Undergraduate Scholarship

The greatest number of scholarships offered in the United States is for undergraduate students. Some of these awards are provided to high school seniors to prepare for undergraduate studies while other are granted only after the student has been accepted into an accredited undergraduate program. Undergraduate scholarships range in value from a few hundred dollars a year for a one time scholarship to several thousands of dollars either in a single lump sum award or spread out over the duration of the educational program. Keep in mind that scholarships will require that the student is currently enrolled in an accredited university, college or school and must be attending full time in most cases.

The first place to look for undergraduate scholarships is at the federal and state level. Most undergraduate scholarships, like higher level scholarships, are divided into specialize categories either based on the degree the student is pursing or based on any special considerations such as those for disabled students, minority students, women, African American students or even for international students wanting to study in the United States. One such program is the NIH or National Institute of Health Scholarship Program. These scholarships are for disadvantaged students that are seeking degrees in any of the biomedical, science or social sciences fields. The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation also provides scholarships for students that would not be able to purse education due to financial restrictions. They also offer a unique scholarship of up to $30,000 for students that are transferring from community colleges to 4 year university degree programs.

Undergraduates that are pursuing science degrees can find a list of scholarship options located at ScienceNet. These scholarships may be based on minority background or heritage but almost all have requirements with regards to merit and grade point average as well as demonstrated financial need. For those students that would like to be able to study in another country and learn a language plus are planning to work within the government in some capacity the National Security Education Program Boren Scholarships provides funding for students to travel to selected countries to better develop their understanding of the people, language and culture native to that area of the world. The Department of Homeland Security also offers their own scholarship program which is open to students in science, mathematics and technology fields that are related to the work of the Homeland Security branch. For these scholarships you must be a US citizen and be a current, full time student in one of the accepted undergraduate courses at an accredited United States public or private university or college.

Most universities, colleges and career and vocational schools will offer their own undergraduate scholarship programs. One such school is the University of Washington Undergraduate Scholarship Office that lists each scholarship available as well as the amounts, application deadlines and any other requirements.  

Resources:

• National Institute of Health Scholarship Program
• The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation
• ScienceNet
• National Security Education Program Boren Scholarships
• The Department of Homeland Security
• University of Washington Undergraduate Scholarship Office