The Center for Life Beyond Reed

Goldwater Scholarship

Apply through Reed Fellowships and Awards Committee

Internal Deadline: November 2nd, 2022 at 12:00 PM

» Scholarship's official website
» List of previous winners
» Internal application instructions
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Description

The Barry Goldwater Scholarship Program was created to provide a continuing source of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians, and engineers by awarding scholarships to college students who intend to pursue research careers in the natural sciences, engineering, and mathematics. Each scholarship covers eligible expenses for tuition, fees, books, and room and board, up to a maximum of $7,500 per full academic year to be used during your following one to four semesters as an undergraduate. The program awarded 417 students for the 2022-23 academic year out of 1,242 nominees. Nearly all awardees noted that they intended to obtain a Ph.D. as their highest degree objective. You can find more details in their March press release about the program.

Eligibility

To be eligible for nomination for a Goldwater Scholarship, a student must:

  • Be a full-time matriculated sophomore or junior pursuing a degree at an accredited 2- or 4-year institution of higher education during the 2022-2023 academic year,
  • Intend to pursue a research career in a natural science, mathematics or engineering (see the Goldwater website for a detailed list of eligible fields of study),
  • 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; or a permanent resident. A permanent resident must submit a photocopy of their Permanent Resident Card, also known as the Green Card.

Students who plan to study medicine are eligible only if research is a central part of the student's career goals.

Students on leave: if you are on leave in fall semester are eligible to apply during that school year in most years, as long as they meet all other eligibility requirements, are returning that spring, and as long as the start of the spring semester is before the last Friday in January, which is the national deadline for the Goldwater.

Study abroad: students who are participating in a Reed authorized study abroad semester or year are typically eligible to apply, as long as they meet all other eligibility requirements.

Selection Criteria

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, encourage, and financially 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
  • potential for a significant future contribution to research in their chosen field

To be a strong applicant, the Goldwater Foundation recommends that you get involved in research as early in your undergraduate experience as possible (or even in high school).

Application Procedure

Interested students should review our internal application instructions. Contact CLBR Fellowships with any questions.

Hear from Reedie Awardees

Check out this interview between CLBR advisor Shania Siron and Goldwater awardees Simon Couch '21 and Patrick Park '22: