EdTech & Learning Sciences Scholarships for 2026: Verified Awards for Instructional Design, Digital Learning, and School Library Media
January
1) School Library Media Specialist/School Librarian Jo Morse Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This one is a strong fit for the K–12 side of EdTech because school library media work now overlaps heavily with digital literacy, online resources, instructional technology, and student research skills. It is especially attractive for current teachers who want to move into media specialist or school librarian roles without taking on the full cost of graduate training alone. It is also more targeted than generic education scholarships, which usually gives qualified Alaska applicants a better shot.
Amount: $4,000. Deadline: January 15.
Apply/Info: Alaska Library Association Jo Morse Scholarship
February
2) James Douglas Gott, Ph.D. Education Scholarship for Doctoral Students in Instructional Technology
Why It Slaps: This is one of the most directly matched awards on the whole list for doctoral-level EdTech students. It is built for students in instructional technology and rewards the kind of work that matters in this field, including conference-ready scholarship and professional presentation. That makes it especially useful for students building a résumé in research, design, faculty development, or learning technology leadership.
Amount: Minimum $300. Deadline: February 1 and October 1.
Apply/Info: NIU James Douglas Gott Scholarship
3) COE Graduate Scholarships for the M.A. in Instructional Design & Learning Technologies
Why It Slaps: This is a useful funding route for students in a real instructional design and learning technologies master’s program, not just a broad education degree. The big advantage is that it sits inside the College of Education scholarship system, which means students can compete for tuition scholarships and graduate assistantship-related funding through one application path. For people who want instructional design skills with less debt, this is exactly the kind of institutional funding worth chasing early.
Amount: Varies. Deadline: February 1, 2026 for full consideration for graduate assistantships and tuition scholarships; August 1, 2026 for other funds.
Apply/Info: University of Northern Iowa Instructional Design & Learning Technologies Funding
4) Robert H. Bauernfeind Memorial Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This award is not as narrowly branded as “EdTech,” but it fits students on the learning sciences side of the house, especially those interested in educational research, evaluation, and assessment. Those skills matter in learning analytics, course improvement, measurement, and evidence-based digital learning design. For students whose path into EdTech runs through evaluation and research rather than classroom technology alone, this is a smart niche award to keep on the radar.
Amount: Minimum $500. Deadline: February 1.
Apply/Info: NIU ETRA Scholarship Page
March
5) Christian Larew Memorial Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This one stands out because it specifically supports students going into the library and information technology field. That makes it more relevant to EdTech-adjacent students than a plain library scholarship, especially for learners interested in school media systems, digital content management, information access, or educational technology infrastructure. It is also backed through the ALA scholarship system, which gives it credibility and a clear annual cycle.
Amount: $3,000. Deadline: March 1, 2026.
Apply/Info: ALA Christian Larew Memorial Scholarship
6) Peter Lyman Memorial/SAGE Scholarship in New Media
Why It Slaps: If your version of EdTech leans toward digital storytelling, online media, learning content, multimedia instruction, or the design side of digital education, this is one of the better niche awards to watch. It is aimed at graduate students pursuing a specialty in new media, which maps well to course media production, digital pedagogy, and content design work that shows up all across modern learning platforms. It is not classroom-only, and that is exactly why it deserves a spot here.
Amount: $2,500. Deadline: March 1, 2026.
Apply/Info: ALA Peter Lyman Memorial/SAGE Scholarship in New Media
7) Core/OCLC Spectrum Scholarship in Library and Information Technology
Why It Slaps: This is one of the strongest diversity-focused awards on the list for students whose EdTech path overlaps with information systems, school library media, digital access, or educational technology support. It combines direct scholarship money with support for attending the Spectrum Leadership Institute, which adds professional value beyond the tuition help alone. For students from underrepresented racial or ethnic groups pursuing library and information technology or school library media, this is a high-priority application.
Amount: $5,000, plus $1,500 for the Spectrum Leadership Institute. Deadline: March 1, 2026.
Apply/Info: ALA Core/OCLC Spectrum Scholarship in Library and Information Technology
8) Barbara Van Dongen School Library Media Fellowship
Why It Slaps: This is one of the cleanest “school library media meets digital learning” scholarships available. Students in school library specialization programs often end up leading digital citizenship, media literacy, research instruction, platform support, and tech-rich curriculum integration, so this is absolutely relevant for readers interested in K–12 learning technology careers. It also offers a solid funding amount compared with many small departmental awards.
Amount: Up to $5,000. Deadline: 2026 scholarship application window runs March 23 through April 17, 2026.
Apply/Info: University of Maryland Barbara Van Dongen School Library Media Fellowship
9) Gloria Davidson Endowed Fellowship
Why It Slaps: This is another strong fit for school library media students, especially those who want to work at the intersection of curriculum, literacy, information tools, and educational resources. It is not branded as “EdTech,” but the job itself has become deeply digital in real schools. That makes this fellowship especially useful for students aiming at K–12 roles where instructional support and media technology overlap every day.
Amount: Up to $3,000. Deadline: 2026 scholarship application window runs March 23 through April 17, 2026.
Apply/Info: University of Maryland Gloria Davidson Endowed Fellowship
10) Social Justice Scholarship for the M.A. in Educational Technology
Why It Slaps: This one is a sharp fit for students who care about equitable access, inclusive design, and the real-world impact of education technology. It is housed inside an actual Educational Technology master’s program, which immediately makes it more useful than generic graduate school funding for readers who want a direct pathway into digital learning. It is especially appealing for students whose interests include access gaps, justice-centered design, and educational change through technology.
Amount: Up to 3 credits of tuition. Deadline: March 30 for Summer, April 30 for Fall, and November 30 for Intersession/Spring.
Apply/Info: University of San Francisco Educational Technology Scholarships and Aid
11) Graduate Assistantships for the M.A. in Educational Technology
Why It Slaps: Graduate assistantships are underrated because they do more than cut cost. They can also give EdTech students hands-on experience inside academic programs, digital learning projects, faculty support work, or research environments. This particular option is appealing because it sits in a live Educational Technology program and offers paid hourly work rather than only tuition relief.
Amount: Paid hourly, up to 200 hours per fiscal year. Deadline: March 30 for Summer, April 30 for Fall, and November 30 for Intersession/Spring.
Apply/Info: University of San Francisco Educational Technology Scholarships and Aid
April
12) Education and Teaching Master’s Degree Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This scholarship earns a place because it explicitly includes Educational Technology master’s degrees among eligible programs. That makes it more relevant than many generic education awards that never clearly say EdTech students qualify. The dollar amount is small, but the fit is real, the deadline is clear, and it can work as a fast-win application for students trying to stack several niche awards together.
Amount: $500. Deadline: April 1 annually.
Apply/Info: Thomas More University Education and Teaching Master’s Degree Scholarship
13) Merit Scholarships for the M.Ed. in Learning Design with AI and Emerging Technologies
Why It Slaps: This is one of the most on-trend options on the list because it sits inside a graduate program built around learning design, AI, and emerging technologies. For readers who want a modern EdTech angle instead of a traditional classroom-tech degree, this is a strong flagship option. The scholarship range is also much larger than many niche awards, which makes it worth serious attention even though admission is competitive.
Amount: $15,000 to $20,000. Deadline: Regular deadline April 15, 2026; applicants are automatically considered for merit scholarships.
Apply/Info: USC Rossier M.Ed. in Learning Design with AI and Emerging Technologies
June
14) Careers in Learning Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This is one of the clearest master’s-level EdTech scholarships available from a national university that openly lists Education Technology & Instructional Design among eligible programs. The structure is practical too: instead of one lump sum, it is applied across terms, which can help with real budgeting. For working adults, career changers, and educators moving into design or learning development roles, this is one of the best clean-fit scholarships on the page.
Amount: Up to $4,000, awarded as $1,000 per six-month term for up to four terms. Deadline: June 30, 2026.
Apply/Info: WGU Careers in Learning Scholarship
July–August
15) Education and Instructional Design Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This is about as direct a fit as you can ask for. The award is built specifically for students in education and instructional design, and the value can be much bigger than a standard one-time scholarship because it covers a substantial number of credit hours. For online students and adult learners targeting instructional design, corporate training, digital course development, or academic technology work, this is a serious opportunity rather than a token award.
Amount: Up to 60 undergraduate, 18 graduate, or 30 doctoral credit hours. Deadline: Application window runs July 1 through August 30.
Apply/Info: Columbia Southern University Education and Instructional Design Scholarship
Rolling or No Fixed Deadline
16) Online & Distance Education Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This one is easy to like because it is tied to a program in Instructional Design & Learning Technologies and has a posted dollar amount without a maze of extra requirements. It will not cover a whole graduate degree, but it is exactly the kind of institutional scholarship that can make an online program more manageable. Students who miss earlier major deadlines should still check this one because the page notes no separate deadline to apply.
Amount: $2,000. Deadline: No deadline to apply is listed on the program funding page.
Apply/Info: University of Northern Iowa Instructional Design & Learning Technologies Funding
17) Education Media Scholarship for Teachers
Why It Slaps: This is one of the better options for teachers who want to pivot into digital content, media-rich instruction, or learning design. The scholarship can be used toward programs that include Instructional Design & Technology, which makes it more useful than a scholarship aimed only at classroom teaching degrees. It also works well for applicants who bring practical teaching experience and want to translate that into EdTech, digital learning, or curriculum media roles.
Amount: Up to $12,000. Deadline: Usually the Friday two weeks before the first day of the degree program.
Apply/Info: Full Sail Education Media Scholarship for Teachers
18) Tech Forward Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This one is a nice example of a small but sharply targeted EdTech scholarship. It is designed for students in the Instructional Technology Certificate at UCCS and is automatically awarded to the first 12 accepted students in the 2026–2027 cohort. That means strong applicants who move early may not need to fight through a separate scholarship essay stack just to be considered.
Amount: $2,500 one-time scholarship. Deadline: No separate scholarship deadline is listed; it is automatically awarded to the first 12 students accepted into the 2026–2027 cohort.
Apply/Info: UCCS Tech Forward Scholarship
FAQ: EdTech & Learning Sciences Scholarships
Are there really fewer scholarships in EdTech than in fields like nursing or engineering?
Yes. EdTech is a narrower lane, so many students have to search through related categories like instructional design, school library media, digital learning, education technology, learning analytics, educational research, and new media to find strong-fit awards.
What majors should count as a fit for this list?
Good-fit majors include instructional design, educational technology, learning design, learning sciences, instructional technology, school library media, digital learning, online teaching and learning, and some educational research or assessment programs.
Are school library media scholarships worth applying for if I want to work in digital learning?
Yes, especially if your career goal includes K–12 curriculum support, digital literacy, information access, media tools, research instruction, or instructional technology coaching. In many districts, these roles overlap more than students expect.
Are graduate assistantships worth listing as scholarships?
Yes. For many EdTech students, assistantships are even better than small scholarships because they can reduce costs while also building experience in research, faculty support, academic technology, or learning design work.
Should students apply to institutional scholarships even if the amount seems small?
Yes. Small niche awards can stack, and they often have weaker applicant pools than big national scholarships. A $500 or $2,000 award with strong fit can be much more realistic than chasing a giant scholarship with thousands of applicants.
What is the biggest mistake students make in this category?
They search only for “EdTech scholarships” and stop there. The better strategy is to also search instructional design, learning technologies, school library media, digital media, online learning, learning design, and educational research scholarships.
