Best Online Education and Distance Learning Scholarships

Distance learning has become so popular that universities now fund online college scholarships just for adult students enrolled in their distance degree programs.

If you are searching for financial aid for online education there’s never been a better time to go online and get educated.

Here's a list of the best continuing education scholarships to help you get a degree online.

Visit these accredited colleges for details on their distance learning scholarships for nontraditional and older college students.

Penn State University - World Campus Distance Education Scholarships

Penn State, a regionally accredited university, has been offering distance education courses and degrees for more than 100 years. Online students who enroll in one of more than 30 distance masters or associate or bachelor degrees offered by Penn State’s World Campus Online are eligible to apply to three different online university scholarship funds to help defray the cost of online education.

University of Wisconsin-Platteville - Distance Education Scholarships

UWP offers a number of scholarships to students in its distance education division: The Dawn Drake Excellence in Distance Education Scholarship is one of them. There is also a Project Management and a Professional Development Online Learning Scholarship.


Kansas State University - Scholarships for Online Education Students

K-State offers the Maurine Allison O’Bannon Memorial Scholarship to degree-seeking K-State students who enroll in a minimum of three credit hours offered through the Division of Continuing Education. Applicants must have a 2.5 overall GPA or higher. K-State offers distance bachelors degrees in general business, technology management or the interdisciplinary social sciences entirely online.

Graduate engineering students online at K-State also may be eligible for the Robert F. Sykes Scholarship, which awards funds to approximately four to ten students annually. Requirements include enrollment in K-State's distance masters degree programs in civil engineering or engineering management; one year work experience in engineering; and a 3.5 GPA. Deadline for this scholarship is April 1.

Online Education Scholarships – Women, Military, Rural Students

Online education is all about making higher education more accessible. Traditionally, more women than men have turned to distance learning. In addition, members of the military, a highly mobile work force, have favored online education. Learners in rural areas in the Midwest and the West have relied on distance learning to deliver essential career and college courses straight to their computer keyboards.

The sites detailed below provide online education scholarships especially for the military, low income individuals, or underserved educational groups such as women and rural Americans.


Western Governors University - Online Education Scholarships

Western Governors University, a regionally accredited online college, offers an array of distance education scholarships for online students -- including a new scholarship for those who have lost their jobs within the past year (the Economic Turnaround Scholarship).

Other WGU scholarships include:

• Excellence in Health Informatics Scholarships
• Scholarships for Rural Math and Science Educators
• Educational Leadership Scholarships
• Aspiring Principals Scholarships
• Hispanic Scholarship Fund
• Military Troops to Teachers
• Military Spouses to Teachers


AARP Scholarships for Moderate and Lower Income Older Women

The AARP Foundation Women’s Scholarship Program funds adult women 40 and over who are seeking new job skills, training and educational opportunities to support themselves and their families. More than 70 adult scholarships ranging from $500 to $5,000 are available each year, depending on financial need and the cost of the education or training program.


Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association (AFCEA)
Graduate & Undergraduate Distance Learning Scholarships

$2,000 online university scholarships for those pursuing careers in engineering, technology, computer science, security, and allied math and science disciplines. Available for bachelors, masters and doctorate degrees online.  Awards are based on academic excellence.

Textbooks cost so much that a new non-profit, Beans for Books, grants college students free money to buy textbooks. Beans for Books awards $500 and $1,000 scholarship grants to college students each semester. Apply online.