Gerontology & Aging Services Scholarships for 2026
January Deadlines
1) Gerontology and Palliative Care Fellowship Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This is one of the clearest aging-focused scholarships on the board for social work students who want real-world practice with older adults, serious illness care, or palliative care. It is especially strong because it is tied to practicum experience, not just classroom interest. That makes it a smart fit for students who want funding and résumé value at the same time. If your long-term path includes aging services, hospice-adjacent work, caregiver support, or medical social work, this is the kind of award that can help you build both credibility and financial breathing room.
Amount: $5,000 for the Spring term; may be available for up to two semesters depending on funding and standing
Deadline: January 5, 2026
Apply/info: Yeshiva University Wurzweiler Gerontology and Palliative Care Fellowship
February Deadlines
2) Scholars in Aging Program
Why It Slaps: This one works well for students who want a scholarship attached to actual aging-focused training. It is not just money dropped on top of a program. It is tied to coursework, practicum experience with adults 65 and older, and structured seminars. That makes it especially valuable for social work students who want a more intentional aging-services track instead of trying to piece together older-adult experience on their own. It is also a nice option for students who want elder-care experience that looks strong to future employers and graduate faculty.
Amount: $1,500
Deadline: February 15 priority deadline for summer/fall incoming students; December 31 for returning students
Apply/info: UConn School of Social Work Scholars in Aging Program
3) Sanford Endowment Undergraduate Scholarship
Why It Slaps: If you are an undergraduate building toward aging services early, this is the kind of scholarship that can help you specialize before graduate school. It is a strong option for students in a gerontology minor or certificate who want to show that working with older adults is not just a passing interest. Awards like this can make your transcript and experience profile look much more intentional, especially if you are later applying into social work, public health, nursing, counseling, or long-term care leadership.
Amount: Varies
Deadline: February 15, 2026
Apply/info: University of Nevada, Reno Gerontology Academic Program Scholarships
4) Five Star Residents Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This award stands out because it directly supports students preparing to work with older adults and gives preference to gerontology certificate students. It is a smart pick for students who are serious about elder care but may be coming from adjacent majors and building gerontology expertise through certificate coursework. It also has a practical edge because it rewards students who are already moving toward real service settings, not just theoretical classroom interest.
Amount: Varies
Deadline: February 15, 2026
Apply/info: University of Nevada, Reno Gerontology Academic Program Scholarships
5) Dianne Winne M.D. Memorial Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This is a good fit for students who want an aging-focused scholarship but do not necessarily sit in a traditional gerontology major. The eligibility language leaves room for gerontology minors and certificate students, which is helpful because many future aging-services professionals come in through health sciences, social sciences, or human services. It rewards students who are building serious aging knowledge even if their main degree title looks broader.
Amount: Varies
Deadline: February 15, 2026
Apply/info: University of Nevada, Reno Gerontology Academic Program Scholarships
6) AGEM Trainee Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This is a niche but powerful opportunity for medical students, residents, and trainees interested in geriatric emergency medicine. Aging services does not only happen in nursing homes or social service agencies. Emergency care for older adults is one of the most important and fastest-growing pressure points in the healthcare system. If your interest is clinical aging care, this scholarship helps fund hands-on exposure, research, or conference experience in a specialty area that needs more talent.
Amount: $1,500
Deadline: February 15, 2026
Apply/info: SAEM AGEM Trainee Scholarship
March Deadlines
7) MSU Denver Gerontology Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This is one of the better aging-focused scholarships for MSW students because it directly targets gerontological social work. That matters. A lot of social work scholarships are broad, but this one speaks directly to working with older adults and their families. If your goal is care coordination, dementia support, medical social work, senior services, case management, or community-based aging support, this scholarship lines up with that path in a very clean way.
Amount: $5,000
Deadline: March 27, 2026
Apply/info: MSU Denver Social Work Scholarships and Stipends
April Deadlines
8) Mary Lois Ayres Scholarship in Gerontology
Why It Slaps: This is a strong campus-based scholarship for students who want aging-specific support without needing a massive, national competition pool. It rewards academic performance, professional promise, and clear interest in careers serving older adults. I especially like it for students who want help covering books, research materials, or conference-related academic costs while building a focused gerontology résumé.
Amount: Generally $1,500
Deadline: First Tuesday in April through the campus scholarship cycle
Apply/info: CSUF Aging Studies Scholarships
9) Beverly and Arnold Miller University Scholarships in Gerontology
Why It Slaps: This scholarship is a nice fit for students already doing the academic work to prove they belong in aging-focused careers. It is not just about interest. It favors students who have coursework tied to gerontology or older-adult wellness and who are already showing promise. That makes it useful for students trying to turn classroom specialization into real scholarship money before launching into elder-care careers or graduate study.
Amount: $500 to $1,500
Deadline: First Tuesday in April through the campus scholarship cycle
Apply/info: CSUF Aging Studies Scholarships
10) Kirt and Donna Spradlin Scholarship in Gerontology
Why It Slaps: This one is appealing because it supports both undergrads and grad students with a demonstrated interest in aging. It can help students cover direct educational costs while they deepen their academic and career focus in gerontology. It is especially useful for students who want a scholarship that feels field-relevant, not random. That matters when you are building a coherent story around why you belong in elder care, aging research, or older-adult programming.
Amount: $500 to $1,500
Deadline: First Tuesday in April through the campus scholarship cycle
Apply/info: CSUF Aging Studies Scholarships
May Deadlines
11) Gerontology Scholarship
Why It Slaps: The Japanese Women’s Society Foundation Gerontology Scholarship is one of the cleanest aging-field awards for graduate study. It explicitly supports fields like medicine, nursing, public health, social work, and arts and sciences with a gerontology focus. That wider net is helpful because aging work is interdisciplinary in real life. If your future plans involve older adults, caregiving systems, geriatric services, or policy and community support for seniors, this scholarship fits beautifully.
Amount: Up to $5,000
Deadline: May 1, 2026
Apply/info: Japanese Women’s Society Foundation Gerontology Scholarship
12) Diana Jacobs Kalman/AFAR Graduate Student Awards in Geroscience
Why It Slaps: This one is more research-heavy than service-heavy, but it belongs on the list because gerontology is bigger than direct care. The field also needs scientists and investigators who understand the biology of aging and can push the science forward. If you are in an MD, DO, PhD, or combined-degree program and your work touches geroscience or aging research, this can be a high-value credential. The money is meaningful, and the recognition can help open doors beyond the award itself.
Amount: $5,000
Deadline: May 8, 2026
Apply/info: AFAR Graduate Student Awards in Geroscience
13) LeadingAge Minnesota Foundation Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This is a practical workforce scholarship for people already connected to aging services employers. That makes it especially good for current workers trying to level up into nursing, administration, social services, business operations, or leadership roles in senior care. It rewards students who are not just interested in aging services on paper, but are already helping older adults in real provider settings. That kind of applied angle is gold if you want career advancement without taking on all the cost alone.
Amount: $500 to $2,500
Deadline: May 11, 2026, at 4 p.m.
Apply/info: LeadingAge Minnesota Foundation Scholarships
14) Kott Gerontology Scholars Program
Why It Slaps: This is one of the strongest gerontology-specific opportunities in the country for advanced students because it combines a real scholarship with a substantial field placement. It is built for students who want to work directly with and on behalf of older adults after graduation. The scholarship amount is real, the internship experience is deep, and the program is clearly designed to strengthen the aging-services workforce. For Chicagoland-area graduate students, this is a serious opportunity.
Amount: $10,000
Deadline: May 31, 2026
Apply/info: Kott Gerontology Scholars Program
15) DAGS Academic Scholarships
Why It Slaps: Dallas Area Gerontological Society scholarships are excellent for students in aging-related programs who want funding from an organization that exists specifically to support the next generation of senior-focused professionals. I like this one because it is clearly mission-driven and tied to the aging field, not just generic academic achievement. It also welcomes both full-time and part-time students, which makes it more usable for working adults already employed in elder care or aging services.
Amount: Individual award varies; DAGS reports providing over $30,000 in academic scholarships annually
Deadline: May 31, 2026
Apply/info: Dallas Area Gerontological Society Scholarships
June Deadlines
16) USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology Graduate Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This is a monster opportunity for someone inside the assisted living and aging-services world. A full-tuition scholarship with program values ranging from roughly $36,000 to $100,000 is not something you casually scroll past. It is best for students who want to move into leadership, operations, policy, or higher-level gerontology roles while staying rooted in the aging-services sector. If you are eligible, this should be one of your highest-priority applications.
Amount: Full tuition; program value listed at about $36,000 to $100,000
Deadline: June 12, 2026
Apply/info: CALA / USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology Graduate Scholarship
17) LeadingAge Washington Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This is exactly the kind of workforce-development scholarship aging services needs more of. It is open to employees of LeadingAge Washington member organizations pursuing education that supports careers in aging services, and the eligible study areas go beyond just nursing. That is huge. Aging services organizations need administrators, social services staff, dietary professionals, facilities managers, HR talent, and more. If you already work in the field, this award makes career progression much more realistic.
Amount: Minimum $1,000
Deadline: June 19, 2026
Apply/info: LeadingAge Washington Scholarship Application
September Deadlines
18) Phyllis and Harvey Sandler School of Social Work Aging Services Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This is a sharp fit for BSW and MSW students who want a clearly named aging-services scholarship rather than trying to squeeze themselves into a broad social work fund. It is especially useful if your future work may involve older adults in hospitals, community programs, caregiver support, mental health, long-term care, or case management. The award amount is respectable, and the application window is straightforward.
Amount: $2,000
Deadline: Application period listed as August 14 to September 1
Apply/info: Florida Atlantic University School of Social Work Scholarships
19) Gerontology Certificate Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This is a smaller award, but it is easy to underestimate the value of a scholarship that cleanly supports a focused gerontology certificate. For students already working with older adults or trying to pivot into aging-related careers, certificate-based education can be one of the fastest ways to add credible skills without jumping straight into a full degree. A targeted scholarship like this helps lower the barrier to entry and makes professional development more doable.
Amount: $500
Deadline: September 4, 2026
Apply/info: University of Washington Gerontology Certificate Scholarship
October Deadlines
20) Healthy Aging Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This is one of the better aging-related scholarship setups for nursing students because the award amounts are real and the projects can be tied to healthy aging or gerontology research. It is not just a token prize. Undergraduates, master’s students, and doctoral students can all find a path here. If you want to build a portfolio in aging research, nursing scholarship, or older-adult health improvement, this is an impressive opportunity.
Amount: Undergraduate awards $5,000; Master’s awards $5,000; DNP or PhD awards $10,000
Deadline: October 15, 2026
Apply/info: University of Washington Healthy Aging Scholarship
December Deadlines
21) Dr. Jeannine S. Skinner Memorial Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This is a smaller award, but it is useful because it supports research and student travel for gerontology students. Smaller field-specific awards can be surprisingly strategic. They help pay for conference presentations, research activity, or academic travel that strengthens your résumé and networking in the aging field. If you are trying to build momentum rather than just pay tuition, these opportunities matter.
Amount: Up to $500
Deadline: December 5 for the following academic year
Apply/info: UNC Charlotte Gerontology Scholarships & Grants
Rolling, Seasonal, or School-Set Cycles
22) William Randolph Hearst Endowed Scholarship Fund for Geriatric Nurse Practitioners
Why It Slaps: This one is a high-quality fit for graduate nursing students who want to specialize in geriatric care. The full-time amount is meaningful, and even the part-time award is substantial enough to matter. Because it is built for students in nurse practitioner tracks with an aging focus, it is one of the better examples of a scholarship that rewards a very specific long-term workforce need. If geriatric nursing is your lane, this deserves serious attention.
Amount: $2,500 for part-time students and $5,000 for full-time students
Deadline: School-set cycle; award page lists funding across fall, spring, and summer
Apply/info: NYU Meyers Hearst Endowed Scholarship for Geriatric Nurse Practitioners
23) CGNE Gero Scholars Program
Why It Slaps: Penn State’s Gero Scholars Program is a strong option for nursing students who want a scholarship tied to geriatric nursing growth, not just a generic nursing award. It adds a small but useful travel component too, which can help students present or participate in conferences that grow their network and professional identity. That combination makes it stronger than the dollar amount alone might suggest.
Amount: $2,000, plus up to $500 in conference travel support
Deadline: Friday before fall semester classes begin
Apply/info: Penn State CGNE Gero Scholars Program
24) Medical Student Training in Aging Research (MSTAR) Program
Why It Slaps: MSTAR is one of the best-known entry points for medical students who want early exposure to aging-related research and geriatrics. It is more than a scholarship. It is a pipeline builder. Students get structured research training, mentorship, and exposure to a field that badly needs more future clinicians and researchers. If you are even slightly serious about aging medicine, this program can change the trajectory of your career.
Amount: Approximately $1,980 per month for 8 to 12 weeks, depending on the site and appointment period
Deadline: Varies by National Training Center
Apply/info: AFAR MSTAR Program
How to Choose the Right Scholarship Fast
If you are overwhelmed, do not start with the biggest award. Start with the best fit. For this topic, the best-fit scholarships usually fall into one of four lanes: gerontology/aging studies students, social work and human services students focused on older adults, nursing or medical students moving into geriatric care, and current aging-services employees trying to move up.
A smart way to work this list is to mark each scholarship as one of these three buckets:
- Apply Now: perfect fit, deadline close, requirements manageable
- Strong Maybe: good fit, but needs more documents or school-specific status
- Save for Later: strong opportunity, but next cycle is farther away or you need prerequisite status first
That kind of sorting keeps you from wasting time on scholarships that sound impressive but do not actually match your student profile.
Quick Strategy Tips for Gerontology Scholarship Applications
Lead with your aging story
Aging-focused scholarships usually reward more than grades. They want to see why older adults matter to you. That could come from caregiving, volunteer work, internships, hospital work, senior center work, assisted living experience, research, or community service.
Be specific about the work you want to do
Do not just say you want to “help seniors.” Say whether you want to work in geriatric nursing, dementia care, elder law, social work, assisted living leadership, community aging services, caregiving support, aging policy, or gerontology research.
Show workforce relevance
A lot of the best scholarships in this niche are trying to strengthen the pipeline into aging services. Make that easy for reviewers to see. Explain how your education will solve real problems for older adults and their families.
Do not ignore smaller awards
A $500 or $1,500 gerontology scholarship can still be a win, especially if the competition pool is narrower and the field alignment is stronger.
FAQs
What counts as a gerontology or aging services scholarship?
Usually, these are scholarships for students preparing to work with older adults in areas like gerontology, geriatrics, social work, nursing, public health, long-term care, senior housing, dementia care, palliative care, policy, or elder services administration.
Can nursing students use this list?
Yes. Several of the strongest fits on this list are for geriatric nursing, healthy aging research, or broader aging-care workforce development.
Are these only for gerontology majors?
No. Many are open to students in social work, nursing, medicine, counseling, public health, health care administration, psychology, and other aging-related pathways.
Are school-specific scholarships worth applying for?
Absolutely. School-based scholarships often have smaller applicant pools and a cleaner fit than giant national awards. That can make your odds better.
What if the amount says “varies”?
That usually means the sponsor did not publicly post a fixed amount on the live page I checked. It does not mean the scholarship is weak. It just means you should verify the current year’s exact award before publishing or applying.
What if the deadline is school-set or varies?
That usually happens with campus scholarship portals, internal aid systems, or training-center-based programs. In those cases, use the official page early and check again before you publish the article live.
Should I still apply if I only have a little experience with older adults?
Yes, especially if you can explain your interest clearly and show some real connection through volunteering, family caregiving, coursework, internships, work, or research.
