Undergraduate Scholarships and Awards

IMPORTANT: Federal Financial Aid Guidelines

Receipt of funds/awards could impact a student's financial aid package.

Financial assistance from all sources during the academic year (September through August) factors into the ongoing review of your financial aid eligibility now and in the future. This includes periods when you may not be actively enrolled in courses, and includes the spring/summer term following graduation. If your total financial aid, including any new offer, exceeds your eligibility for financial assistance this academic year, your aid may be limited in a future term or reduced from previously received assistance.

You can learn more about financial aid terms and conditions on the Office of Financial Aid's website. Important: If this new funding reduces other aid that you receive, we encourage you to reach out directly to the Office of Financial Aid to explore their budget evaluation process and your options to restore reduced funding.

Unless specified in the award eligiblity guidelines, financial need is not required to receive an award.

You can learn more about financial aid terms and conditions on the Office of Financial Aid's (OFA) website. If you have questions or would like to consult with someone about your particular situation, please contact OFA.

Undergraduate Application-Based Scholarships and Awards

Ralph B. Bodine Scholarship

The Physics Department invites undergraduate physics students at the University of Michigan to apply for the Ralph B. Bodine Scholarship. The scholarship is made possible by a gift from Norman R. Bodine ('64) and United Technologies. It is named in honor of Ralph B. Bodine, a 1936 University of Michigan graduate.

The scholarship provides annual support to a junior-standing student (applications should be submitted by current sophomore-standing students) with proven academic ability in the Department of Physics. The recipient must be a citizen of the United States and in need of financial assistance. If no undergraduates in Physics meet the qualifications, the scholarship is to be given to an undergraduate in electrical engineering or to a first- or second-year graduate student in Physics, in order of preference. Each recipient will receive scholarship support for two years, contingent on satisfactory academic performance and full-time enrollment status.

Award Amount: Provides scholarship support for two years: $16,000 per academic year ($8,000/term) for in-state students and $24,000 per academic year ($12,000/term) for out-of-state students.

Number Awarded: Two or more awards

Scholarship Criteria: Prospective students must be citizens of the United States and receiving financial aid to cover tutition expenses. Students should currently be of sophomore-standing to apply.

Deadline: All materials must be submitted by 5 p.m. on the second Monday in March. The scholarship is awarded in early April.

Apply: Bodine Scholarship Application

Wirt & Mary Cornwell Prize - Undergraduate

The Cornwell Prize is given to a graduating Physics major who has demonstrated intellectual curiosity and given promise of original study and creative work. The award can be made to honor research, teaching, or any other contributions made to the intellectual life of the Department.

Award Amount: at least $5,000

Number Awarded: two or more awards

Award Criteria:

Student must:

Graduate in the current academic year
Be a declared Physics major
Have a GPA of at least 3.5
Have been involved in research while an undergraduate student
Submit one letter of recommendation from a Physics faculty member

Deadline: Student completes and submits the application no later than 5 p.m. on the second Monday in March. The prize is awarded in early April.

Apply: Wirt & Mary Cornwall Prize Application

William L. Williams Thesis Award

This award is established in memory of Professor William L. Williams to honor an outstanding undergraduate thesis. The award recognizes a student who exhibits excellence in posing a question, conducting independent investigation, and determining an answer.

Award Criteria: You must be a University of Michigan student receiving a bachelor's degree in Physics or Interdisciplinary Physics in the current academic year.

Award Amount: $7,500

Number Awarded: One student

How to Proceed: Please send your completed thesis in PDF format to physics.sso@umich.edu. A supporting letter by the thesis advisor is required. Among other things, the letter should include a description of the specific, independent contributions of the student to the thesis. Additional supporting letters are optional, but encouraged.

Deadline: Submit materials to the Student Services Office (physics.sso@umich.edu) by 5 p.m. on the last Monday in March. The awardee is chosen in early April.

Student Awards which Require Nomination

The Patrick C. Dahlin Memorial Award

Patrick C. Dahlin was a Fall 2014 admit to the College of Engineering at the University of Michigan. Early in his freshman year, Patrick discovered an interest in astrophysics that eventually led him to switch to the College of LSA and declare majors in the Departments of Astronomy and Department of Physics. Patrick proved himself to be a very strong student and researcher, maintaining a near perfect GPA in his coursework, before his passing in October 2016. This award was established through a generous gift to the department to honor his memory and to recognize the anticipated contribution to the field of physics by promising students. Students are nominated by Physics and Astronomy faculty; the Physics Associate Chair for Undergraduate Studies decides on the final awardee(s).

Award Criteria: An undergraduate pursuing a major in Physics who shows great promise in their studies and/or research involvement.

Award Amount: $1,000 if one student; $500 each if two students

Number Awarded: up to two students per year

Otho Lyle Tiffany & Mary Lois Tiffany Fellowship

This prize is for non-graduating physics students who show great promise and progress in their academic efforts. This award is given to students based on faculty nominations and the deliberation of the Undergraduate Awards Committee.

Award Criteria: You must be a University of Michigan student working towards a bachelor's degree in Physics in the current academic year.

Award Amount: $5,000

Number Awarded: Varies; dependent on the competitiveness of the nominees.

Walter W. Wada Award for Community Engagement

Walter W. Wada was a native of California who received his Bachelor's of Science degree from the University of Utah and later received his Ph.D. in Physics from the University of Michigan. During World War II, Dr. Wada, who was a Japanese-American, was interred in a concentration camp within the U.S. after Imperial Japan's bombing of Pearl Harbor. Despite his experience in forced relocation and incarceration by his own government, Dr. Wada went on to serve his country through service as a nuclear physicist for the U.S. Navy's secret Naval Research Lab in Washington D.C. He also had a prestigious academic career first at Northwestern University and then at The Ohio State University until his retirement in 1989. Dr. Wada made extensive contributions towards research to national and international centers for theoretical high energy physics.

The Walter W. Wada Award honors his memory by recognizing an undergraduate student who has sought out ways to build community, increase cultural understanding, and/or promote respect for diversity within the STEM and/or physics community at large. In this way, the Physics Department advocates for the inclusion of all persons within science and the prodigious contributions that everyone is capable of brining.

Award Criteria: Nominees should be undergraduate University of Michigan students studying physics. Students are nominated by any member of the University of Michigan community (faculty, student, or staff).

Nominations are due the second Monday in March and can be emailed to physics.sso@umich.edu. The award is decided by the Physics Department DEI Committee in early April.

Award Amount: $750.00

Number Awarded: One student per year

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