Overview and Introduction
The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence Program was established by Congress in 1986 to honor the former Arizona Senator.
The purpose of the Foundation is to provide support for highly qualified STEM students who plan to pursue a PhD and research career in these fields. The scholarship provides $7500 in support for the junior and/or senior year of undergraduate study.
Goldwater Scholars usually go on to top PhD programs that are highly competitive for graduate funding such as NSF Graduate Research Fellowships. The scholarship is for students planning research careers.
Students planning to pursue an MD only and conduct clinical research are not eligible, but those planning to pursue an MD-PhD and career in biomedical science research are eligible.
Campus Application Deadline: January 12th, 2025 at 11:59pm ET
Eligibility:
- Degree-Level: Sophomore or Junior
- Academics: 3.0 required but most successful applicants will have a 3.8 or above
- Citizenship: US citizenship or permanent residency required
Selection Criteria:
- Strong academic achievement
- Intends to pursue research career in STEM
Application Deadlines
- U-M Deadline: January 12th, 2025 at 11:59pm
- Endorsement: U-M Nomination is required
Instructions for Prospective Applicants
Prospective applicants should join the U-M Nominated Scholarships Canvas site for an overview of the application, program requirements, additional advising information, and more.
Note: Applicants apply through to the STEM Research Career Award to be considered for Goldwater. Goldwater finalists will be given further instruction on applying.
Application Components
- Several short-answer prompts
- Resume of research activities
- Resume of non-research activities
- Transcript(s)
- 3-page research essay
- 3 letters of recommendation
