The Barry Goldwater Scholarship, one of the oldest and most prestigious national scholarships in the natural sciences, engineering, and mathematics in the United States, seeks to identify, encourage, and financially support college sophomores and juniors who show exceptional promise of becoming this Nation’s next generation of research leaders in these fields. It provides up to $7,500 per year for educational expenses. Applicants must have outstanding potential and intend to pursue careers in mathematics, the natural sciences, or engineering.
Conditions of Eligibility
1. Be a full-time matriculated sophomore or junior pursuing a degree at an accredited two- or four-year institution of higher education
2. Intend to pursue a research career in a natural science, mathematics or engineering
3. Have a college grade point average of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 scale, and
4. Be a U.S. citizen from the 50 states or the District of Columbia; a U.S. national for those students nominated by institutions in Puerto Rico, Guam, Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; or a permanent resident. A permanent resident must submit a photocopy of their Permanent Resident Card, also known as the Green Card.
Application Deadline
A campus committee selects UT’s nominees before applications are forwarded to the national competition. Students must apply through their respective college's internal process; students should NOT submit via the Goldwater site.
- Cockrell School of Engineering students can refer to information about the CSE application process, or contact scholarships@engr.utexas.edu. Applications are due Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026.
- College of Natural Sciences students can find information about the CNS process on the CNS scholarships page, or by contacting Adrianne Chacon-Posey. Applications are due Monday, Oct. 19, 2026.
- Psychology students can refer to the Psychology application form or contact odps@austin.utexas.edu for more information. To be eligible for a Goldwater, psychology research interests need to relate to neuroscience, cognitive psychology, or other related subfields, and cannot be purely social or behavioral; please refer to the Goldwater page for complete information. Applications are due Monday, Oct. 19, 2026.
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