AAUW HONOLULU ACADEMIC SCHOLARSHIPS FOR NONTRADITIONAL STUDENTS
In 1905, the founders of the College Club – the organization that would become AAUW Honolulu – wrote that their founding principle was to promote “the higher ideals of education among women”. Women were a rarity in undergraduate classes, and even more so in graduate-level courses.
AAUW Honolulu promotes inclusiveness and strives to reflect the diversity of the island in its general membership, board and program participants. We recognize that our commitment to equity, inclusion and diversity is imperative to our mission and greatly enriches the effectiveness of our programs.
AAUW Honolulu continues that mandate made in 1881. We awarded over $90,000 in scholarships to deserving women college students between 2023 and 2025.
While women in the 21st century are attending college and receiving undergraduate and graduate degrees in record numbers, they are still held back by the gender pay gap. They may encounter it when they work to pay for college, or they may encounter it when they graduate and settle in their first jobs.
AAUW’s research found that while women now make up a majority of the college population, they also take out more debt than men. The academic scholarships provided by AAUW Honolulu helps women in college graduate with less or no debt.
Nontraditional Undergraduate Scholarship
Applications for academic year 2025-2026 are open for applicants from Jan 6th to Mar 23, 2025. Please apply below.
Graduate Scholarship
AAUW Honolulu graduate scholarships are offered and administered by the Hawaii Community Foundation (HCF). Applications for academic year 2025-2026 will be open from Dec 12th, 2024 to Feb 28th, 2025.
AAUW Honolulu Undergraduate Academic Scholarship for Nontraditional Students
SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
Complete the online application below to apply. To submit your application, please gather the following required materials to upload to your application:
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Academic Transcripts – Upload "Unofficial" pdf copies of your transcripts from all college(s) attended using your student on-line portal. Your current institution (e.g. Univ Hawaiʻi) may offer a combination of Transfer & Campus transcripts in a single document. Be sure all your academic semesters are included in your uploaded transcripts. See a Sample Transcript >
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Current Estimate Family Contribution (EFC) (page 1 on the Student Aid Report (SAR) from Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) – Your FAFSA must be submitted and processed in order to obtain your current SAR. If your report is still pending, please submit proof of submission with your application. A case by case exception will be made for applicants to submit their SAR after the deadline.
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Written Personal Statement – One-page, single spaced, 12pts, maximum of 500 words. Have your statement available when filling out the application to upload into the form below. Guidelines for your personal statement are provide below the form.
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Application Submission Period – January 6th at 9:00AM HST to March 23rd at Midnight HST.
SCHOLARSHIP ELIGIBILITY
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Be a woman living in Hawaiʻi
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Demonstrate financial need
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Be over 21 years of age and have had your educational plans interrupted or delayed by family work obligations or challenging personal circumstances.
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Be accepted or enrolled as a full or part-time undergraduate in a college, community college, or university in the State of Hawaiʻi or on-line program from a regionally accredited public or private not for profit educational institution.
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Have completed a minimum of 12 credits.
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Have a grade point average (GPA) of 2.5 or higher for the most recent 2 semesters.
Note: No student intern or contractor receiving financial compensation from AAUW Honolulu is eligible for this scholarship.
Award Selection Process
Each year AAUW Honolulu receives many more applications for academic scholarships than we can fund. Our selection process begins by screening all applicants by financial need. The Committee then reviews the Personal Statements and determines which candidates will move on to the final phase which is a panel interview conducted over Zoom.
Your Written Personal Statement
We would like to learn a little more about you. Here are some things to think about as you write your personal statement. Please limit your statement to one page, 12pt single-spaced, and no more than about 500 words.
Ideas for Your Written Personal Statement
Tell us about your journey from high school to where you are today including what made you decide to pursue a college degree at this time in your life?
What do you hope to do with your degree once you graduate?
Tell us what you learned from life experiences, how you have grown and how you have applied what you have learned.
Your Statement Will be Assessed Using the Following Criteria:
Personal Growth
How have you evolved from leaving high school to deciding to return to school.
Clarity of Educational Goals
Articulate what your goals are and how you plan to achieve your goals.
Self Reflection
How you think and why you made the decisions you have made.
Written Communication Skills
Grammatically correct, easy to understand, reveals interesting things about yourself, helps reviewers gain an overall understanding of you.
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Who is eligible to apply?Women who are currently living and/or working in the State of Hawai‘i. You do not need to be an AAUW member to apply. Only one person, not a group, may apply per application. Past Career Grant Awardees are NOT eligible to apply again. However, previous applicants not awarded are encouraged to apply again.
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Do you have to be an AAUW member to apply for the grant?No, you do not have to be an AAUW member to apply. However, AAUW members are also welcome to apply for the grant.
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Is the grant open to applicants on islands other than O‘ahu?Yes. Applicants from any of the Hawaiian Islands are welcome to apply. Additionally, in 2024, AAUW Maui will be awarding a grant specifically for a Maui based woman.
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Do applicants need to demonstrate that their official state residency is in Hawai‘i?We ask that applicants live or work in Hawai‘i. To demonstrate this, applicants are only required to provide a Hawai‘i address on their application.
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Can I apply for funds for an activity that I have already completed?No. Grant funds cannot be used for an activity that was completed prior to the application deadline. Also, an activity must begin AFTER the application deadline. Receipts submitted for reimbursement with dates that are before the application deadline will be questioned.
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I am proposing an activity that will occur close to the application due date. Can I still apply?Yes, you are still welcome to apply, as long as the activity does not begin prior to the application deadline. But please keep in mind that if you are selected as a grant recipient, funds will not be disbursed until after decisions have been announced, which is typically a month after the application due date. There is also no guarantee that applicants will be awarded grant funds. In these cases, it may be wise to apply for additional sources of funding, if possible.
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Can the grant be used to conduct research?No. The grant is not intended to fund data collection or any costs related to data collection.
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Can undergraduate and graduate students use the grant to pay for tuition or coursework for their degree?No, grant funds cannot be used to support tuition or basic coursework toward a degree. For assistance with tuition costs, please consider applying for the academic scholarships that we offer. In 2025, our Career Grant will not fund academic conferences, or students wishing to present their research.
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Can grant funds be used to pay for standardized tests required for admissions, such as the GRE or LSAT?No. Grant funds cannot be used for the GRE, MCAT, LSAT, or other similar exams.
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What types of expenses are eligible to be reimbursed?Our Career and Leadership Development Grants will cover: - Cost of the Activity, such as registration or enrollment fees, exam fees, licensing fees, or other costs directly related to enrolling in the activity or program. -Materials that are specific to the activity, such as study materials, practice exams, etc. - Travel to attend the activity - airfare, as well as transport to and from the airport. It is possible we cover transport costs such as car rental or taxi based on the committee's decision. - Lodging if necessary to attend the activity, based on the federal per diem rates for lodging Food and other per diem expenses, including daily transport, are NOT covered by our grant.
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When must my activity begin?An activity must begin before Sept 15 the following year. However, we can only reimburse funds until June 30 the following year. If your activity takes place over a year's time frame, that is acceptable, as long as it begins before Sept 15 the following year. If you are reimbursed for an event but it is then cancelled, you must notify us so we can discuss an alternate use of your funds.
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What’s the application deadline?All application materials must be received by end of day (11:59pm HST) at the end of the cycle (Sept 15, 2024). No late applications will be considered.
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Can an organization or several people apply for the grant together/as part of the same application?No, we don't accept group applications. However, multiple applicants from the same organization or for the same activity may apply. Awards will be determined on a case-by-case basis.
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What does a complete application include?An application form (online ssubmisison) A copy of your resume or CV An itemized budget detailing estimated activity cost. If your budget is asking for more than $4,000, your application will NOT be reviewed. All documents should be submitted as PDFs. Please use our example budget document to itemize your estimated activity cost: Google Sheets > Please note that those selected to receive grants will be required to show proof that they have been accepted into any corresponding conferences, programs, etc., send in receipts, and provide a W-9 prior to any monetary reimbursements.
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How do I determine my Activity's category?Application Categories Technical and Career Oriented Education Those starting or already attending career-oriented programs, programs specializing in the skilled trades, and/or programs offering practical learning experience in real-world settings Examples include and are not limited to dental assistants, esthetician, midwives, etc. Funding can be used to help cover program tuition, certifications and exams, and/or other costs related to program participation Professional (non-technical) Those working in non-academic, professional settings seeking funding for activities to foster career and/or professional development Examples include and are not limited to nurses, engineers, instructors who already have their degree(s), etc. College and university instructors with a master’s degree or PhD will be included in the professional category Includes professionals working in any/all fields Funding can be used for activities including exams, certifications, licensure, attending or participating in professional conferences, and more. In 2025, there will no longer be an Academic category.
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How should hotel lodging be calculated when submitting the itemized budget portion of the application?We only cover per diem lodging expenses, not meals and incidentals. Please refer to the following website as a guide for determining your per diem: Per Diem Rates for Mainland: https://www.federalpay.org/perdiem/ Per Diem Rates for Alaska, Hawaii & International: https://www.travel.dod.mil/Travel-Transportation-Rates/Per-Diem/Per-Diem-Rate-Lookup/
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Will I receive an email confirmation after I have submitted my grant application?Not immediately. Shortly after the application due date, you will receive an email confirming that your application has been received. If it has been two weeks since the application due date and you have not received a confirmation, please contact us.
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When will I be informed about the Committee's decision and if I have been awarded or not?It usually takes a month after the application deadline for our committee to read through all of the applications and make decisions. Emails will be sent out no later than 6 weeks after the application deadline. You will receive an email even if you did not receive an award this time.
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How will applications be evaluated?Applications will be evaluated based on: The proposed activity’s ability to further the applicant’s career goals or improve the applicant's financial security If and how the proposed activity will allow the applicant to make a positive impact on their community (however “community” is defined by the applicant)
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How are grants disbursed?Grants are awarded as reimbursements. Applicants may also be offered partial awards (i.e., not covering the full amount requested) due to limited grant funds. We currently reimburse via Paypal or physical check. Before any reimbursements are made, receipts and your W-9 must be provided.
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If my application is not selected to receive a grant, will I receive feedback as to why?Unfortunately, we cannot provide feedback on individual applications. However, all applicants are invited to apply again in the future, regardless of whether or not they are awarded a grant.
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After accepting a career grant award, how much time do I have to spend the full award?You must spend your full award before June 30 the following year. For example, if you are awarded funds October 2025, then your award must be used by June 30, 2026. If your conference or activity is canceled, please reach out and provide an alternate expense that is aligned with your career goals and a reasonable substitute. We will try to work with you.
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Can I apply for a grant if I’ll be attending a conference, but not presenting?Applicants in both the technical and professional categories can attend a conference with grant funds.
