In recent years, more and more women have gained interest in acquiring an MBA Degree. In 2010, the average percentage of women enrolled in MBA programs around the world is around 30-35%*. Harvard and Wharton Business Schools have seen a notable rise in the number of women enrolled in their MBA programs in 2011 (3% increase for Harvard and 5% increase for Wharton from 2010 values)**. This trend has been observed by other Business Schools as well such as Cass Business School which reported a 7% rise in MBA students from 38 % in 2010 to 45% in 2011***.
The interest of women in MBA has been supported by different organizations as well as the Business Schools by providing them with opportunities targeted specifically to women.
Forte Foundation is at the forefront of promoting women’s role in business and supporting women taking up MBAs. They sponsor the Forte Fellows Program – an extensive MBA scholarship program for women. Some business schools have set up special recruitment programs and career advice programs targeted to women. The Kellogg School of Management hosts an annual Women’s Leadership Workshop. Columbia Business School holds Women Connect, a recruiting event for female MBA applicants.
Most notably, many Business Schools have set up scholarship programs exclusively for women. Just recently, Cass Business School has announced that it will increase its MBA scholarships for women to four in 2012 from 1 initially offered in 2010.
In this reference guide, we’ll try to list all available scholarships for women offered by universities, organizations, private sector and the government.
Forte Fellows Program offers fellowships to all nationalities for full-time, part-time, and executive MBA programs in selected business schools worldwide. Scholarships applications are facilitated through the participating business school. 190 fellowships were awarded in 2011. The following are the business schools who offers the Forte Fellows Program:
- Forte Foundation Fellowships at Wharton Business School
- Forte Foundation Fellowships at Kellogg Business School
- Forte Foundation Fellowships at Tuck School of Business
- Forte Foundation Fellowships at London Business School
- Forte Foundation Fellowships at HEC
- INSEAD Forte Foundation Fellowships
- Forte Fellowships at IE Business School
MBA Scholarships for Women at London Business School
London Business School is offering 5 scholarship programs for women in partnership with different organizations. Each scholarship is worth 20,000 pounds each. Some of the scholarships are listed below:
MBA Scholarships for Women at ESMT
ESMT has two full-tuition scholarships dedicated to women:
- Global Women’s Scholarship
- ESMT Academic Excellence Scholarship for Women
Nestle MBA Scholarships for Women at IMD
IMD in partnership with Nestle offers MBA scholarships worth CHF 25,000 to outstanding women who have been accepted as full-time MBA student at IMD. Preference is given to women from developing countries.
MBA Scholarships for Women at INSEAD
INSEAD implements 5 scholarship programs for women students enrolled in their MBA program:
- INSEAD Alumni Fund (IAF) Women’s Scholarship(s)
- INSEAD Groupe Galeries Lafayette Endowed Scholarship for Women
- INSEAD Judith Connelly Delouvrier Endowed Scholarship
- INSEAD Mette Roed Heyerdahl Memorial Scholarship
MBA Scholarships for Women at IE Business School
IE Business Schools has 3 scholarship programs for women including:
- Fundacion IE Women in Business & Finance Scholarships
IESE Scholarships for Women in Business
IESE offers 25% tuition fee discount for outstanding female candidates enrolled in IESE MBA program.
MBA Scholarships for Women at HEC
HEC Paris provides 3 scholarship programs (worth 10,000-20,000 Euros each) for female student enrolled in an MBA Programme at HEC:
- HEC-Foundation Rainbow Bridge Scholarships – for women from Asian and African countries
- L’oreal Scholarships
ESADE Women of the World Scholarship
ESADE awards up to 15% of tuition fees to women students enrolled in a full-time MBA program at ESADE.
SDA Bocconi Tuition-Fee Waivers for Women
SDA Bocconi School of Managemet offers 50-75% tuition fee waivers to women students enrolled in the full time MBA program at SDA Bocconi.
Cass Women in Business Scholarships
Cass Business School awards four scholarships to outstanding women enrolled in their full-time MBA program.
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* Source: Catalyst’s Women in MBA Summarized Statistics
**Source: USA Education News
***Source: Cass Business School News