified, Bold.org will provide payment of the awarded scholarship to the winner's accredited post-secondary institution to be applied toward tuition and other related educational expenses upon receiving proof of enrollment.

Can I receive more than one scholarship?

LGBTQ+ students can receive as many scholarships as they are eligible for. Unlike Federal Pell Grants, which have a maximum amount, Bold.org scholarships and grants range from $500-$75,000, and your chances of winning are unlimited! There is no limit to the number of scholarships students can apply for and receive.

How can I use a scholarship?

A scholarship award can be used for any educational expense, including tuition, books, and fees. The donor may also determine the eligibility criteria for scholarship use. Typically, scholarships can only be used towards tuition or outstanding fees. Upon winning a scholarship on Bold.org, the funds will be sent directly to your school's financial aid office to be applied to your tuition and other education-related expenses. Scholarships from other sources can be deposited directly into your college account or sent to you by check or direct deposit.

In the event that you receive scholarships and grants that exceed your total tuition and fees, your school may refund the remaining scholarship award. If you get a tuition refund directly or indirectly, you can often use that money towards education costs like books, or room and board, among other related expenses.

Can my scholarship be used to cover study abroad programs?

Bold.org scholarships can only be sent to institutions located in the United States; however, if you pay tuition through a US-based school while studying abroad, you can use scholarships on Bold.org.

Do I have to have an excellent GPA to apply for LGBTQ+ scholarships?

Grade point average isn't always considered when applying for scholarship awards on scholarship programs. Bold.org offers a wide array of scholarships that include GPA but do not always have specific GPA requirements.

Are LGBTQ+ scholarships counted as income?

For some college students, this may be the first time acknowledging personal finance. Scholarships enable students in the LGBTQ+ community to pursue a college education that otherwise might not have been possible, so the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) is generous in minimizing students' tax obligations. Undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in an accredited institution who receive federal grants, scholarships, or fellowships must pay taxes on the money only if the total exceeds the value of their qualified tuition and related expenses.

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