The Forté Fellowship is a scholarship awarded by the business schools in the Forté Foundation network, a US non-profit that works with schools and employers to move more women into business leadership. Each member school selects its own Fellows from candidates it has admitted to an MBA program, and Forté runs no separate application of its own. Consideration is open to students of all nationalities, genders and gender identities.
Beyond the tuition money, Fellows join a cross-school community with conference places, mentoring and a resume book that goes to Forté member companies. Forté reports 595 million US dollars awarded to 24,000 Fellows to date.
Benefits & funding
- A tuition award from the admitting school. Each school sets the amount, and Forté publishes no central figure or range; the detailed award guidelines sit behind a member-school login.
- Reported cumulative total: 595 million US dollars across 24,000 Fellows.
- A place at the Forté MBA Leadership Conference and at the Financial Services Fast Track.
- Inclusion in the annual Fellows resume book distributed to Forté member companies, plus job invitations from those companies.
- A lifetime Professional Access Pass to Forté once Fellow registration is complete, including on-demand recordings of the online event series.
- Mentoring, an online community for Fellows and alumni, and LinkedIn and Facebook Fellow groups.
- In return, Fellows serve as campus ambassadors: supporting women-in-business clubs, mentoring undergraduates and working with the admissions office.
Eligibility
- Apply to an MBA program at one of the 60-plus Forté member business schools, located in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, continental Europe and Singapore.
- An offer of admission is required, since schools choose their Fellows from admitted candidates during scholarship review.
- Students of all nationalities, genders and gender identities are eligible for consideration.
- Full-time MBA candidates are eligible at every member school. Part-time and executive awards exist at select schools, and dual-degree and online candidates are covered where those formats run.
- MBA admission requires a completed undergraduate degree; each school sets its own academic and testing bar.
- Forté publishes no minimum work experience and no age limit. For reference, Fellows in the Class of 2027 averaged 6.37 years of work experience, a 3.6 GPA and a 704 GMAT (10th Edition) or 650 (Focus Edition).
- Schools are asked to look for exemplary leadership — academic, team, community or creative — varied personal, educational and professional backgrounds, and a commitment to advancing women in business.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
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Education required
Bachelor
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Application process
- 1Pick target schools from the Forté member school list.
- 2Submit a full MBA application to each school by that school’s own round deadline.
- 3The school reviews the application for admission and for its scholarships, Forté Fellowships included; no separate Forté form exists.
- 4If admitted and selected, the school announces the fellowship and its value.
- 5Complete the mandatory Forté Fellow Registration; the link reaches incoming Fellows in mid-August.
- 6Activate the benefits: conference registration, the mentorship program and the campus ambassador role.
Program timeline
Set by each school
MBA application deadlines follow the member school’s own admission rounds.
registration link sent to incoming Fellows.
Mid-August
mandatory Forté Fellow Registration deadline.
Fall 2026
MBA Virtual Leadership Conference; mentorship program opens.
Fall 2026
volunteer opportunities with the Forté Early Career Team.
Winter 2026