63 Psychology Scholarships for Undergrad & Graduate Students
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Career opportunities in the field of psychology are vast. Yes, you could be a psychologist, but you can also work in human resources, social work, forensics, or school counseling, among many more positions. The one thing that every one of these has in common, aside from working with and being able to understand people, is that they all require an education. And psychology degrees cost money. Tuition can add up to tens of thousands of dollars every year, and that’s no easy load to carry without some help.
Luckily, psychology students don’t need to carry it alone. Resources are available to pick up some of that tab with psychology scholarships and psychology grants.
Discovering scholarships is simple. Some aid is need-based and some is determined by merit. Academic scholarships, community service scholarships, athletic scholarships, extracurricular scholarships, identity- and ethnic- based scholarships, and employer and military scholarships are some of the most common types.
So, How Do you Get a Scholarship for Psychology?
The first step is to visit your high school counselor or the financial aid office at your college and get informed about the options available to you. Organizations, foundations, and local business groups will often award scholarships to local students. You might be surprised – even your employer or your parents’ employers may offer some scholarship. A valuable (and free) tool is careeronestop, a website sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor that allows you to search for scholarships as well as other financial aid opportunities such as fellowships and grants.
When choosing a school, students should also complete the FAFSA, which is the Free Application for Federal Student Aid. The application will be processed to determine what financial aid a current or prospective college student is eligible for, whether the money is needed for a traditional campus experience or for helping to pay for an online psychology degree.
What GPA Do You Need to Get a Full Scholarship?
It depends. High-achieving 3.5 and up students with great test scores and impressive transcripts definitely have a leg up on being awarded money for college, but the amount will vary depending on the awarding agency, and the cost of colleges also differs greatly. Needs-based scholarships may allow a little more latitude for lower GPAs. Academic scholarships have the potential to cover the entire cost of a degree program, or they may just contribute toward it.
Also, students who don’t have very high GPAs are not ruled out from receiving scholarships. They can earn awards based on their involvement in the community, their athletic talent, and even their hobbies. There’s no limit to the amount of scholarships a student can apply for, and the more the better. A straight-A student with a gift for basketball and Jewish heritage can apply for academic, athletic, and ethnic-bases scholarships. Every student has multiple opportunities to apply for scholarships and other aid.
What is the Easiest Scholarship to Get?
There’s really no simple answer to this, although the easiest way to receive any scholarship is to apply to as many as possible. For low-income students, need-based scholarships may be the easiest because income is easily quantifiable, but that doesn’t mean it will be difficult for someone who comes from a middle-class family to work hard and be rewarded with academic, talent-based, or community scholarships.
Our Favorite Psychology Scholarships for Undergrad and Graduate Students
Here is a list of current scholarships for psychology majors in undergraduate programs as well as for graduate students. As an undergraduate in psychology, private scholarships and federal grants are the most common types of aid. When choosing to earn a graduate degree to be qualified for different career opportunities or pursue a role in research, fellowships and research grants also open up. Regardless of the level of degree, financial assistance is available and waiting for you to ask for it.
Psychology Undergraduate Scholarships and Grants
Dr. Jon Baker Memorial Scholarship
Offered by the University of Alaska-Anchorage to full-time University of Alaska-Anchorage students majoring in psychology.
Amount: $500
Diversity in Psychology and Law Research Award
Offered by the American Psychology-Law Society to support undergraduate and graduate research in psychology, law, multiculturalism, or diversity.
Amount: $500-$1,000
Association for Psychological Science Student Grants (APS)
Offered by the Association for Psychological Science to encourage student research in psychological science.
Amount: $500
Condon Prize for Best Student Essay in Psychological Anthropology
Offered by the Society for Psychological Anthropology to promote the study of adolescence, family, and change among the Canadian Inuit.
Amount: $500
APS Student Research Award (APS)
Offered by the Association for Psychological Science for outstanding research.
Amount: $300
APS Convention Society Research Awards
Offered by Psi Chi, the International Honor Society in Psychology, to recognize the best research papers and posters submitted by graduate and undergraduate Psi Chi students at the APS Annual Convention.
Amount: $400 or $500
Applied Social Issues Internship Program
Offered by the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues to encourage intervention projects, non-partisan advocacy projects, research, and writing and implementing public policy that applies social science principles to social issues.
Amount: $300 or $2,500
Lizette Peterson Homer Injury Prevention Grant
Offered by the APA Division 54: Society of Pediatric Psychology to support research related to the prevention of injuries in children and adolescents.
Amount: $5,000
Tara Lynne Arnold Scholarship Fund
Offered by the Steuben County Community Foundation to students pursuing a bachelor of arts degree.
Amount: Varies
Offered by the Academy for Eating Disorders to support research conducted by student members of the AED.
Amount: $1,000
Delta Gamma Foundation Florence Margaret Harvey Memorial Scholarship
Offered by the American Foundation for the Blind to people who are blind or visually impaired in the field of rehabilitation and education.
Amount: $1,000
Child Welfare and Development (CWD) Scholarship
Offered by Family Life Today to students who plan to pursue a career in the field of child welfare.
Amount: $1,000
The Virtuous Prom Peace Scholarship
Offered by Virtuous Prom to female college students studying theology, anthropology, psychology, or sociology.
Amount: $250
Rudolph Dillman Memorial Scholarship
Offered by the American Foundation for the Blind to people who are blind or visually impaired in the field of rehabilitation and education.
Amount: $2,500
Seasons in Malibu Annual Scholarship
Offered by Seasons in Malibu to students in need to highlight the importance of mental health.
Amount: $1,500
Early Childhood Educators Scholarship Program
Offered by the Massachusetts Office of Student Financial Assistance
to currently employed early childhood educators and providers enrolled in an associate's or bachelor's degree program in Early Childhood Education or related programs.
Amount: Varies
Robert B. Oliver ASNT Scholarship
Offered by the American Society for Nondestructive Testing to students who have chosen a career in NDT.
Amount: $2,500
Offered by Brook Report to assist with tuition and expenses.
Amount: $500
Megan Meier Memorial Scholarships
Offered by the Megan Meier Foundation to high school seniors who have made a positive impact in issues of bullying and cyberbullying in their schools and communities.
Amount: $1,000
Grants and Scholarships for Graduate Students in Psychology
American Psychology-Law Society Dissertation Awards
Offered by the American Psychology-Law Society to support students who do dissertations involving basic or applied research in psychology and law.
Amount: Varies
David Pilon Scholarships for Training in Professional Psychology
Offered by the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students for supplement training and education experiences in professional practice.
Amount: $1,000
Paul E. Henkin School Psychology Travel Grant
Offered by the APA Division 16: School Psychology for travel expenses for student members of the APA Division 16 to attend the annual APA convention.
Amount: $1,500
American Psychology-Law Society Student Grants-In-Aid
Offered by the American Psychology-Law Society for empirical graduate research that addresses psycho-legal issues.
Amount: $750
Annette Urso Rickel Foundation Dissertation Award for Public Policy
Offered by the American Psychological Foundation for dissertation research on public policy.
Amount: $1,000
Violet and Cyril Franks Scholarship
Offered by the American Psychological Foundation for graduate-level projects that help understand and reduce stigma associated with mental illness from a psychological perspective.
Amount: $5,000
APA 125th Anniversary Scholarship
Offered by the American Psychological Foundation for graduate students to further their education in psychology.
Amount: $3,000
Offered by the American Psychological Foundation to help graduate students of psychology with research costs associated with their master's thesis or doctoral dissertation.
Amount: $2,500
Charles and Carol Spielberger Scholarship
Offered by the American Psychological Foundation to help graduate students of psychology with research costs associated with their master's thesis or doctoral dissertation.
Amount: $5,000
Offered by the California Psychological Association to encourage psychologists from ethnically diverse communities in California.
Amount: $2,000
Offered by the American Psychological Foundation for activities that lead to the psychological understanding of gifted children and youth.
Amount: $50,000
Offered by the American Psychological Foundation for empirical research in the behavioral and social sciences related to lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender issues.
Amount: $10,000
Peter and Malina James and Dr. Louis P. James Legacy Scholarship
Offered by the American Psychological Foundation to help graduate students of psychology with research costs associated with their master's thesis or doctoral dissertation.
Amount: $5,000
William and Dorothy Bevan Scholarship
Offered by the American Psychological Foundation to help graduate students of psychology with research costs associated with their master's thesis or doctoral dissertation.
Amount: $5,000
Ruth G. and Joseph D. Matarazzo Scholarship
Offered by the American Psychological Foundation to help graduate students of psychology with research costs associated with their master's thesis or doctoral dissertation.
Amount: $3,000
Offered by the American Psychological Foundation to graduate students in neuropsychology.
Amount: $2,500
Harry and Miriam Levinson Scholarship
Offered by the American Psychological Foundation to help graduate students of psychology with research costs associated with their master's thesis or doctoral dissertation.
Amount: $5,000
Offered by the American Psychological Foundation for research, education, and intervention projects and programs.
Amount: $20,000
Clarence J. Rosecrans Scholarship
Offered by the American Psychological Foundation to help graduate students of psychology with research costs associated with their master's thesis or doctoral dissertation.
Amount: $2,000
Lee Hakel Graduate Student Scholarship
Offered by the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology to graduate students pursuing doctoral study in industrial-organizational psychology to conduct research.
Amount: $3,500
Mary L. Tenopyr Graduate Student Scholarship
Offered by the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology to graduate students pursuing doctoral study in industrial-organizational psychology to conduct research.
Amount: $3,000
Offered by the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues for scientific research in social problem areas related to the basic interests and goals of SPSSI.
Amount: $1,000 or $2,000
NJPA Foundation Scholarship for Research on Diversity Issues
Offered by the New Jersey Psychological Association to graduate students in psychology who promote the scientific understanding of the role of diversity in psychology and develop sensitive models for delivering psychological services to diverse populations.
Amount: $2,000
Malyon Smith Scholarship Research Award
Offered by the APA Division 44: Society for the Psychology of Sexual Orientation to advance research about the psychology of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Amount: $1,000
Nancy B. Forest and L. Michael Honaker Master's Grant for Research
Offered by the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students for dissertation research in the field of psychology.
Amount: $1,000
Ellin Bloch and Pierre Ritchie Diversity Dissertation Grant
Offered by the American Psychological Association of Graduate Students for research in the field of psychology concerning diversity issues.
Amount: $1,000
Harry and Pola Triandis Doctoral Thesis Award
Offered by the International Association for Cross-Cultural Psychology for research in the areas of culture and psychology.
Amount: $500
Grants in Aid for Early Career Professionals
Offered by the American Psychology-Law Society to AP-LS members who are early career professionals for research related to psychology and law.
Amount: $5,000
Saleem Shah Early Career Award
Offered by the American Psychology-Law Society for early career excellence and contributions to the fields of psychology and law.
Amount: $2,000
Offered by the University of Alaska-Anchorage to an outstanding student in the University of Alaska-Anchorage’s master of science program in clinical psychology.
Amount: $500
Offered by the Society for a Science of Clinical Psychology for students who have already received approval for their dissertation project.
Amount: $500
NASP-ERT Minority Scholarship Program
Offered by the National Association of School Psychologists to minority graduate students enrolled in a psychology program.
Amount: $5,000
Bisexual Foundation Scholarships
Offered by the APA Division 44: Society for the Psychology of Sexual Orientation for research on bisexuality in the field of LGBT issues in psychology.
Amount: $1,000
APA Division 39 Scholars Program
Offered by the APA Division 39: Psychoanalysis for learning and open dialogue about psychoanalytic thinking, research and practice.
Amount: $1,000
Offered by the Society for the Psychological Study of Social Issues for master’s theses and pre-dissertation research on sexism, racism, or prejudice.
Amount: $1,000
Janet Hyde Graduate Student Research Grant
Offered by APA Division 35: Society for the Psychology of Women to psychology students supporting feminist research.
Amount: $500
Marion and Donald Routh Student Research Grant
Offered by APA Division 54: Society of Pediatric Psychology for research related to the field of pediatric psychology.
Amount: $1,000
Jan S. Bashinski Criminalistics Graduate Thesis Assistance Grant
Offered by the Forensic Sciences Foundation, Inc., to graduate students completing their thesis or independent research project in criminalistics forensic sciences.
Amount: $1,300 or $1,700
Applied Behavior Analysis EDU $1,000 Excellence in Practice
Offered by Applied Behavior Analysis EDU master’s students in applied behavioral analysis.
Amount: $1,000
Associates in Behavioral Health Scholarships
Offered by the Pride Foundation to LGBTQ students pursuing graduate education in psychology, psychiatry, social work, or psychiatric nursing.
Amount: Varies
Offered by the National Association of Junior Auxiliaries, Inc., to graduate students in fields that address the special needs of children and youth.
Amount: Varies
Offered by Pi Gamma Mu for graduate education.
Amount: $1,000 or $2,000
AHRQ Mentored Clinical Scientist Research Career Development Award
Offered by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for intensive mentored research career development in health services for people with clinical doctoral degrees.
Amount: Varies
Mentored Research Scholar Grant
Offered by the American Cancer Society to support junior faculty members becoming clinician scientists or cancer control researchers.
Amount: $10,000 or $135,000