5 High-value scholarships for women in technology to pay for your college
Despite the rapid growth of the tech industry, women still make up only a small portion of the computing workforce worldwide. Finding a women in tech scholarship can help close this gap by removing major financial barriers.
This comprehensive guide outlines five of the most important funding opportunities that will help you with your educational journey in 2026. Applying for these scholarships for women in tech will dramatically improve your chances of completing your degree totally debt-free.
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These are the funding opportunities that we will examine in depth today:
- The BHW Scholarship
- Women Techmakers Scholars Program
- Palantir Women in Technology Scholarship
- Adobe Research Women-in-Technology Scholarship
- Society of Women Engineers scholarships
The BHW scholarship
The BHW Group offers a $3,000 prize each spring to women who are studying master’s or undergraduate degrees in STEM-related areas. This web development agency based in Austin works to boost female representation in software engineering through a dedicated women in technology scholarship.
The application process is simple. It requires a short essay on an app that you enjoy and why you picked it. You don’t need to have a perfect grade point average to be eligible for this cash prize.
The prompt usually asks you to review software you use every day. You are required to describe why the user interface is excellent or explain how the program operates behind the scenes. This allows you to show your enthusiasm for technology without having to take a stressful technical exam.
A lot of tech scholarships for women require complex coding portfolios, however, this one focuses solely on your ideas. The selection committee wants to hear your unique view on the design of digital products. Engaging in the user experience is as important as knowing how to write code.
Study paths approved for the BHW grant
| Degree category | Special field | Common role in industry |
| Engineering | Software engineering | Systems architect |
| Science | Data science | Machine learning engineer |
| Mathematics | Applied mathematics | Quantitative analyst |
Women Techmakers Scholars program
In partnership with Google, this scholarship of $10,000 provides cash in addition to connecting you with a huge global community of female tech executives. As one of the premier women in tech scholarships, the program is dedicated to the late Dr. Anita Borg by supporting young innovators who are determined to reduce gaps in gender equality.
Winners receive an all-expenses-paid trip to Google Headquarters for an annual retreat for scholars. Additionally, you become part of a private community for ongoing mentoring and career guidance. Earning this award will open doors to almost every major tech company.
During the retreat, students participate in specialized workshops tailored to their needs and hear from panels of industry experts. The retreat allows you to collaborate with other brilliant minds to tackle complex coding problems. This hands-on learning experience will help you build professional relationships that last for your whole career.
Google actively seeks candidates who exhibit these traits:
- They maintain high academic performance in computer science.
- They demonstrate active leadership within their campus community.
- They are driven to increase female participation in the field of technology.
- They have proven their problem-solving capabilities through group projects.
Palantir Women in Technology Scholarship
Palantir offers $7,000 grants to ten students eager to tackle difficult data problems. Scholarships for women in technology, like this one, specifically target individuals interested in solving real-world issues rather than writing theoretical research papers.
The winners are invited to visit the offices of the company and take part in unique workshops for building skills. This is an excellent opportunity to land an extremely competitive internship.
The goal of the program is to help students who are enthusiastic about making an impact through software. If you enjoy doing challenging work, this is the ideal opportunity for you.
Palantir specializes in developing data integration software for complex organizations. They seek to recruit students who aren’t scared of large, messy datasets. When applying for technology scholarships for women, highlighting a keen interest in data analytics or cybersecurity will help your application stand out.
You’ll need to provide certain items in order to finish your Palantir profile:
- A polished resume
- Transcripts from your current school
- Answers to two technical essay questions
Adobe Research Women-in-Technology Scholarship
Undergraduate and graduate students can claim a $10,000 cash prize and an internship interview with Adobe. Finding women in IT scholarships like this offers the opportunity to get your foot in the door of a huge creative software company, which is as valuable as the cash itself.
Adobe assigns a senior mentor to each winner to guide their early career steps. You must have a degree or be studying computer science, computer engineering, or another closely related field of technology to be eligible.
The process of getting a job at an elite company can take months of grueling networking. This award allows you to avoid the huge line of applicants and talk directly to hiring managers.
Your assigned mentor will read your application and provide specific career advice. They can assist you in making the difficult transition from a college classroom to a corporate office. Adobe develops tools used by millions of artists, so they look for applicants who have technical abilities as well as a creative mind.
Society of Women Engineers scholarships
The SWE provides more than 330 individual grants each year, ranging between $1,000 and $20,000. Instead of searching for individual scholarships for women in IT, submitting a single SWE application will automatically match you to every grant you are eligible for.
This single-application method increases your chances of obtaining funding without wasting time. It is easily one of the best ways to secure women in technology scholarships to pay for your education in 2026.
Beyond the money, membership in this society can connect you with professional associations in your area. You can attend big annual conferences and meet recruiters face-to-face.
The SWE has been a champion for female engineers for years, offering an enormous support system for new professionals. They know that financial strain frequently causes talented women to abandon difficult engineering degrees. Their massive endowment assures thousands of students will be able to complete their education every year.
This application needs a recommendation from your professor, so be sure to develop strong relationships with your instructors early. Receiving a positive recommendation from an engineering professor drastically increases your chances of winning.
Historical distribution of SWE scholarship parameters
| Academic level | Typical pool of applicants | Award range | Area of focus |
| Freshman | High school seniors | $1,000–$5,000 | General engineering |
| Sophomore or greater | Current undergraduates | $2,000–$20,000 | Specialized fields of technology |
Source note: Distribution parameters are based on the Society of Women Engineers public eligibility guidelines.
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