If you’re a woman in STEM hunting for money to study abroad, here’s the short version: the Schlumberger Foundation’s Faculty for the Future grants up to $50,000 a year for PhD and postdoc women from developing countries, the Amelia Earhart Fellowship hands out $10,000 to about 30 women in aerospace-related fields annually, and L’Oréal-UNESCO gives $15,000 to rising women scientists worldwide. These aren’t the only options, but they’re the ones with real budgets, decades of track record, and application processes that don’t waste your time.
I’ve spent enough time poking around scholarship databases to know most “top 10 scholarships for women” lists online are recycled garbage — expired deadlines, vague eligibility, links that go nowhere. So this is the version with actual numbers, actual names, and actual context on who wins these and why.
What actually counts as a “women in STEM” scholarship?
A women-in-STEM scholarship is funding specifically restricted to female applicants (or, in some cases, non-binary and gender-marginalized applicants) studying science, technology, engineering, or math at the undergraduate, graduate, or postdoctoral level. Some are run by governments, some by universities, and a surprising number by private foundations tied to corporations like L’Oréal or Schlumberger.
The restriction exists because women remain underrepresented in STEM fields at the graduate level in most countries — UNESCO puts the global share of women researchers at around 33% as of its 2023 data. These programs exist to correct that imbalance directly, not as a symbolic gesture.
Best scholarships for women in STEM to study abroad
Below are the programs I’d actually recommend spending your Saturday afternoon applying to, ranked by how much money is on the table and how legitimate the track record is.
| Scholarship | Funding amount | Study level | Focus / eligibility |
|---|---|---|---|
| Schlumberger Faculty for the Future | Up to $50,000/year | PhD, postdoc | Women from developing/emerging economies, engineering & physical sciences |
| Amelia Earhart Fellowship (Zonta International) | $10,000 | PhD | Aerospace-related sciences and engineering, ~30 awarded worldwide/year |
| L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science | $15,000 (International Rising Talents) | Postdoctoral | 15 women scientists selected globally each year |
| AAUW International Fellowships | $18,000–$30,000 | Master’s, PhD, postdoc | Non-US citizen women studying full-time in the United States |
| Google Generation Scholarship | $10,000 (one-time) | Undergraduate, grad | Women (and other underrepresented groups) in computer science |
Schlumberger Foundation Faculty for the Future
This is the heavyweight on the list. Since 2004, the program has funded over 800 women from more than 90 countries to pursue PhDs and postdocs in engineering, physical sciences, and related technical fields at top universities abroad. Grants can run as high as $50,000 a year, and the program specifically targets women from developing and emerging economies who plan to return home and teach.
The catch: you need to already have university admission or a strong plan to get it, and the foundation wants proof you’ll go back and become faculty in your home country. If your goal is to immigrate permanently, this isn’t the right fund — its whole model is brain gain, not brain drain.
Amelia Earhart Fellowship
Run by Zonta International since 1938, this is one of the oldest women-in-STEM scholarships still operating. It awards $10,000 to about 30 women annually who are pursuing PhD-level study in aerospace-related sciences or aerospace-related engineering, anywhere in the world.
Past recipients include women who went on to work at NASA and the European Space Agency. It’s a narrow field — aerospace only — but if that’s your lane, the name recognition alone helps when you’re applying for research positions later.
L’Oréal-UNESCO For Women in Science
L’Oréal and UNESCO have run this partnership since 1998, and the International Rising Talents track gives $15,000 grants to 15 postdoctoral women scientists selected from around the world each year. The program also runs national and regional versions with different funding levels, so check whether your country has a local chapter — the awards can differ significantly from the international one.
What I like about this one: it’s not just a check. Winners get folded into a global network of past laureates, several of whom have gone on to win Nobel Prizes (five, as of the program’s own count). That’s a real professional community, not just a line on your CV.
AAUW International Fellowships
The American Association of University Women funds non-US citizen women to study full-time in the United States at the master’s, doctoral, or postdoctoral level, in any field — including STEM. Awards range from about $18,000 to $30,000 depending on degree level.
This one’s worth flagging separately from the others because it’s not STEM-exclusive, which means competition includes women in humanities and social sciences too. If you’re in engineering or computer science applying against a smaller pool of STEM-specific competitors elsewhere, you might get better odds with a narrower program.
Google Generation Scholarship
Formerly tied to the Anita Borg Institute, this program gives a one-time $10,000 award to women and other underrepresented students in computer science, at both undergraduate and graduate levels, studying at universities in the US, Canada, and parts of Europe and the Middle East.
It’s smaller money than the others, but the application is faster to complete and Google also flies regional finalists to a networking retreat. If you’re a CS student and short on time before a deadline, this is the one to knock out first.
How do you actually win one of these scholarships?
You win by matching your research or study plan tightly to what the funder actually cares about, not by writing a generic “I love science” essay. Every program above has a specific mission — Schlumberger wants future faculty in developing economies, Zonta wants aerospace researchers, L’Oréal wants scientists who’ll stay visible in the field. Read the mission statement before you write a single sentence of your application.
- Start with your research question, not your biography. Reviewers read hundreds of applications. A clear, specific research question — “I want to study lithium battery degradation at 40 below zero” beats “I’m passionate about renewable energy” — gets remembered.
- Get your recommendation letters early. Professors write dozens of these a semester. Ask at least six weeks before the deadline, and send them a one-page summary of what you want them to emphasize.
- Apply to more than one. None of these programs overlap in eligibility rules that would disqualify you from applying to several at once. A woman finishing a materials science PhD could reasonably apply to Schlumberger, L’Oréal’s national chapter, and AAUW in the same cycle.
- Don’t skip the smaller, local scholarships. University-specific women-in-engineering funds, national STEM foundations, and even alumni association grants often go unclaimed simply because fewer people know to look for them.
Which countries fund the most scholarships for women in STEM?
Germany, the United States, and the United Kingdom currently offer the widest range of funded programs for international women in STEM, largely through government-linked research funding bodies and university partnerships. Germany’s DAAD runs multiple STEM-focused grants that favor women applicants when qualifications are equal, and several German universities waive tuition entirely for international students regardless of gender, which stretches any scholarship money further.
The US has the deepest bench of privately funded, women-specific awards — AAUW, Google, and dozens of university-level fellowships at places like MIT and Stanford that specifically target increasing female enrollment in engineering and computer science departments.
Smaller but notable: Australia’s Endeavour scholarships and Canada’s Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships don’t restrict to women, but both have published diversity targets that have shifted selection committees toward funding more female STEM applicants in the last five years.
What should you avoid when researching scholarships abroad?
Skip any “scholarship” that asks for an application fee before you’ve even submitted materials — legitimate programs, including every one listed here, are free to apply to. Also be wary of blog posts and directory sites listing scholarships with deadlines from three years ago; always verify directly on the funder’s own website before spending hours on an essay.
One more thing that trips people up: assuming a scholarship covers living costs when it only covers tuition, or vice versa. Schlumberger and AAUW both cover living stipends. Google’s award doesn’t — it’s meant to supplement