Women are historically underrepresented in financial services, so scholarships designed to help women advance in this area are vastly important. Some of the ways that scholarships designated for women can further this goal include:
- Provide access to roles that are traditionally male-dominated. When more financial resources are available to women working towards their CFA® Charter, their career paths expand, leading to more gender diversity in the workplace.
- Provide access to educational resources. Women are typically at a disadvantage to men when trying to gain access to the educational resources needed to advance their careers. By providing educational opportunities and resources to women, they can better navigate their career trajectory.
- Provide pay equality. Women continue to earn less than men. When women are given resources to help in their education and certifications like the CFA Charter, they can work towards closing the gender pay gap by earning higher salaries.
If you are a woman working in the financial services sector and interested in obtaining the CFA Charter, numerous scholarships are available to assist your career goals. The scholarships listed below are either exclusively for or open to women worldwide:
- Chartered Financial Analyst Institute (CFAI) Women’s Scholarship
The CFAI Women’s Scholarship is available globally to women interested in obtaining the CFA Charter but aren’t eligible for other CFAI scholarships. The CFAI awards recipients a free CFA Program enrollment and reduces the CFA Exam registration fee to $350. Eligible scholarship candidates must either be new or continuing candidates in the CFA Program, and candidates must be in good standing with CFAI. The CFAI Scholarship is typically open from November 1st through the 28th. Apply for the CFAI Women’s Scholarship. - UWorld CFA Career Advancement Scholarship
The UWorld CFA Career Advancement Scholarship’s mission is to assist college students who are academically advanced and outstanding citizens but who might encounter financial limitations. The scholarship offers women worldwide an opportunity to attain the highest levels of finance certification via the CFA Charter.
UWorld provides up to ten CFA Level 1 candidates with everything they need to prepare and take the exam. Each recipient receives more than $1,400 worth of prep resources and financial aid, including a full scholarship subscription to UWorld’s Level 1 QBank, a one-time enrollment to the CFA Institute, and coverage of the registration fee to sit for the Level I exam in the period designated by the recipient. Candidates are selected based on merit and involvement. Apply for the UWorld CFA® Career Advancement Scholarship. - Other CFA Institute Scholarships:
- Access Scholarship. Awarded to candidates who cannot afford the CFAI program fees.
- Student Scholarship. Awarded to university students who have not registered for their next CFA Exam.
- Professor Scholarship. Awarded to full-time college or university professors or administrator/department heads who teach a certain number of credit hours and have not registered for the CFA Exam.
- Regulator Scholarship. Awarded to employees of entities that oversee or regulate operations, standards of practice, or business conduct of the investment management industry.
- Media Scholarship. Awarded to full-time or contract employees of media organizations.