Goldwater Scholarship

Two students working together in a science lab on an experiment

The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship provides up to $7,500 per year for tuition, fees, room and board for undergraduate students in STEM fields. The Fellowship selects students who "demonstrate a passion for doing research who exhibit the creative spark that will make them leaders in their fields," according to the Goldwater Scholarship website.

This is a nomination-required opportunity, which means you must apply for and win one of 4 (or five if one nominee is a transfer student) campus nominations before you can compete at the national level. This page walks through all instructions for both the campus and national competitions. You may begin the process at any time after the national application portal opens. 

Please contact the Center for Undergraduate Research & Fellowships at curf@ku.edu with questions.

Selection Criteria

Eligible students must have:

  • Sophomore or junior status (as determined by time left to graduation)
  • Extensive research experience in chemistry, computer science, engineering, geosciences, life sciences, mathematical sciences, physics, astronomy, or psychology.
  • A minimum GPA of 3.0.
  • U.S. citizen or permanent resident status.

Step 1: Apply for the Campus Nomination

Deadline: October 31st, 2026

Notification of nomination: November

Required materials to submit to the Goldwater student portal:

  • Pre-application. First, submit a pre-application using the Goldwater Scholarship national application system. After submitting the pre-application, we will email you the campus application form.
  • Three recommendation letters. You must list your letter writers in the Goldwater student portal, and they must submit their letters by November 1st using the KU online campus reference form.
  • Unofficial transcript. An "Advising Report" from the Advising Tool or an "Academic Summary" from Enroll & Pay is sufficient at the campus level. If you have college credit that does not appear in the KU portal, please let us know.
  • Research Essay. Submit your essays and additional application materials via the national application system.
  • If you are a permanent resident, upload a copy of your permanent resident card in the Goldwater portal.

When you apply at the campus level, you will be asked if you would like to be considered for the Astronaut Scholarship as well. If so, your information will be shared with the Astronaut Scholarship committee, and you will be considered for nomination for that award as well.

The KU Goldwater committee is made up of several KU science and engineering faculty members. The committee members read all applications and select KU's four (or five) nominees.

Step 2: Apply for the national competition

Once you are nominated by KU, staff and faculty from CURF will work with you to improve your application materials for the national competition. Only complete these materials if you have been nominated.

Deadline: January 29th, 2027

Notification of acceptance: March 31st, 2027

Required Materials: 

  • KU release forms. Complete the nominee waiver form and news release biography form as soon as possible. Look for an email about getting your photo taken for the campus news release.
  • Revised online questionnaire. You may work with CURF staff and mentors to revise your responses and replace the previous version in the Goldwater student portal.
  • Revised research essay.
  • Updated unofficial transcript with fall grades.
  • Updated letters. You may ask your letter writers to update their letters as needed, and have them resubmit via the KU campus letters of recommendation form. 

Information Session

An information session for this opportunity will be held at Summerfield Hall 201 in September (Date TBD).

This session is offered both in-person and in Zoom for accessibility. In-person attendance is preferred.

Please contact curf@ku.edu with any further questions.

Resources