Raising a child on her own is one of the biggest challenges a woman may face in her life. This becomes even more challenging for women who want to improve their career prospects and earning potential by going back to school to earn their undergraduate or graduate degrees. Balancing work, children and school isn’t easy but scholarships for single mothers can at least help relieve some of the financial burden associated with study.

Any single mother will be eligible for degree programs though some are only offered through certain states and are not on a national level. Whether you’re a young mother fresh out of high school or an older mother looking to add additional career skills, there are scholarships available at a wide variety of levels and directed specifically at non-traditional learners like working single mothers.

Students will find scholarships offered through state-wide programs in places like Oregon, Arkansas and Wyoming. One such program is the Our Families Our Future program offered through the state of Wyoming. This scholarship aims to help women gain financial independence and find jobs that will earn them a living wage, allowing them to climb above the poverty level and have more resources to care for their children.

In addition to these state-centric programs there are a number of nationwide programs developed to help single mothers. The Raise the Nation program gives funding to any mothers who want to improve themselves through education. Women who have been the victims of domestic violence or have overcome drug or alcohol abuse and have turned their lives around will be able to take advantage of scholarships like those offered through the Sunshine Lady, the Women’s Independence Scholarship program and Soroptimist’s Women’s Opportunity Awards.

Scholarships for Single Mothers

• Sunshine Lady Foundation Scholarship: Amounts and number of recipients vary, but applicants must be survivors of domestic abuse.
• Soroptimist Women‘s Opportunity Awards: $10,000 to three women who need assistance with higher education costs.
• Arkansas Single Parent Scholarship: Unnamed amount to one undergraduate single parent who is Arkansas resident.
• Ford Opportunity Program: Varied amounts are given out to 52 Oregon single parents.