Scholarships For Mature Students

Students starting their undergraduate degree over the age of 21, or those starting a postgraduate degree over the age of 25 are usually classed as mature students.

Mature students have usually had a period out of full-time education and may be looking to change their career path or get back into studying.

Below is a list of scholarships available to mature students. It’s worth noting, however, that mature students are also eligible for most regular scholarships. You can view the full list of scholarships to study abroad here.

Study in the UK

• Goldsmiths, University of London: Mature Students Scholarship – A scholarship with a value of £3,000 (approx. $3,994) is available to students over the age of 25 with an offer to study an undergraduate course at Goldsmiths, University of London. 

• Loughborough University Mature Student Scholarship - Students over the age of 21 can apply for this scholarship to study an undergraduate course at Loughborough University. 

• Women Careers Foundation – British women over the age of 21 who are in financial need and want to further their education at any UK university can apply for this scholarship. Younger applicants are considered if taking courses in music and dance.
• Royal Holloway’s Access Entry Mature Students Bursary – Full time undergraduate students over the age of 21 with a household income of less than £25,000 (approx. US$33,570) can apply for this scholarship of £1,000 (approx. US$1,340) per year. Students must be enrolled on an undergraduate course at Royal Holloway, University of London.

• Yorkshire Ladies Council for Education – Women over the age of 21 from Leeds and Yorkshire who have a place on an undergraduate course at a British university and are unable to finance it themselves can apply for this scholarship.

• Lancaster University Mature Student Scholarship -- £1,000 (approx. US$1,340) scholarship for mature international students enrolling in a postgraduate degree at Lancaster University.
  

Study in the US

• Ford ReStart Program Scholarship – A needs-based scholarship covering 90 percent of college costs. Applicants must be residents of Oregon or Siskiyou County, California, aged 25 years or older, and no more than halfway through their degree program. Applicants must plan to enroll in their state of residence.
• Working Parent College Scholarship Award – A scholarship to help working parents currently enrolled in higher education. It’s available to full or part-time students who attend an accredited U.S. post-secondary educational institution with a current cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher and is a residential parent of at least one minor child.

• Jeannette Rankin Scholarship – Low-income women, aged 35 and above and studying an undergraduate course in an accredited US higher education institution can apply for this scholarship. Scholarships are renewable for up to 5 years and are distributed directly to the recipient.
• Boundless Opportunity Scholarship -- The scholarship is available at select two- and four-year colleges and universities in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming and is designed to benefit non-traditional students. Applicants must be US citizens who are at least 24 years old.

Study in Canada

• Bowers Family Mature Student Bursary: A bursary of CA$500 (approx.$382) available for students who have been out of full-time studies for five years and are studying in a Canadian university.
• York University’s A.O Miller Bursary for Mature Students – A CA$623 (approx. US$487) bursary available for mature students enrolled in a course at York University in Toronto, Canada.
• KUCSA Mature Student Award – Canada’s Kings Western University is offering a CA$500 (approx. US$390) scholarship to mature students with grades of a minimum 70 percent average. This award is open to both international and domestic students.

Study in Australia

• Beryl Stevens Memorial Bursary for Mature Age Students at Griffith University – A AU$1,000 (approx. US$750) bursary for mature students enrolled in a program within the school of Humanitiesat Griffith University. To apply you must be over 30 years old and a permanent resident in Australia.

• Macquarie University Mature Age/Non-Current School Leaver Scholarship – An annual scholarship of AU$5,010 (approx. US$3,740) available for mature-age or non-school leaver students enrolled in an undergraduate degree at Macquarie University.

• Jessie Cooper Study Grants for Mature Entry Women – Offered by Flinders University, this grant provides financial assistance for mature age women facing financial or personal circumstances which are preventing them from finishing their degrees. Applicants must be in the last year of their undergraduate degree at Flinders University and be able to demonstrate that their financial and personal circumstances will inhibit completion of their degree.

• Venerable Archdeacon Edward Leo Hayes Adult Undergraduate Scholarship – An annual AU$3,000 (approx. US$2,240)scholarship for mature students studying at the University of Queenslandin Australia. Students must be over the age of 25 to apply.

Study in New Zealand

• Kate Edger Educational Charitable Trust Tressa Thomas Retraining Award – Auckland University of Technology is offering this NZ$2,000 (approx. US$1,416) award to mature women, aged 25 and above, to undertake study in order to return to a profession or to take up work (paid or unpaid) in the community.
• The GWNZ Susan Byrne Memorial Award – This NZ$10,000 (approx. US$7080) award aims to help mature female graduates make a change in their career. Students must be at least 35 years old to apply and must be enrolled for post-graduate or research at an approved university in New Zealand or oversees. Applicants must be New Zealand citizens or permanent residents.
• The Mildred Keir Award – A NZ$3,000 (approx. US$2124) scholarship to help women over 27 years old study in order to enter the workplace. 

Study anywhere in the world

• Adult Students in Scholastic Transition – Executive Women International (EWI) are offering 13 scholarships ranging from US$2,000 to US$10,000. These are available to adult students at transitional points in their life. Applicants may be single parents, individuals just entering the workforce, or displaced homemakers and must be studying full-time at undergraduate level. 

• Charles Shelton Veterinarian Medicine/Technology Scholarship – This US$2,000 scholarship is available to African American students pursuing a degree in veterinarian medicine or veterinarian technology. Applicants must be US residents and have a minimum 3.0 GPA.
• Adult Skills Education Program (ASEP) -- US$1,000 is available for any student over the age of 19 who is enrolled at a participating college and is a US citizen or permanent resident.