Master’s in Applied Behavior Analysis ABA Scholarships

Students in the field of ABA who wish to become practicing BCBAs (Board Certified Behavior Analysts) must obtain a graduate level certification in behavior analysis.

With this in mind, aspiring behavior analysts will have to undergo years of schooling before obtaining the proper certifications to practice in the field. To overcome some of the financial barriers of the academic process, some students might turn to scholarship opportunities as a way to offset tuition costs. Below we have compiled a list of scholarships for students in the field of behavior analysis. Each scholarship contains the eligibility criteria, the amount of the award, and a link to the scholarship’s website.

As you read, please keep in mind that some information may have changed since this article’s publication (December 2019)

Scholarships for ABA Students

The Cynthia E. Morgan Scholarship Fund

Eligibility Criteria:

  • Are current residents of the state of Maryland.
  • Are juniors, seniors, or recent graduates of a Maryland high school with plans to attend an accredited Maryland post-secondary school.
  • Are the first in their immediate family to go to college.
  • Plan to enter a medical or medical-related field.

Amount: $1,000


To Apply: Visit Cynthia E. Morgan Website to Apply

The Autism Recovery Foundation Behavioral Analysis Scholarship

This foundation is to support the development and training of a qualified workforce to provide quality early intensive behavioral treatment to families with young children with autism.

Eligibility Criteria:

  • Applicant is to be enrolled in a course of study accredited by the Behavior Analyst Certification Board.
  • Applicants must be intending to pursue a career in the field of autism and applied behavior analysis in Minnesota.
  • Are the first in their immediate family to go to college.
  • Plan to enter a medical or medical-related field.

Amount: N/A


To Apply: Visit the Autism Recovery Foundation Website to Apply

Nancy Leahy Shea Memorial Scholarship for Professional Development

Eligibility Criteria:

  • This financial award is provided to professionals who are planning to go into the field of applied behavior analysis, or ABA.
  • This opportunity is open to all educators within Connecticut who are currently working with children who have autism.

Amount: N/A


To Apply: Visit Professional Development Website to Apply

Bill and Mary Russell Health Care Scholarship

This scholarship provides financial assistance for those pursuing educational opportunities toward a career in nursing or a health care field. This is a joint scholarship awarded by Mosaic Life Care Foundation and Voiture 130 of the 40 & 8.

Eligibility Criteria:

  • Applicant must be accepted and enrolled in an approved nursing or health care related program.
  • Applicant must reside in or originate from specific county regions within the following states Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska.

Amount: $500


To Apply: Visit MLC Foundation Website to Apply

Action Behavior Centers Aba Therapy Scholarship

This scholarship is a merit-based scholarship for US-based students pursuing higher education studies in a field that will benefit the research or clinical therapy for Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD).

Eligibility Criteria:

  • Must be US citizens or permanent residents enrolled in or planning to enroll in an accredited college or university full-time.
  • Complete a short writing project of one page about your personal understanding of how Applied Behavior Analysis works as a therapy for those with Autism Spectrum Disorder.

Amount: $1,000


To Apply: Visit Action Behaviour Website to Apply

Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies (ABCT) Graduate Student Research Grant

Eligibility Criteria:

  • Must be a graduate student and a member of ABCT.
  • Must be seeking funding for an unfunded thesis or dissertation research project approved by your faculty advisor.
  • Must include a letter of support from faculty advisor.

Amount: $1,000


To Apply: Visit ABCT Website to Apply

Behavioral Gerontology SIG Student Researcher Award

Eligibility Criteria:

  • Must be a graduate or undergraduate student who is first author on a behavioral gerontology or age-related talk or poster.
  • Has to submit a presentation at the Association for Behavioural Analysis International Conference and be the first author of research about behavioral gerontology, aging-related talk or poster.

Amount: $50


To Apply: Visit BGSIG Website To Apply

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Chris Anderson Research Grant

Eligibility Criteria:

  • Must be a graduate student of good standing in a graduate degree program in psychology or a related discipline.
  • The researcher/author may be a member of a research team, but he has to be the primary researcher and be the lead investigator for the proposed research.
  • Both the lead researcher, and the faculty mentor named in the proposal must be a member of the OBM Network, at the time of application submission.

Amount: $700


To Apply: Visit Chris Anderson Research Grant Website to Apply

Council for Children with Behavioral Disorders Eleanor Guetzloe Undergraduate Scholarship

Eligibility Criteria:

  • Applicants must be faculty or students at any U.S. college or university, in any department.
  • The researcher/author may be a member of a research team, but he has to be the primary researcher and be the lead investigator for the proposed research.
  • Both the lead researcher, and the faculty mentor named in the proposal must be a member of the OBM Network, at the time of application submission.

Amount: $5,200


To Apply: Visit Careeronestop Website to Apply

EverSpark Interactive Autism Awareness Scholarship

Eligibility Criteria:

  • Must be studying autism-related research at a university.
  • Must have a 2.6 GPA.

Amount: $1000


To Apply: Visit EverSpark Website to Apply

Forest J. Files Research Award

Eligibility Criteria:

  • Must be an undergraduate or graduate recent ABA student.
  • Must submit an original paper of basic or applied behavior analytic research.

Amount: N/A


To Apply: Visit Forest J. Files Research Award Website to Apply

Sobell Innovative Addictions Research Award

The award is given to an individual who, through the performance of one or more research studies, has developed a novel and very innovative program of research or assessment or analytic tool or method that advances the understanding and/or treatment of addictions.

Eligibility Criteria:

  • Candidates must be current members of ABCT.
  • A statement describing the addictions research contribution and why it is novel and advances the field.

Amount: $1,500


To Apply: Visit abct.org Website to Apply

Sobell Innovative Addictions Research Award

The award is given to an individual who, through the performance of one or more research studies, has developed a novel and very innovative program of research or assessment or analytic tool or method that advances the understanding and/or treatment of addictions.

Eligibility Criteria:

  • Candidates must be current members of ABCT.
  • A statement describing the addictions research contribution and why it is novel and advances the field.

Amount: $1,500


To Apply: Visit abct.org Website to Apply

Student Dissertation Awards

  • Virginia A. Roswell Student Dissertation Award ($1,000)
  • Leonard Krasner Student Dissertation Award ($1,000)
  • John R. Z. Abela Student Dissertation Award ($500)

Eligibility Criteria:

  • Candidates must be student members of ABCT.
  • Topic area of dissertation research must be of direct relevance to cognitive-behavioral therapy, broadly defined and the dissertation must have been successfully proposed.

Amount: $1,000, $1,000, $500


To Apply: Visit abct.org Website to Apply

Verbal Behavior SIG Student Grant

Eligibility Criteria:

  • Empirical research in verbal behaviour topics like (e.g., private events, rule-governed behavior, assessment, second language acquisition, primary or secondary verbal operants, etc.).

Amount: $500


To Apply: Visit Verbal Behaviour Website to Apply

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Organization for Autism Research Graduate Research Grant

Eligibility Criteria:

  • Must be a Graduate student conducting a research about Autism.

Amount: $1000


To Apply: Visit Autism Graduate Research Grant To Apply

Society for the Advancement of Behavior Analysis (SABA) International Development Grant

Eligibility Criteria:

  • Must be interested in developing behavior analysis internationally.

Amount: $1,000


To Apply: Visit International Development Website to Apply

SABA Innovative Student Research Grant

Eligibility Criteria:

  • Must be able to support applied or basic research in the experimental analysis of behavior.

Amount: $2,000, $1,000


To Apply: Visit SABA Website to Apply

Public Awareness Grant

Eligibility Criteria:

  • Must create a project designed to deliver a message focused on behavior science and behavior analytic solutions to important problems.

Amount: $2,500


To Apply: Visit SABA Website to Apply

Lynda J. Mazzola Memorial Scholarship Fund/Autism Society of Maine

Eligibility Criteria:

  • Must be a Maine Student.
  • Applicant must currently be a student in good standing with evidence of acceptance to a graduate program.
  • Applicant must show evidence of community involvement and/or extracurricular activities.

Amount: $2,500


To Apply: Visit Lynda J. Mazzola Website to Apply

B. F. Skinner Foundation Research Award for Graduate Student Research in California

Eligibility Criteria:

  • Applicants must be attending a graduate-level program in California.
  • Applicants must be members of CalABA.
  • The proposal must be for a student-driven research project, thesis or dissertation approved by their department of study.

Amount: two awards of $500


To Apply: Visit Calaba Website to Apply

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