About the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship

Campus Deadline: December 14

Click here to see a list of Vassar Recipients and Honorable Mentions

The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship provides scholarships to college sophomores and juniors who intend to pursue research careers in the natural sciences, mathematics, and engineering. The Goldwater Foundation is helping ensure that the U.S. is producing the number of highly-qualified professionals the Nation needs in these critical fields. Today, Goldwater alums can be found conducting research that is helping defend the Nation, finding cures for catastrophic diseases, and teaching future generations of scientists, mathematicians, and engineers.

Each Goldwater Scholar receives a maximum of $7,500 per full academic year. Scholars who receive the award as sophomores can expect to receive support for two years (4 semesters) or until graduation, if sooner. Scholars who receive the award as juniors can expect to receive support for one year (2 semesters) or until graduation, if sooner.

Vassar may nominate up to four sophomores or juniors to be considered for this scholarship.

Goldwater Scholarship Eligibility

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

Be a full-time matriculated sophomore or junior at Vassar College,
Intend to pursue a research career in a natural science, mathematics, or engineering¹,
Have a college grade point average of at least a 3.00 on a 4.00 scale²,
Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.

¹The 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. To view a field’s sub-fields, click on the field in the table below.

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.

²In recent Goldwater competitions, GPAs have ranged from 3.3 to 4.95 on a 4.0 scale.

Campus Application Instructions

Read the instructions carefully before completing the Goldwater Pre-Application as there is information about the required essay and letters of recommendation in these instructions.
After completing your Goldwater Pre-Application, schedule a Fellowships appointment on Handshake.
Contact three people to serve as your referees. Inform them that the letters are due by the campus deadline (12/15) and to send their letters for fellowships@vassar.edu
Submit your application through the Goldwater system by the campus deadline, the application will come to the fellowships director and will be forwarded to the committee for review.

The Committee on Fellowships will meet in mid-December to select up to four Vassar nominees. Those selected will have time over break to edit and revise their applications, if necessary. Applications for the four nominees will be submitted to Goldwater in late January.

For Letter of Recommendation Writers

For the campus deadline, candidates should ask their recommenders to send letters of recommendation to fellowships@vassar.edu

Please review letter format and requirements on the Goldwater Scholarship website.