Online master’s degrees are becoming more and more popular every year; one of the contributing factors to this is the cost. With an online program, your tuition simply covers your education, unlike at a traditional campus college where some of that money goes toward building maintenance and student activities. Just because online masters degree programs are less expensive, however, doesn’t mean that they’re free, and while you get your degree, you may have to degree the number of hours you work or quit your job completely to have time for the classes, meaning that you’ll be dealing with a smaller household income. The best way to combat these costs is with financial aid, starting with scholarships.

Scholarships are a form of financial aid that you don’t have to repay when you graduate (unlike student loans). They’re typically based on merit and talents, and some require you to submit an essay into a competition. If you’ve already gone for your undergraduate degree, you probably know that scholarships can come from a variety of sources, including the government, private organizations, and your college. When you get your master’s degree online, that holds true as well.

For graduate students, many organizations call their scholarships “fellowships.” In many cases, there are slightly more difficult application guidelines for fellowships, but they’re available for your education whether you go to school online or offline. You can find scholarships and fellowships to match your specific program, or you can find general funds that are available to students regardless of field of study. Some of the private organizations that offer scholarships and fellowships for master’s degree candidates include the following:

• Alpah Kappa Alpha Educational Advancement Foundation
• American Institute of Physics
• Committee on Institutional Cooperation
• Council of Graduate Schools
• Guggenheim Foundation
• Institute for Humane Studies
• Jack Kent Cooke Foundation
• Morris K. Udall Fellowship Program
• The National Academy
• National Science Foundation
• Quentin N. Burdick Program
• Roller Penhellenic Scholarship
• Scholarly Societies Project
• Social Science Research Council
• Woodrow Wilson Center
• Zonta International

Of course, this isn’t by far an exhaustive list. Start by looking for general scholarships, as are many of those listed above, and then move on to more specialized scholarships for students in your field.

Don’t forget to talk to your school’s financial aid department. Yes, even online programs should have student services, such as a financial aid department. Often times, these staff members can point you toward scholarships that aren’t highly publicized, and they can also tell you about opportunities available directly from the school.

The fact that you’re attending an online program for your master’s degree shouldn’t matter to any organization offering a scholarship, as long as your program is accredited. When a school is accredited, it means that it has gone through a process to confirm that the program has rigorous academic standards comparable to any other accredited college’s program. Some organizations specify that their scholarships can only be used at traditional schools, but most are willing to work with all students. When in doubt, contact the organization before you apply.