If you have an exceptional STEM undergraduate student that is qualified for the Barry Goldwater Scholarship please encourage her/him to apply.  The Goldwater Scholarship is a highly competitive scholarship that covers up to $7500/year for 1-2 years and is only available to students in select STEM fields.  To be eligible, the student must be:

• A US citizen or permanent resident
• Be a sophomore or junior in AY2016-2017
• Have at least a 3.0 GPA. However, the average GPA of winners is approximately 3.95, so students less than 3.9 will be at a disadvantage
• Plan to pursue a research career in Mathematics, Computer and Information Sciences, Engineering, Life Sciences, Medicine, Geosciences, Chemistry, Physics & Astronomy, or Psychology
• Students planning to study medicine are eligible only if they plan a research career rather than practicing physician
•  Competitive applicants already have experience working on a research project

UAA has had three winners in the past.  This is considered a major scholarship so a successful application will require some significant effort. Students must have three references, ideally individuals that have served as a research mentor.  There should be at least one faculty member that is a strong advocate for the student and available to help mentor the student on completing the application. The application process is slightly different from previous years as it now includes a pre-application phase:

1) Friday, December 2:  UAA deadline for interested applicants to complete a profile and pre-application on the Goldwater website. Students are encouraged to submit their pre-application as soon as possible and not wait until December 2. There may be a short interview to determine if the student will be invited to submit a full application. Students will be notified within 1-2 weeks of the decision. Students that are not competitive will not move to the next stage. 

2) Monday, January 2:  UAA deadline for complete applications, including letters of reference.  The application is completed on the Goldwater website. The application will be reviewed and revisions may be requested by reviewers with a due date of Monday, January 23.

3) Friday, January 27: Nomination submission due by Goldwater Representative.

4) Friday March 31, 2017.  Winners are announced.