Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg and PepsiCo’s Indra Nooyi may shine a ray of hope for many young girls aspiring to reach for the business stars. However, the reality, at the ground level is still shaky.
According to Catalyst, a non-profit organization with a mission to help women achieve workplace inclusion, the share of women, in senior management roles, is increasing at a rather snail pace. 33% of global businesses had no women in senior management, in 2016, and this unfortunate number hasn’t changed in a while.
Data from Europe, India, Canada, and Australia, all indicate an abysmally low number of senior women business leaders. At this rate, they claim, the gender parity is not going to settle until 2060, a year that is still in the realm of Hollywood plots of a dystopian future. Clearly, there needs to be a resolution for business learning opportunities, for women, before the end of the world.
One of the ways to attract women, in business, is to encourage them to seek the best in management training, without the burden of shouldering the cost of the expensive MBA. To the same end, there have been a surge of scholarships that are now in place, targeted especially at women of particular regions, minority groups, and ones with sufficient merit (Female Software Engineers in MBA with Scholarships), in need of some financial top up.
In this article, we have compiled a list of MBA scholarships, for women only, offered at some of the Top MBA Business Schools in the World.
MBA Scholarships for Women at Top Business Schools in the World
Business Schools in Europe
| Business School | Name of the Scholarship | Eligibility | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| INSEAD | INSEAD Groupe Galaries Lafayette Endowed Scholarship for Women | Women Candidates admitted to INSEAD who resonate with Groupe Galarie Lafayette’s values of customer service in the retail industry. | $12,000 |
| INSEAD | INSEAD Judith Connelly Delouvrier Endowed Scholarship for Women | Women candidates, admitted to INSEAD, from any nationality. | $24,000 – $30,000 |
| IMD Switzerland | Nestle Scholarship for Women | MBA candidates with a preference to women from developing countries | $26,000 |
| IE Business School | IE Women Scholarship and Mentoring Program | Offered to MBA candidates, among others | 40% of Tuition plus six months Mentoring program |
| IE Business School | IE Women’s Leadership Scholarship | Admitted to MBA (or any other) at IE | 30% of all costs |
| IE Business School | IE Women’s Scholarship | Open to women admitted to any Masters program | 40% of Tuition |
| IE Business School | Queen Rania Foundation Scholarship for Women Leaders | Any Masters for Jordanian women | 3 Scholarships of
40% of all costs |
| HHL Leipzig | HHL Women in Business Scholarship | Full Time MBA applicants | $18,000 |
| London Business School (LBS) | The 30% Club Scholarship | All successful female MBA applicants | First year Tuition |
| LBS | Carlsson Family Scholarship | All successful female MBA applicants | One Award of $27,000 |
| LBS | Celia Atkin Avent Scholarship | Only to exceptional British women | $47,000 |
| LBS | Lloyds Scholars MBA Scholarships for Women | Successful UK MBA applicants | Three Awards of $40,500 |
| LBS | MBA 50th Anniversary Scholarship for Women | All successful MBA applicants | Multiple Awards of various amounts up to full fees |
| LBS | Monica and Navin Valrani Scholarship | Open to Indian applicants | One Award of $27,000 |
| LBS | Muna Al Gurg Scholarship | Female candidates for MBA, and EMBA Dubai, from the Middle East | One Award of $67,500 |
| LBS | Nestle Emerging Markets Scholarship for Women | Women from BRIC and emerging markets from Asia and Africa | One Award of $47,000 |
| City Univ Cass London | Cass Business School Women’s Scholarship | Outstanding performance | 50% of Tuition |
| City Univ Cass London | Cass Women in STEM Scholarship | Open to female candidates with excellence in STEM background | 50% of Tuition |
| City Univ Cass London | Global Women’s Leadership Scholarship | Outstanding performance | 50% of Tuition |
| ESADE Business School | Women of the World Scholarship | Female candidates with preference to ones in need of financial help | Not Specified |
| Imperial College Business School | Imperial Women’s Scholarships | Exceptional Female candidates | Not Specified |
| ESMT Berlin | 30% Club & Women’s Scholarships | Female candidates who have excelled in leadership | One Award of $23,000 |
| ESMT Berlin | ESMT Women’s Academic Scholarship | Exceptional candidates in full time MBA, with GMAT >700 | Two Awards of Partial Tuition coverage up to $18,000 |
| ESMT Berlin | Women in Leadership Scholarships | Female candidates who have excelled in leadership | Two Awards of $18,000 |
| Manchester Business School | 30% Club Female Business Leaders Scholarship | Open for outstanding female applicants, from UK, with leadership potential | One Award of full tuition |
| Manchester Business School | Alliance MBS Women in Business Scholarships | Outstanding female applicants | 10% to 50% of tuition |
Business Schools in Asia, and Australia – Asia-Pacific
| Business School | Scholarship | Eligibility | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melbourne Business School | The Helen Macpherson Smith Fellowship | Women candidates from Victoria, Australia | $20,000 |
| Melbourne Business School | Dean’s Scholarship for Women and Management | Open to candidates applying to Senior Executive MBA | $40,000 |
| AGSM University of New South Wales | AGSM Director’s Women in Leadership Scholarship | Female applicants admitted to AGSM MBA | Two Awards of up to full tuition |
| AGSM University of New South Wales | AGSM Emerging Female Leaders Scholarship | Female applicants admitted to AGSM MBA | Up to $20,000 tuition |
| Monash University | Women in MBA (WiMBA) Scholarship | Australian citizen/permanent resident applying to Monash MBA | Up to $52,000 or full fee waiver |
| University of Sydney | UN Women National Committee Australia MBA Scholarship | Support UN women for part time MBA | Not specified |
| Macquarie Graduate School of Management | MGSM South East Asian Woman in Management Scholarship | Female applicants from selected countries in South East Asia – Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines,Singapore,
Thailand,Vietnam. |
30% tuition |
| CEIBS | Women Leadership Scholarship | Merit based | Not specified |
| National University of Singapore (NUS) | The NUS MBA Women in Business Scholarship | Merit based | $16,300 |
| Nanyang Technological University (NTU) | Nanyang Women in Business Scholarship | Outstanding applicants with the potential to make significant contributions | Partial tuition |
| Singapore Management University (SMU) | Mastercard MBA Scholarships | Full time MBA candidates from Asia Pacific | Internship with Mastercard |
Business Schools in United States & Canada
| Business School | Scholarship | Eligibility | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wharton Business School | American Association of University Women (AAUW) | Women selected under categories listed here, in the US and globally
|
$2,000 – $30,000 |
| University of Virginia – Darden | Nina Sandridge Powell Scholarship | Women who are residents of the Commonwealth of Virginia | Not specified |
| University of Virginia – Darden | Joel Dean Scholarship | 1st year student from an unrepresented minority, with financial need. | Not specified |
| University of Virginia – Darden | Class of 1975 Marianne Quattrocchi Memorial | Created to attract female candidates who otherwise may not attend Darden | Not specified |
| NYU Stern | Advancing Women in Business Scholarship | Merit based | First year tuition and mandatory fees |
| Yale School of Management | Janet “Ginger” Gelb (MPMM 1984) Scholarship | Merit based | Not specified |
| University of Chicago – Booth | The Wallman Fellowship | Outstanding candidates with preference for women from underrepresented minority groups | Not specified |
| UCLA Anderson | American Association of University Women (AAUW) | Women selected under categories listed here, in the US and globally
|
$2,000 – $30,000 |
| UCLA Anderson | P.E.O. International Peace Scholarship | Scholarship for International women | Not specified |
| York University – Schulich School of Business | Heather L. Main Scholarship | Candidates who are able to demonstrate their interest in the Canadian capital markets | $20,000 |
| Emory University – Goizueta Business School | The Executive Women of Goizueta (EWG) Scholarship | Open to outstanding female executives attending Goizueta EMBA | One Award of $5,000 |
| University of British Columbia | Hoegg Family MBA Scholarship | Canadian and International MBA candidates | 1 Award for Canadian
of $15,000 1 Award for International of $15,000 |
| University of British Columbia | Hager Family Award for Female Leaders | Offered to full or part-time female candidates with financial need | $15,000 |
External Scholarship Opportunities
American Association of University Women (AAUW) – Offers grants to applicants pursuing MBA, among others, of the amount of $2,000 – $12,000.
Forte´ Foundation Fellows – Merit based scholarship, of variable amount, associated with participating business schools, including Oxford Said Business School, HEC Paris, London Business School, Imperial College Business School, Manchester Business School, Wharton Business School, University of Virginia – Darden, Vanderbilt University – Owen, Columbia Business School, University of Texas Austin – McCombs, Northwestern University – Kellogg, Cornell University – Johnson, NYU Stern, Yale School of Management, University of Chicago – Booth, Indiana University – Kelley, University of North Carolina – Kenan Flagler, Carnegie Mellon – Tepper, University of Dartmouth – Tuck, Georgetown University – McDonough School of Business, and more.
C200 Scholar Award
Awarded to first year female MBA candidates in business schools hosting a C200 reach-out. The award is merit, and financial need, based. The amount is up to $10,000.
The distribution of women, in business management, is still a far cry from its full potential. However, the ever growing number of scholarships, and funding, opportunities do help to grease the wheels of gender equality, in senior business leadership. Clearly, this article cannot provide an exhaustive list of financing efforts, but you are encouraged to explore scholarship avenues and become a part of a statistic that doesn’t need another fifty years to look positively happy.
Meanwhile here are some related articles.
– MBA success stories of Indian female applicants
– How business schools are trying to attract female applicants
– List of MBA Scholarships for Indian Students
– MBA Scholarships for African Students
– MBA Scholarships for Indian Applicants
– How can international students get full scholarships?
– Higher education scholarships for international students
– List of MiM Scholarships
Sources:1,2,3
Hello Sir,
I am Gauri. I have pursued M. Pharm and is currently working in a Pharma Company. I do not intend to pursue higher education in form of PhD as I feel I am not into research. However, I am very much keen on doing MBA, preferably from a good B-school. I have been checking out various blogs & forums , yours specifically as it helps a lot. However , I am still unclear about 2 things ;
A) Will it really be helpful ?
b)Which electives to opt in case I get selected?
I ll finish my bca this year and I want to do my MS in Canada. I am an average student and my financial condition is also not good. But I’m working a lot for TOEFL and GRE exams.
Are there any chances to study with the help of scholarships. Please guide.
Hi,
Currently I am working in IT firm having 2.5 years experience.
10th: 76%
12: 59%
B.Tech: 75%
Suggest me some good colleges for 1 Year MBA. and please confirm whether my 12th % will affect my application form or not.
Regards,
Medha
what are actually criteria needed to get scolership in better college for ms ….is gre and toefl score sufficent ??
I am married n having a daughter. N completed my 1st sem MBA in HR & marketing through distance study (KSOU). . Have work experience in different stream of job. Interested to work abroad.
Anysuggestions.
Hello I completed my MBA in 2011 . I worked in marketing field but as a lady my family is not happy with my job please give me the suggest the resources to change my job
Hi,
I m not so good at academecis, but B.tech in ECE, with work experience of 7 years in project execution in Telecom sector.
i had very strong desire to do a 1 year Executive full time MBA. please guide & help me.
What if there is no plan for doing MBA abroad?
I am asking this just to know that if we dont focus for more work in articleship then it is ok or not?
@Gauri: It’s tough for others to say whether an MBA will be useful for you or not, since it depends on your aspirations and expectations. On the topic of specialisations, we can surely help. Read this: https://www.mbacrystalball.com/blog/2016/08/01/mba-specializations-list/
@Rose: If you put in a strong application along with the test scores, you could get some scholarship. But since you’ve mentioned that you are an average student, here are some pitfalls to be aware of: https://www.mbacrystalball.com/blog/2016/08/12/average-student-problems-in-elite-mba-classroom/
@Medha and Neelam: Here’s a list of the best one year MBA programs in the world. Your 12th standard marks won’t matter as much. https://www.mbacrystalball.com/blog/2016/07/25/best-one-year-mba-programs-world/
@simran: Admission officers will consider your academic grades, work experience, essays/SOP, recommendations and GRE / TOEFL / IELTS scores.
@Kavitha and Kusumapriya: Get in touch with placement agencies, friends, relatives who can share relevant opportunities with you.
@Riddhi: You don’t need an MBA to be successful. In fact, Chartered Accounts can do very well in their chosen field without the need for additional degrees.