Goldwater Scholar Program
Research Description
The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation was established by Congress in 1986 to serve as a living memorial to honor the lifetime work of Senator Barry Goldwater, who served his country for 56 years as a soldier and statesman, including 30 years in the U.S. Senate.
The Goldwater Scholarship Program, one of the oldest and most prestigious national scholarships in the natural sciences, engineering, and mathematics in the United States, seeks to identify and support college sophomores and juniors who show exceptional promise of becoming this Nation’s next generation of research leaders in these fields.
The characteristics the Foundation seeks in a Goldwater Scholar include:
- strong commitment to a research career in the natural sciences, mathematics and engineering,
- effective display of intellectual intensity in the sciences, mathematics and engineering, and
- potential for a significant future contribution to research in their chosen field.
Qualifications and Requirements
To be eligible for nomination for a Goldwater Scholarship, a student must:
- Be a currently or previously matriculated sophomore or junior pursuing a degree at an accredited 2- or 4-year institution of higher education and be a full-time matriculated student during the academic terms when receiving scholarship support from the Foundation,
- Intend to pursue a research career in Chemistry, Computer and Information Sciences and Engineering, Engineering, Geosciences, Life Sciences, Materials Research, Mathematical Sciences, Physics and Astronomy, or Psychology.
- Have a college grade point average of at least a 3.00 on a 4.00 scale, and
- Be a U.S. citizen from the 50 states or the District of Columbia; a U.S. national for those students nominated by institutions in Puerto Rico, Guam, Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; or a permanent resident. A permanent resident must submit a photocopy of their Permanent Resident Card, also known as the Green Card.
If you are interested and eligible to apply for the Goldwater Scholarship, you need to work with our institutional coordinator, Dr. Elizabeth Vargis. To learn more, please fill out this short eligibility form.
All nomination materials (Student Questionnaire, Research Essay, three Letters of Recommendation, Transcript(s), Institutional Nomination Form and, when applicable, a copy of the student’s Permanent Resident Card) must be uploaded to the Goldwater online nomination site by 5:00 p.m. Central Time on the last Friday in January. Incomplete nominations or nominations that are not uploaded by this date and time will not be reviewed. Awardees will be notified and announced on the last Friday in March at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time.
Financial Compensation
Each Goldwater Scholar annually receives an amount equal to the cost of tuition, mandatory fees, books, and room and board minus the amount of support provided for by other sources, up to a maximum of $7,500. Scholars who receive the award as sophomores can expect to receive support for a maximum of two years (4 semesters) or until graduation, if sooner. Scholars who receive the award as juniors can expect to receive support for a maximum of one year (2 semesters) or until graduation, if sooner.