Compare verified programs
| Program and provider | Award | Main fit | Current cycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zonta Amelia Earhart Fellowship | US$12,000 | Women of any nationality in qualifying full-time aerospace/space-science doctoral study | 2027 application due November 15, 2026 |
| P.E.O. International Peace Scholarship | Up to $12,500; need-based | Eligible international women pursuing graduate coursework in the U.S. or Canada | Eligibility Form due December 15, 2026; later materials deadline depends on enrollment |
| AAUW American Doctoral Fellowship | $25,000 | Eligible U.S. citizens, nationals or permanent residents pursuing a first doctorate full-time | 2027–28 applications closed September 30, 2026, 5 p.m. Eastern |
| AAUW International Fellowship | $20,000 master’s; $25,000 doctorate | Eligible non-U.S. women in a first master’s or qualifying doctorate in STEM | 2027–28 applications closed September 17, 2026, 5 p.m. Eastern |
Closed programs are included for comparison, not as applications you can submit now. AAUW’s general hub still says applications are open; the individual pages establish the closed dates for these two awards.
Zonta: the research connection must be real
Source: Amelia Earhart Fellowship
The fellowship is for Ph.D./doctoral research applied to aerospace engineering or space sciences, not every STEM degree. At submission, applicants must have completed at least one doctoral year or earned an aerospace-applied master’s. They must not graduate before April 2028. Postdoctoral research is excluded, and previous Amelia Earhart Fellows cannot renew the same fellowship for a second year. Zonta complete rules.
A prospective applicant should ask their advisor how to describe the actual aerospace application of the research. Do not recast an unrelated project merely to match a scholarship title.
P.E.O.: coursework and a complete financial plan matter
Source: P.E.O. IPS eligibility
P.E.O. excludes U.S. and Canadian citizens and permanent residents from IPS. First-time applicants who have completed doctoral coursework and are working only on a dissertation are ineligible. The provider expects an eligible graduate applicant to have a full academic year of coursework remaining and be enrolled and in residence for the school year. The scholarship is not intended to cover every expense; other resources must be identified. IPS eligibility.
The 2027–28 calendar separates the Eligibility Form from completed application materials. December 15, 2026 is the form deadline; February 1, 2027 applies to applicants already enrolled in the relevant program, and March 15, 2027 to those not yet enrolled. Official IPS calendar.
AAUW American: broader fields, specific degree conditions
The current American Doctoral program covers the listed doctorate types across fields, but it is not a master’s award. Applicants must begin by September 30, 2027 and finish no earlier than April 1, 2028, and undertake courses or dissertation writing full-time. Check its institution-eligibility and prior-award exclusions. American Doctoral requirements.
The displayed deadline has passed. A future-year application window is not verified here; save the provider page instead of assuming the same dates will repeat.
AAUW International: use the current STEM rules
Source: AAUW International Fellowship
The current page specifies STEM, a minimum 3.5 cumulative GPA for the highest degree earned, admission or enrollment at application, and full-time study. Recipients cannot be U.S. citizens, U.S. permanent residents or applicants for U.S. permanent residency. It specifies starting by September 15, 2027 and completion on or after April 30, 2028, with separately described exceptions for study outside the U.S. International Fellowship rules.
Older broad-field lists should not override this cycle’s requirements. Nor does an interesting STEM research topic automatically establish that the degree itself has the classification the provider accepts.
Build a degree-stage shortlist
A hypothetical dissertation-only student should not start a first-time IPS application without resolving the coursework exclusion. A qualifying aerospace doctoral student may prioritize Zonta’s upcoming deadline. A master’s applicant should remove doctorate-only awards before requesting recommendation letters.
For your own shortlist, record the funded term, degree type, citizenship category and any required institution documents. Then ask your graduate funding office how a fellowship would interact with assistantship or tuition support. The comparison is useful when it narrows the next action, not when it inflates the number of awards.
