Goldwater Scholarship Application Information

The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program

Established by Congress in 1986, the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program operates an educational scholarship program designed to provide opportunities for outstanding U.S. students with excellent academic records and demonstrated interest in, and potential for, careers in mathematics, the natural sciences, and engineering.

The scholarship award covers eligible expenses up to a maximum of $7,500 per year. Juniors may be eligible for a maximum of one year of support. Sophomores may be eligible for a maximum of up to two years of support.

Please visit: https://goldwater.scholarsapply.org/ for details and application information. (Please follow the Caltech deadlines listed below.)

Questions regarding the application and nomination process may be sent to: deansoffice@caltech.edu

To be eligible for nomination for a Goldwater Scholarship, a student must:

1. Be a full-time matriculated sophomore or junior pursuing a degree at an accredited 2- or 4-year institution of higher education during the 2024-2025 academic year,
2. Intend to pursue a research career in a natural science, mathematics or engineering,*
3. Have a college grade point average of at least a 3.00 on a 4.00 scale **, and
4. Be a U.S. citizen or national from the 50 States, District of Columbia, Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Guam, United States Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Republic of Palau, and any other territory or possession of the United States; or a permanent resident. A permanent resident must submit a photocopy of their Permanent Resident Card, also known as a Green Card.

*The natural sciences, engineering, and mathematics fields and sub-fields used by the Goldwater Foundation to determine eligibility are those used by the National Science Foundation for its Graduate Research Fellowship Program. These include: Chemistry, Computer and Information Sciences and Engineering, Engineering, Geosciences, Life Sciences, Materials Research, Mathematical Sciences, Physics and Astronomy, and Psychology.

While research in medicine is not supported by the National Science Foundation, students interested in pursuing careers in medicine or veterinary medicine are eligible for a Goldwater Scholarship IF RESEARCH IS A CENTRAL PART OF THE STUDENT'S CAREER GOALS.

**In recent Goldwater competitions, GPAs ranged from 3.3 to 4.95 on a 4.0 scale.

Fields of Study-Printable PDF

Please note: While those with a 3.0 GPA are eligible, nominees selected typically have a 3.5 or higher GPA at Caltech .

Nomination Process

If you are interested and eligible:

Please complete the Student Pre-Application by November 4, 2024. Our office will be in touch only if there are questions or we need additional information. We will likely approve your pre-application by November 4.

Once the pre-application is approved, please continue with the full application.

Submit the full application, including a draft of your essay (online) and faculty recommendations*(from faculty to deansoffice@caltech.edu) by 5 PM on December 9, 2024.

*The application requires three faculty recommendations. Please reach out ASAP and ask recommenders to email a letter to DeansOffice@caltech.edu by 5 PM on December 9, 2024. We will review these letters for the selection process. Letter writing tips for letter writers from the foundation may be found here: https://goldwaterscholarship.gov/letter-writing-guidance-recommenders/

The deans will use the materials received by the deadline to select four nominees. The four nominees will be notified in late-December. The selected nominee applications, recommendations and essays may be revised and updated prior to final submission to the foundation in January.

Information about the additional steps are listed here: https://goldwater.scholarsapply.gov/steps-in-process/

The characteristics the Foundation seeks in a Goldwater Scholar include:

strong commitment to a research career in the natural sciences, mathematics and engineering,
effective display of intellectual intensity in the sciences, mathematics and engineering, and
potential for a significant future contribution to research in his/her chosen field.

https://goldwaterscholarship.gov/review-process/

Kristin Weyman is the Campus Representative for the California Institute of Technology. Please email deansoffice@caltech.edu if you have questions.