Undergraduate Scholarships
Overview of Undergraduate Scholarships 2012-2013 Highlights of many major scholarship opportunities and some national internships that are available to undergraduate students.
Boren Scholarships (also known as the National Security Education Program Scholarships)
Disciplines: Language Study in Diverse Languages
Year: Any Undergraduate Year
The NSEP awards Boren Scholarships to American students for study of world regions critical to US interests including Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, the NIS, and the Middle East. Applicants must show how pursuing language study and experiencing cultural immersion can help them in their professional goals. Awards may range from 6 weeks in the summer for freshmen and sophomores, to a semester, a year, or 3 years for upper-classmen and graduate students. Through a special STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) initative, students majoring in STEM disciplines may also apply for a Boren scholarship that awards up to $8,000 for a minimum of 8 weeks of summer study. Awards cover travel, living expenses, and tuition costs and range from $1,500 to $25,000. Contact Associate Dean Elizabeth Vardaman or Dr. David Uber (710-6026) for specific campus deadlines and for more information.National Deadline: February 13, 2013
Goldwater Scholarships
Disciplines: Science || Math || Engineering
Year: Sophomore || Junior
The Barry M. Goldwater award encourages excellence in science, mathematics, and engineering. Three hundred are awarded annually. Baylor has been and is always competitive in this scholarship process. Taylor Kohn was named a 2012 Goldwater Scholar. Other recent winners include Rachel Wilkerson in 2010 and Juan Yaquian in 2008. Candidates should have outstanding potential, a current or planned research experience with a faculty mentor, and intentions to pursue research careers in one of these fields. Each scholarship covers eligible expenses for tuition, fees, books, and room and board, up to $7,500. Applicants must (1) be sophomores or juniors; (2) have a college grade point average of at least a "B"; and (3) be a US citizen, US national, or resident alien. Campus workshops take place in the fall. The next one is Tuesday, October 16, 2012 from 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. in BSB Wing C, Room 206. Campus deadline for submission of 2013 applications is November 16, 2012. For more information contact Dr. Jeff Olafsen, Associate Professor of Physics, Jeffrey_Olafsen@baylor.edu for more details.
University Deadline for Goldwater Application: November 16, 2012. Contact Dr. Olafsen for more information.
Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship
Disciplines: Diverse Majors
Year: Any Undergraduate Year
The Gilman awards up to $5,000 to support U.S. citizen undergraduates receiving federal Pell Grant funding at 2-year or 4-year undergraduate institutions for study abroad for a semester or academic year. Students studying a Critical Need Language may receive a $3,000 supplement for a total possible award of $8,000. This program is sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs of the U.S. Department of State and administered by the Institute of International Education. A number of Baylor students have been successful in this competition.
The Gilman Scholarship Program broadens the student population that studies abroad by supporting US citizen undergraduates who might not otherwise participate due to financial constraints. The program encourages students to choose nontraditional study abroad destinations, especially those outside of Western Europe and Australia. The Gilman scholarship intends to support students who have been traditionally underrepresented in study abroad, including but not limited to, students with high financial need, community college students, students in underrepresented fields such as the sciences and engineering, students with diverse ethnic backgrounds, students with disabilities, and students of nontraditional age.
University Deadline for Spring Semester 2013 Study Abroad: October 512, 2012
University Deadline for Fall Semester 2013 Study Abroad: Check website for exact date, which will be late Feb. or early March, 2013
Critical Language Scholarships for Intensive Summer Institutes
Disciplines: Diverse Majors
Year: Any Undergraduate Year
Scholarships for U.S. citizen undergraduate, master's and Ph.D. students to participate in beginning, intermediate and advanced level intensive summer language programs at American Overseas Research Centers. Sponsored by the United States Department of State and the Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC), scholarships are available for intensive overseas study in the critical need foreign languages of Arabic, Bangla/Bengali, Chinese, Hindi, Korean, Persian, Punjabi, Russian, Turkish, and Urdu. See article on Baylor's three winners in 2008 to Russia. See article on winner in 2010.
Students have been selected for CLA to Japan, to Turkey, to China, and to Russia from Baylor. All program costs are covered for participants. This includes travel between the student's home city and program location, pre-departure orientation costs, applicable visa fees, room, board, travel within country and all entrance fees for program activities. University level credit may be available. Recipients of these scholarships will be expected to continue their language study beyond the scholarship period and later apply their critical language skills in their professional careers.
University Deadline: Check website for Nov. 2012 date.
DAAD German Academic Undergraduate Scholarships
Disciplines: Diverse Majors
Year: Any Undergraduate Year
Highly qualified sophomores and juniors (with outstanding academic records and personal integrity) are invited to apply for a 4-10 month scholarship that will fund a well-defined study, senior thesis research and/or internships in Germany during the German academic year.
The goal of this program is to support study abroad in Germany and at German universities. Preference will be given to students whose projects or programs are based at and organized by a German university. Contact Dr. Andrew Wisely or other professors in the German Division for details.
University Deadline: January 1, 2013
Homeland Security Scholarship
Disciplines: Diverse Majors
Year: Junior || Senior Year
The Department of Homeland Security awards undergraduate scholarships to U.S. citizens who are majoring in behavioral, social, or economic sciences, or other security fields. Applicants should have completed 45-60 hours of academic work. The scholarship awards a stipend of $1,000/month for 9 months during the academic year and $5,000 for the 10-week summer internship.
University Deadline: This award is currently suspended due to federal budget cuts.Morris Udall Scholarship
Disciplines: Environmental Science || Native American Concerns
Year: Sophomore || Junior
The Udall Foundation awards 80 undergraduate scholarships to American juniors and seniors in fields related to the environment and to Native American and Alaska Natives in fields related to health care and tribal policy. Typical majors or areas of study include environmental engineering, the natural sciences, resource management, the social sciences, and Native American public policy. Scholarship recipients are eligible for one year of scholarship support. Each scholarship covers eligible expenses for tuition, fees, books, and room and board, up to a maximum of $5,000.University Deadline: Early February 2013
National Institutes of Health Scholarships
Disciplines: Health Related
Year: Any Undergraduate Year
The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Undergraduate Scholarship Program (UGSP) offers competitive scholarships to students from disadvantaged backgrounds who are committed to careers in biomedical, behavioral, and social science health-related research. The program awards financial support up to $20,000, paid reserach training at the NIH during the summer, and paid employment and training at the NIH after graduation for approx. 15 winners each year.
Deadline: Late February 2013. See website for details.National Science Foundation Research Experience for Undergraduates
Disciplines: Computer Science, Economics, Engineering, Ethics, Math, the Sciences, Social Sciences
Year: Any Undergraduate Year
As part of their work as the only federal agency whose mission includes support for all fields of fundamental sciences and engineering (except for medical sciences), the NSF offers summer internships for undergraduates known as REUs. This program supports active research participation by undergraduate students in any of the areas of research funded by the National Science Foundation. REU projects involve students in meaningful ways in ongoing research programs or in research projects specifically designed for the REU program.
Deadline: vary according to internshipNational Security Education Program (NSEP) David L. Boren Scholarships
Disciplines: Language Study in Diverse Languages
Year: Any Undergraduate Year
The NSEP awards Boren Scholarships to American students for study of world regions critical to US interests including Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, the NIS, and the Middle East. Applicants must show how pursuing language study and experiencing cultural immersion can help them in their professional goals. Awards may range from 6 weeks in the summer for freshmen and sophomores, to a semester, a year, or 3 years for upper-classmen and graduate students. Through a special STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) initative, students majoring in STEM disciplines may also apply for a Boren scholarship that awards up to $8,000 for a minimum of 8 weeks of summer study. Awards cover travel, living expenses, and tuition costs and range from $1,500 to $25,000. Contact Associate Dean Elizabeth Vardaman or Dr. David Uber (710-6026) for specific campus deadlines and for more information.Deadline: February 13, 2013
Pamela Harriman Fellowship
Disciplines: Diverse Majors
Year: Any Undergraduate Year
This fellowship allows a student to spend a summer in the American Embassy in London, Paris, or the State Department in Washington, D.C. The Harriman Fellowship Program is nationally competitive and highly selective. Offering an eleven-week service opportunity, as well as a $5,000 stipend for travel and living expenses, the fellowship is open to eligible juniors and seniors throughout the United States.
Deadline: November 2012. Check website for details.
Public Policy and International Affairs Summer Internship
at Carnegie Mellon, Michigan, Princeton, UC Berkeley, or MarylandDisciplines: Diverse Majors
Year: Junior Year
The Public Policy and International Affairs Program (PPIA) is a national program that prepares young adults for an advanced degree and ultimately for careers and influential roles serving the public good. PPIA has an outreach focus on students from groups who are underrepresented in leadership positions in government, nonprofits, international organizations, and other institutional settings. This focus stems from a core belief that our citizens are best served by public managers, policy makers, and community leaders who represent diverse backgrounds and perspectives.
The PPIA Junior Summer Institutes (JSI) have been the hallmark of the PPIA Fellowship Program for over 20 years. JSI is an intensive seven-week summer program that focuses on preparing students for graduate programs in public and international affairs and careers as policy professionals, public administrators, and other leadership roles in public service. The JSI curriculum includes economics, statistics, domestic/international policy issues, and leadership topics, all designed to sharpen the students' quantitative, analytic, and communication skills. Extracurricular activities are also included. These skills are vital for admission into the top graduate programs in public and international affairs. The successful completion of a summer institute is a requirement for PPIA Fellows.
Application deadline for Summer 2013: November 1, 2012.
Rotary Scholarships
Disciplines: Diverse Majors
Year: Junior Year
Rotary Scholarships are currently in transition. Here is what we know from the national office: two kinds of Rotary Scholarships will begin to be rolled out in spring 2013. One of these will be a Rotary Vision scholarship that is a global grant and will be granted for from one to four years duration. It includes earning a Master's Degree in one of six targeted areas. Some global grants will be determined in time for students to start on the course in Fall 2013. There will also be a second, more flexible kind of grant-very similar to the former Ambassadorial District Grants. This one can be granted by a district to allow a student to pursue a much broader spectrum of interests. It will be for 8 or 9 months. As we receive new information about the composition of and application process for this scholarship, we will post it here.
Rotary Scholarships are extraordinary opportunities and provide funds for students to study abroad. Thus, students looking for a chance to study in the country of their dreams the year following graduation from Baylor should consider this scholarship.
We encourage Baylor students to apply for either of the new Rotary Scholarsihps through their hometowns or through the Waco Rotary Club.
For Houston Area Rotary Applications: please see District 5890 deadline information online on the District 5890 website at http://www.rotary5890.org/OtherLinks/Downloads.htm For more information on the Houston district and for an application for the Houston area, please contact your local Houston area Rotary Club, or Rotary District 5890 Scholarship Chairman, Bill Barmore by phone at 281-484-6633 or by e-mail at bbarmore@barmore.com.
Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship in Science/Engineering
Disciplines: Science || Math ||Engineering
Year: Any Undergraduate Year
The National Institute of Standards and Technology's (NIST) Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) program invites undergraduate researchers to apply for opportunities to work closely with researchers at NIST, one of the world's leading research organizations. Ideal candidates for these positions are students who are setting a course toward a career in science or engineering. For more information, read the details at the SURF program website (click link in above title) or call 301.975.4200. Applications are usually due in mid-February. Check website for exact dates.
Application Deadlines vary.
Truman Scholarships
Disciplines: Diverse Majors
Year: Junior Year
The Truman Foundation awards scholarships to college juniors who have impressive leadership potential, who plan to pursue careers in government or elsewhere in public service, and who wish to attend graduate school to help prepare for public service careers.
Baylor is proud to have had outstanding students selected for the Harry S. Truman Scholarship in 2002, 2003, 2004, and 2007. In 2010 we had four endorsed candidates and three of them became finalists. The Truman Foundation chose 60 of the approximately 600 applicants to receive the Truman in 2010.The application process encourages candidates to reflect on the needs of society they want to address in their public service, to refine career goals and objectives, and to initiate planning for graduate study. An intense and extensive application process is involved. After carefully reviewing the web pages to understand the eligibility requirements and commitments involved, contact Professor Elizabeth Vardaman (254-710-4176) for more information.
University Deadline: early December Disciplines: Diverse Majors Year: Junior Year The Thomas R. Pickering Undergraduate Foreign Affairs Fellowship program provides funding to participants as they are prepared academically and professionally to enter the United States Department of State Foreign Service. Women, members of minority groups historically underrepresented in the Foreign Service, and students with financial need are encouraged to apply.
National Deadline: February 5, 2013
Pickering Fellowships
