Goldwater Scholarship
Apply through Reed Fellowships and Awards Committee
Internal Deadline: November 8th, 2023 at 12:00 PM pacific
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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 413 students for the 2023–24 academic year out of 1,267 nominees from 427 academic institutions. 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 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 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 or national from the 50 states, District of Columbia, any territory or possession of the United States, 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
Students on leave in fall semester are eligible to apply during that academic 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: