• What’s provided: ​​Cost of undergraduate tuition until graduation (for sophomores, up to two years/four semesters, for juniors, up to one year/two semesters), including mandatory fees, books, and room and board, up to a maximum of $7,500 per full academic year
• Location: U.S.
• Field of Study/Work/Focus Area/Industry: STEM
• Program Type: Undergraduate funding
• Duration: One to two years depending on status as sophomore or junior

Eligibility

• U.S. Citizen or permanent resident
• Current sophomore or junior
• Must have a B average or GPA equivalency of 3.0
• Must be concentrating in STEM. Students interested in medicine are only eligible if they plan to pursue a research career (MD-PhD) rather than a clinical one.

Timeline

How to Apply

The Goldwater Scholarship has a two-stage application process. 

First, interested students should complete and submit a pre-application in the Goldwater Scholarship application portal by the pre-application deadline of October 12, 2026. The pre-application asks for names and contact information for three research mentors, a brief description of your research experience, and demographic information.

IMPORTANT: The Goldwater Scholarship requires your recommenders to be research mentors, meaning PIs and research faculty.

After submitting the pre-application, students will receive an email from fellowships@brown.edu with further directions on finalizing and confirming their recommenders.  

Pre-applications are approved on a rolling basis from September 14, 2026 until October 12, 2026. 

Once your pre-application is approved, you will be invited to complete the application in the Goldwater Scholarship application portal by November 9, 2026.

The Goldwater Scholarship requires the following:

• A complete application listing activities and accomplishments, research projects and skills, and current coursework 
• A research essay of no more than 3 pages, with figures, captions and citations included
• Official transcript(s)
• Short responses on career goals/professional aspirations and research experience
  • (Note: MD-PhD applicants are required to submit a supplemental essay on the importance of a medical degree to achieve their research goals.)
• Three letters (3) of recommendation

Submit your complete application in the Goldwater Scholarship application portal by the campus deadline of 11:59pm ET on November 9, 2026 for consideration in the campus nomination process.