Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship Explained

The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program was established by the United States Congress in 1986 in honor of former United States Senator and 1964 presidential candidate Barry Goldwater. Its goal is to provide a continuing source of highly qualified scientists, mathematicians, and engineers by awarding scholarships to college students who are US citizens or permanent residents and intend to pursue careers in these fields.

The scholarship—one of the most prestigious national undergraduate scholarships in the natural sciences, engineering and mathematics[1] [2] —is awarded annually to about 400 college sophomores and juniors out of approximately 1200 nominees.[3] The scholarship is awarded based on merit, and the actual amount given is based on financial need, up to a maximum of $7,500 per academic year. In addition, since at least 2006 until 2018, about 150 exceptional applicants not awarded the Scholarship have been recognized with official Honorable Mentions.[4]

Colleges and universities are allowed to nominate only four of their undergraduate students per year for consideration.

In awarding scholarships, the Foundation considers the field of study, career objectives, commitment, and potential for a significant professional contribution. This is judged by letters of reference, student essays, and prior research experience. The number of scholarships per region depends on the number and qualifications of the nominees for that region. The regions are defined as each of the 50 U.S. states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and, considered as a single entity, Guam, the United States Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands.

Goldwater scholars by university statistics

The table below represents the top 20 universities based upon the number of Goldwater Scholars they have produced as of March 22, 2006.[5]

!Ranking by Number of Goldwater Scholars!University Name!Number of Goldwater Scholars
1.Princeton University64
2.Harvard University60
3.Duke University58
4.Kansas State University57
5.University of Chicago53
6.Pennsylvania State University52
7.University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign51
7.California Institute of Technology51
9.Stanford University49
10.Johns Hopkins University46
11.University of Virginia45
11.Washington University in St. Louis45
11.Montana State University45
14.Cornell University43
14.University of Michigan43
14.Brown University43
17.Northwestern University41
17.University of Tulsa41
17.Massachusetts Institute of Technology41
17.University of Kansas41
17.Yale University41

Change in number of scholarships awarded, 2019

In 2019, the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation partnered with the Department of Defense National Defense Education Programs (NDEP) to dramatically increase the number of scholarships offered from the historical average of 15-20% of nominees at the national level to over 40%. This awarded a Goldwater scholarship to all students who would have received an Honorable Mention in previous years.[6]

Changes implemented in 2020

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: The Road to a Goldwater Scholarship. www.aps.org. en. 2019-04-02. 2019-04-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20190402082102/https://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/201805/goldwater.cfm. live.
  2. Web site: An Insider’s Look at the Goldwater Scholarship. www.aps.org. en. 2019-04-02. 2019-04-02. https://web.archive.org/web/20190402082739/https://www.aps.org/publications/apsnews/201705/goldwater.cfm. live.
  3. Web site: March 31, 2023 . Barry Goldwater Scholarship . live . https://web.archive.org/web/20230404092139/https://goldwaterscholarship.gov/ . April 4, 2023 . April 4, 2023 . Barry Goldwater Scholarship & Excellence in Education Foundation.
  4. Web site: Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship Website . 2009-01-14 . https://web.archive.org/web/20080916021244/http://www.act.org/goldwater/sch-2008.html . 2008-09-16 . dead .
  5. Web site: FOUR K-STATE STUDENTS WIN 2006 GOLDWATER SCHOLARSHIPS . 2022-12-26 . Department of Mathematics, Kansas State University . 2012-03-18 . https://web.archive.org/web/20120318141621/http://www.math.ksu.edu/events/ksucomp/goldwater/goldwtr06.htm . bot: unknown .
  6. Web site: 2019 Scholar Press Release . goldwater.scholarsapply.org . Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation . 2019-08-24 . 2019-08-27 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190827194815/https://goldwater.scholarsapply.org/ . live .
  7. Web site: New for 2020 . goldwater.scholarsapply.org . Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation . 2019-08-24 . 2019-08-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190824231437/https://goldwater.scholarsapply.org/new-for-2020/ . live .