Category Archives: Prestigious Scholarships

PSAT National Merit Scholar Qualifying Scores, Class of 2021 (Lower than 2020)

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This post applies to students who took the test in October 2019 (NMS Class of 2021).

The big news is that every state saw a drop in the qualifying score for the NMS Class of 2021, including five with a 4-point decline and one, South Dakota, with a 5-point decline.

“What is somewhat surprising is how sharp the difference is between the highest scoring states and everyone else,” writes Art Sawyer at Compassprep. “Of the 10 states at a cutoff of 221 or higher for the class of 2020, 8 saw only a 1-point decline. Illinois and Texas were the exceptions, with 2-point declines. The average decline among the other 40 states was 2.7 points.”

The selection index score is the sum of your three PSAT scores, maximum of 228. The first score listed is for 2021; the second was the score required for the class of 2020; and the third is the score for the class of 2019.

Alabama 212, 216, 216
Alaska 212, 213, 215
Arizona 218, 219, 220
Arkansas 212, 214, 214
California 221, 222, 223
Colorado 217, 220, 221
Connecticut 220, 221, 222
Delaware 219, 220, 222
Dist Columbia 222, 223, 223
Florida 216, 219, 219
Georgia 219, 220, 220
Hawaii 217, 219, 220
Idaho 214, 215, 214
Illinois 219, 221, 221
Indiana 215, 218, 219
Iowa 212, 215, 216
Kansas 218, 218, 219
Kentucky 214, 217, 218
Louisiana 212, 215, 217
Maine 213, 215, 217
Maryland 221, 222, 223
Massachusetts 222, 223, 223
Michigan 216, 219, 219
Minnesota 218, 219, 220
Mississippi 211, 214, 215
Missouri 214, 217, 217
Montana 210, 214, 214
Nebraska 213, 216, 216
Nevada 215, 218, 218
New Hampshire 215, 218, 219
New Jersey 222, 223, 223
New Mexico 211, 213, 215
New York 220, 221, 221
North Carolina 217, 219, 220
North Dakota 209, 212, 212
Ohio 215, 218, 219
Oklahoma 211, 214, 216
Oregon 217, 220, 221
Pennsylvania 217, 220, 220
Rhode Island 216, 218, 220
South Carolina 212, 215, 216
South Dakota 209, 214, 215
Tennessee 215, 219, 219
Texas 219, 221, 221
Utah 212, 215, 215
Vermont 212, 216, 216
Virginia 221, 222, 222
Washington 220, 221, 222
West Virginia 209, 212, 212
Wisconsin 213, 216, 216
Wyoming 209, 212, 212
Commended 209, 212, 211
Territories 209, 212, 211
International 222, 223, 223

To qualify for a National Merit Scholarship, the PSAT must be taken in the student’s junior year of high school. Many parents may not be aware that there is no single nationwide score on the PSAT that will qualify a student to become a NMS semifinalist, a critical preliminary step on the way to becoming a finalist and then perhaps a merit scholar.

Students are classified according to the state in which they attend high school, not the state of actual residence.

For more information about confirmation scores, please see PSAT Scoring and NMS (for a detailed explanation of scoring); The National Merit Journey: What You Need to Know, Part One; and The National Merit Journey Part Two: The Parent’s Role.

Semifinalists emerge from the top 3-4% of students (50,000 or so) taking the test, by virtue of the PSAT score alone. The top 3-4% of students earn “commended” status, and there is a national uniform score for commended students=209 for 2021. (See below for SAT equivalent.) Semifinalists, on the other hand, account for fewer than 1% of all students, or about 16,000 nationwide.

From these students, the merit scholar foundation, using state allocation levels, selects about 15,000 to become finalists; and from this group, about 9,000 are actually selected as merit scholars, based on both PSAT and SAT scores and a letter of recommendation from the high school principal. Therefore, many students who meet the semifinalist thresholds listed below do not go on to become finalists or merit scholars (two different things, though for some schools being a finalist is sufficient to earn support). We speculate that meaningful improvement on the SAT, taken in the spring of the junior year, relative to the PSAT score from the preceding October, may help in identifying students who go beyond finalist status and become merit scholars.

Each state has its own threshold PSAT score, which is the baseline for students to be considered as semifinalists in a given state. The scores vary widely for the NMS class of 2021, from 209 in West Virginia to 222 in the District of Columbia, Massachusetts, and New Jersey.

Research Programs and the Path to Fellowships: Univ of Houston Honors College

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When parents and prospective students think of the advantages of an honors college or program, they often cite smaller classes, talented instructors, priority registration, orbetter housing as being the most important.

But it is extremely important that they do not overlook another advantage that can have the greatest long-term impact on the student’s satisfaction and success: the structured undergraduate research programs that are increasingly affiliated with honors.

The University of Houston Honors College has taken steps to ensure that students not only know about research opportunities but also receive early training in how to conduct research and continued advising for leveraging their research into prestigious fellowships.

The program, called HERE (Houston Early Research Experience), is designed specifically to identify and prepare highly talented students, honors and non-honors, for the process of applying for generous fellowship opportunities. The research along the way promotes more contact between students and professors, more learning in depth, and a greater chance to obtain financial support both for upper-division undergraduate work and for graduate school.

“The HERE program at the University of Houston is an high-impact educational practice that enables fellowship advisors to identify and prepare potential applicants early in their academic careers,” according to Dr. Ben Rayder, Director of Scholarships and Major Awards for the Honors College. “Even though the program is still relatively new, we have already begun to see pipeline effects for student participation in applying for major awards and other experiential learning programs that effectively prepare fellowships candidates.”

The HERE program accomplishes the following:

•Recruits rising sophomore and junior honors students to pursue faculty-mentored research and apply for major awards upon completion of the program
•Integrates theoretical and applied knowledge early in the students’ academic year
•Raises big picture questions that students must collaborate with one another to answer
•Develops foundational research skills
•Builds relationships between students and faculty members

Although the HERE program is designed as an introduction to research and fellowship applications, participation requires a significant commitment. Students meet for five hours a day for a two-week period, during which they submit assignments via Blackboard, work on group assignments, and make final presentations to the group.

Ultimately the honors students receive advising and pursue opportunities in faculty-mentored research, study-abroad activities, service learning projects; most also follow up with preparation and advising related to prestigious fellowships, such as Goldwater Scholarships for undergraduates or Critical Learning and Fulbright Scholarships for seniors.

“The Houston Early Research Experience,” says Honors College Dean, William Monroe, “is proving to be a critical entry point drawing UH students into the substantial range of opportunities available to them for undergraduate research and other high impact experiential learning opportunities.”

Dr. Rayder did a presentation on the HERE program at the recent conference of the National Collegiate Honors Council in New Orleans.

 

Goldwater Scholarships Are a Big Deal–and a Bigger Deal Going Forward!

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Great news for undergraduates in STEM fields: The Barry M. Goldwater Foundation has more than doubled the number of annual scholarships it awards to sophomores and juniors who have outstanding potential to do research. Along with the Truman Scholarship, generally awarded to college juniors, the Goldwater Scholarship is the most prestigious undergraduate award. It is also closely linked to success in achieving prestigious post-graduate scholarships.

More good news: 252 of the Goldwater Scholars in 2019 are young women.

UConn Goldwater Scholars 2019

UConn Has Four Goldwater Scholars in 2019

In previous years, only a few public universities had three or more Goldwater Scholars in a given year; the maximum allowable is four scholarships. In 2018, seven public universities had three or more scholars. In 2019, the number increased to 40 public universities.

“From an estimated pool of over 5,000 college sophomores and juniors, 1223 natural science, engineering and mathematics students were nominated by 443 academic institutions to compete for the 2019 Goldwater scholarships. Of students who reported, 241 of the Scholars are men, 252 are women [493 total], and virtually all intend to obtain a Ph.D. as their highest degree objective. Sixty-two Scholars are mathematics and computer science majors, 360 are majoring in the natural sciences, and 74 are majoring in engineering. Many of the Scholars have published their research in leading journals and have presented their work at professional society conferences.”

In 2018, the foundation awarded only 209 scholarships.

“Scholarships of up to $7,500 a year are provided to help cover costs associated with tuition, mandatory fees, books, room and board. A sophomore who receives a Goldwater Scholarship will receive up to $7,500 in each of his/her junior and senior years. A junior who receives a Goldwater Scholarship will receive up to $7,500 in his/her senior year.”

“Many of the Scholars have dual majors in a variety of mathematics, science, engineering, and computer science. Scholars have impressive academic and research credentials that have garnered the attention of prestigious post-graduate fellowship programs. Goldwater Scholars have been awarded 92 Rhodes Scholarships, 137 Marshall Awards, 159 Churchill Scholarships, 104 Hertz Fellowships, and numerous other distinguished awards like the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships.”

The public universities with four Goldwater Scholars in 2019 are listed below:

Colorado State
Connecticut
Georgia
Georgia Tech
Maryland
Massachusetts Amherst
NC State
Ohio State
Oregon State
Penn State
Pitt
Iowa State
Montana State
North Texas

Those with three awards in 2019 are below:

Alabama
UAB
Arizona
Arizona State
Arkansas
Clemson
Indiana
Iowa
Kansas State
Kentucky
LSU
Michigan
Nebraska
Oklahoma
Oklahoma St
Oregon
Rutgers
South Carolina
Stony Brook
UCLA
Utah
UC Riverside
Virginia
Virginia Tech
Washington St
Wisconsin

 

Will Florida Become the New Mecca for National Merit Scholars?

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A few flagship universities–Oklahoma and Alabama, for example– are well-known for the generous merit scholarships, most of which provide the largest awards to national merit scholars or students with very similar qualifications. Now there are several other major players in this game, and all are in the state of Florida, home to several colleges on the rise in national rankings.

In March, Gov. Rick Scott, who is often at odds with higher ed professionals, signed Senate Bill 4. The bill passed the senate with unanimous support in mid-January.

Florida State has risen from 101st in U.S. News rankings for 2011 to 81st in the 2018 rankings.

The bill expands the full-ride Benacquisto Scholarship to include not only in-state National Merit and National Achievement Scholars but also out-of-state winners of these awards.

For out-of-state National Merit Scholars, the award is “equal to the institutional cost of attendance for a resident of this state minus the student’s National Merit Scholarship. Such student is exempt from the payment of out-of-state fees.”

The value of the award for in-state students at the University of Florida is $21,210 per year. For out-of-state students, it is $43,448 per year.

The bill provides $124 million to fund these and other merit awards in 2018-2019 alone. Here is a summary:

Expands merit-based state gift aid for high-performing students:

  • Reinstates full funding of the Bright Futures Florida Academic Scholar award at 100 percent of tuition and fees, plus $300 in fall and spring semesters to cover instructional materials and other costs, beginning in this 2017-2018 academic year and guarantees funding for 2018 summer term tuition and fees for Bright Futures Florida Academic Scholar awards.
  • New provisions of the legislation this year reinstate funding for the Bright Futures Florida Medallion Scholar award at 75 percent of tuition and fees for fall and spring semesters, beginning in fall semester of the 2018-2019 academic year and guarantee funding for 2019 summer term tuition and fees for Bright Futures Florida Medallion Scholar awards.
  • Expands Benacquisto Scholarship awards (full cost of attendance) to recruit out-of-state National Merit Scholar award winners.

“Senate Bill 4 ensures universities remain accountable to Florida taxpayers by refining university performance expectations to incentivize and reward state university performance excellence and recognition in academics, instruction, research, and community accomplishments and achievements,” according to a press release from the Florida senate.

Florida lawmakers have also designated “preeminent” and “emerging preeminent” universities. These universities must meet targets for graduation, retention, and post-graduation employment. Florida and Florida State were the first preeminent universities, and the University of South Florida has now moved from emerging preeminent to preeminent. The University of Central Florida will be next.

According to USF, “The designation will bring not only more prestige but more funding for the university. UF and FSU each received $17.3 million as pre-eminent universities this year, while USF and the University of Central Florida each received $8.7 million as ’emerging’ pre-eminent schools.”

The extra funds are used to elevate the quality and recognition of the universities by hiring eminent faculty members, improving grad and retention rates, and funding STEM programs. The University of Florida, for example, has risen from 58th in the 2011 U.S. News rankings to 42nd in the 2018 rankings. Florida State, meanwhile, has moved from 101st to 81st in the same time frame.

 

Schwarzman Scholars: A Masters Program to Understand China and the ‘Geopolitical Landscape’

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Heralded as the biggest international award since the Rhodes Scholarship, the Schwarzman Scholars program “is the first scholarship created to respond to the geopolitical landscape of the 21st Century. Whether in politics, business or science, the success of future leaders around the world will depend upon an understanding of China’s role in global trends.”

The program gives scholars the opportunity “to develop their leadership skills and professional networks through a one-year Master’s Degree at Tsinghua University in Beijing – one of China’s most prestigious universities.”

Outside view Schwarzman College, Tsingua University, Beijing, China

The 142 Schwarzman Scholars in the class of 2019 were selected from over 4,000 applicants. The class includes students from 39 countries and 97 universities with 41% from the United States, 20% from China, and 39% from the rest of the world.

The percentage of students from U.S. universities is much greater than the percentage of students who are from the U.S., however. For example, of the 25 students from Harvard who have won the award during the first three years, ten are from other nations. Of the five scholars from UNC Chapel Hill, four are foreign students, three of whom are from China. Half of the winners from NYU are foreign students.

With 25 scholars thus far, Harvard is by far the cumulative leader. Like the Rhodes Scholarship, the Schwarzman program, at least at this early stage, shares the Rhodes preference for graduates of elite private universities (and the service academies). After Harvard, the schools with the highest totals across three years are Yale (16), Princeton (15), West Point (11), MIT (10), NYU (9), Oxford and Stanford (8), Cambridge, Cornell, and Duke (7), and Penn and Annapolis (5). UNC Chapel Hill, the leader among public universities, is tied with Penn and Annapolis, with five scholars.

Schwarzman Residence, Tsingua University

Public universities with three scholars are Tennessee, UC Berkeley, Virginia, and Georgia. Georgia had two scholars in 2019 alone. Publics with two scholars are Cincinnati, Delaware, Missouri, UCLA, UT Austin, and UW Madison.

Scholars have their own residence at Tsinghua University, on the campus of Schwarzman College, a newly-built, state-of-the-art facility, where all classes are taught in English. Students pursue a Masters in Global Affairs, with concentrations in one of the disciplines:

  • Public Policy
  • Economics and Business=
  • International Studies

The official statement on admissions states that the “selection process prioritizes academic excellence and leadership potential without regard for the university or college where the candidate studied, assuming the institution was properly accredited. Outstanding scholars and leaders may come from a wide variety of institutions.”

There are no set GPA standards for selection, though academic excellence is definitely required. Applicants can be graduate students and must be between 18 and 28 years of age, as of August 1, 2018. Important application materials include:

  • 2 letters from professors who have taught them in the classroom and can speak to their academic abilities
  • 1 letter addressing their leadership abilities (this can be from an employer, supervisor, mentor, faculty member, or other)

Recent course listings

“Students spend a year immersed in an international community of thinkers, innovators and senior leaders in business, politics and society. In an environment of intellectual engagement, professional development and cultural exchange, they learn from one another and pursue their academic disciplines while building their leadership capacities. This experience will expand students’ understanding of the world and create a growing network of global leaders for the future.”

 

The SAT “Confirming” Test for National Merit Semifinalists: What Is It?

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Editor’s Note: This post was updated on December 11, 2018, to state that for the class of 2020 the ACT can be used for the confirming test.

Of the 16,000 students (~top 1%) who become National Merit Semifinalists, about 15,000 become finalists, most often because some semifinalists have relatively low grades or do not have sufficient SAT confirming scores (see below). And only about 7,500 actually become National Merit Scholars.

To move from National Merit Finalist to National Merit Scholar, a student must have a very high SAT score and GPA, strong recommendations, evidence of commitment to extracurricular activities, and do extremely well on the required essay of of 500-600 words.

(Please see this post for a discussion of PSAT scores and SAT confirming scores.)

The SAT “confirming” score: In order to become a finalist, a student must take the SAT no later than December of the senior year, but taking it no later than early November is recommended. Earlier tests taken as a sophomore or later may also be used. Superscores are not allowed. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation must receive your SAT scores by December 31. This only leaves about a week after receiving December test scores to make sure of the notification. 

According to the NMSC, the “SAT Program will not report your scores to NMSC unless you request it, and you cannot substitute a photocopy of the score report sent to you or your school for the official report. Send all testing and score reporting fees directly to the SAT Program.”

The ACT will count for confirming purposes for the class of 2020. The SAT for purposes of NMS eligibility also has a selection index. 

The excellent site Compass Prep estimates that the minimum ACT confirming score for the class of 2020 will be 31-32.

The SAT selection index differs from the PSAT selection index. Because the SAT has a maximum score of 1600 versus 1520 for the PSAT, the maximum section scores for the SAT selection index are higher. The maximum scaled section score for the SAT is 40 (versus 38) and the maximum selection index score is 240 (versus 228). (But below is the recommended “simple” way to calculate the SAT selection index (SSI).

Another difference is that, for the SAT, the confirming score is national, one SAT selection index total for everyone, regardless of state or location of residence. In the past, an SSI score that equals the PSAT selection index score for commended students has been the minimum acceptable SSI. The good news is that very high scorers on the PSAT should be very likely to meet the “commendable” threshold of the confirming SAT.

Students in states where the commendable PSAT score is the same as the seminfinalist qualify score, and who just did make the commendable score, may have to take the SAT more than once to confirm. Taking the SAT multiple times to reach a confirming score is well worth the effort given the many advantages that come with NMS status.

Example: PSAT selection index score is 2011 = commended student.

Student A has an overall SAT score of 1430, with an evidence-based reading and writing (EBRW) score of 710 and a math score of 720. (These SAT percentiles are 96 for EBRW and 95 for math.)

The simple formula for the SSI is to drop the zeros from the scores, thus making the above scores 71 and 72, respectively. Then multiply the EBRW score by 2, and add the math score.

Example: 71 x 2 = 142; 142 + 72 = 214. An SSI of 214 exceeds the PSAT SI score of 211 and should be sufficient for confirming purposes.

You can also calculate the SSI by doubling the total EBRW score (710 x 2), adding the total math score (720), and dividing the total sum by 10.

Example: 710 x 2 = 1420; 1420 + 720 = 2140; 2140 / 10 = 214.

Rhodes Scholars 2018: More Breadth, Less Ivy Dominance

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The Rhodes Scholarships continue to be awarded mainly to students from private colleges and universities, but the latest group of 32 students includes “only” 8 from Ivy League universities, down from ten in 2017.

The ten public universities with 2018 scholars are CUNY (Hunter College); Temple; Maryland-Baltimore County; Georgia Tech; Auburn; Illinois; Michigan; Michigan State; South Dakota; and Alaska-Anchorage. At least nine of these scholars are present or former honors program students.

Rhodes Scholars from Hunter College (CUNY), Temple, UMBC, and Alaska-Anchorage are the first from their colleges to earn the prestigious award. The selection of a record number of black Rhodes Scholars is further evidence that the Rhodes Trust is taking a broader approach.

The total value of the scholarship averages approximately $68,000 per year, and up to as much as approximately $250,000 for scholars who remain at Oxford for four years in certain departments.

The new list of Rhodes Scholars (awarded in November 2017 for the year 2018) includes four from Harvard, as in the previous class, far and away the cumulative leader among all schools; one from Princeton, two from Yale, and one from Penn. In 2015 and 2016, the Ivy League recorded 14 of the 32 awards won by American students. In 2013 there were 16 winners from the Ivies, twice the number in the current class.

The University of Virginia and North Carolina at Chapel Hill are the leaders among all state universities in the number of Rhodes Scholars earned by their graduates. UVA has 53 Rhodes Scholars, and UNC Chapel Hill has 49.

Once again, the service academies are well-represented. The U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and the Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs each had Rhodes winners.

Udall Scholars 2017: Colorado State, Georgia, and William and Mary have Two Each

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The 2017 class of Udall Scholars was selected from 494 candidates nominated by 224 colleges and universities. Thirty-four Scholars intend to pursue careers related to the environment. Eleven Native American/Alaska Native Scholars intend to pursue careers related to Tribal public policy; five Native American/Alaska Native Scholars intend to pursue careers related to Native health care. Thanks to strong recruiting efforts from faculty advisors, professors, alumni, and partners, nominations in the Native Health Care and Tribal Public Policy categories increased 23.8% from 2016.

The list of recipients from public universities is below.

Each scholarship provides up to $7,000 for the Scholar’s junior or senior year. Since the first awards in 1996, the Udall Foundation has awarded 1,574 scholarships totaling $8,090,000.

William and Mary, Georgia, and Colorado State each had two winners in 2017.

Scholar Statistics

  • 50 Scholars and 50 Honorable Mentions were selected
  • 34 Scholarships were awarded in the Environment category; five in Native Health Care; and 11 in Tribal Public Policy
  • 11 Sophomores; 39 Juniors
  • 54% self-identify as non-white
  • Three Scholars were also Scholars in 2016; five Scholars were Honorable Mentions in 2016; 11 Scholars were nominated in 2016 (but were neither Scholars nor Honorable Mentions then)
  • 42 institutions have Scholars; one of those has a Scholar for the first time; 18 have Scholars for the first time in three or more years
  • Tribal Public Policy and Native Health Care scholars are enrolled in 16 different Tribes; 11 additional Tribes have Honorable Mentions
  • Scholars come from 35 states; 35 states have Honorable Mentions

Udall Scholars 2017, with name of public college or university:

Mathew T. Bain
Montana State University

Augustine J. Beard
University of Oregon

Amber H. Berg
Kansas State University

Casey E. Brayton
University of South Carolina-Columbia

Chad J. Brown
Northern Arizona University

Rachel G. Dickson
University of Montana

Grace F. Fuchs
Ohio University

Shreya Ganeshan
University of Georgia

Tomas W. Green
University of Kansas

Katelynne N Johnson
Colorado State University

Kiloaulani E. Kaawa-Gonzales
Colorado State University

Emma Kincade
Oklahoma State University

Ashley N. Lewis
Highline Community Tribe of the Pine Ridge College

Tamee E. Livermont
University of South Dakota

Sabrina R. Myoda
Purdue University

Mackenzie L. Neal
College of William and Mary

David Perez
Florida State University

Emily Plumage
University of Utah

Matthew A. Salm
University of Texas-Dallas

Talia J. Schmitt
College of William and Mary

Tal Y. Shutkin
Ohio State University

Cheyenne M. Siverly
University of Hawaii-Manoa

Madelyn M. Smith
Louisiana State University

Krti Tallam
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Megan J. Tom
Arizona State University

Tarlynn N. Tone-Pah-Hote
University of Minnesota-Morris

Megan R. Tyminski
University of Missouri-Columbia

Aaron F. Weckstein
Temple University

Elizabeth F. Wilkes
University of Georgia

Daniel K. Wu
University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

Stamps Scholarships Are Only for Certain Colleges, and They Are not Need-Based

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The Stamps Family Charitable Foundation partners with visionary colleges and universities to award multi-year scholarships that enable extraordinary educational experiences.

Scholars receive annual awards that range from $72,000 to $5,000 (four-year awards total an average of $288,000 – $20,000) with additional funds for enrichment activities such as study abroad, academic conferences, and leadership training. The Stamps Family Charitable Foundation and partner schools evenly share the costs of the awards.

The unique benefit that all Stamps Scholarships include is an enrichment fund, an additional monetary fund for Scholars to use in their academic and professional development. They may use the award to study or volunteer outside the United States, conduct research, or participate in a leadership program or academic conference. We like to think of this part of the award as the “dream fund.”

Where to Apply

Applying for a Stamps Scholarship is easy: just apply to one or more of our partner schools. If you qualify, you’ll automatically be considered for a Stamps award. The majority of our partner colleges and universities don’t require a separate application for the Stamps Scholarship, but the application deadline and award process varies from school to school along with the amount of the award. Expect an interview (or two or three) to be part of the process.

Visit the website of the school or schools of your choice to find out more about their unique application process and deadlines.

The Stamps Foundation, with its partner schools, seeks students who demonstrate academic merit, strong leadership potential, and exceptional character.  We support exceptional young people with promise and vision who are eager to make their contribution to the world and have the work ethic to make their dreams a reality.

Leadership development is at the core of the Stamps Scholarship program. Leadership potential is also a key part of the selection criteria for receiving a Stamps award. And, Stamps Scholars receive a separate financial award to participate in leadership activities of their choosing.

The Stamps Foundation welcomes and supports students from all backgrounds and areas of study. Financial need is not a consideration. At some of our partner schools, international students are eligible for the Stamps Scholarship. Students should check directly with the program that they are interested in to view eligibility requirements.

Stamps Scholarships are not transferable to other colleges or universities.

Selection Process

A student must apply directly to one or more of our partner schools to be considered for the Stamps Scholarship.

At certain schools, the Stamps Scholarship Program is part of an umbrella program for scholars, such as the Foundation Fellows at the University of Georgia or the Carolina Scholars at the University of South Carolina.

In many cases, students who apply by certain deadlines (often the early or ‘scholarship’ deadline) using the normal freshman application for admission will be automatically considered for the Stamps Scholarship.  In some cases, however, our partner school may request a separate application for consideration of the Stamps Scholarship.

Speak with an admissions counselor or visit the website of the school or schools of your choice to find out more about their unique application process and deadlines.

Colleges Offering Stamps Scholarships:

Barry
Caltech
Chicago
Connecticut
William and Mary
Dartmouth
Elizabethtown
Florida
Georgia Tech
LSU
Mercer
Miami Ohio
Morehouse
Oberlin
Purdue
Ohio St
Tulane
Air Force Academy
West Point
Naval Academy
UC Berkeley
UCLA
Illinois
Georgia
Maryland
Univ of Miami
Frost School of Music, Univ of Miami
Michigan
Mississippi
Missouri
Notre Dame
Oregon
Pitt
South Carolina
USC
UT Austin
Virginia, Darden School of Business
Virginia, Jefferson Scholars
Washington
Wisconsin
Virginia Tech
Virginia-Maryland Vet Medicine
Wake Forest
Washington Univ St. Louis

 

UC Berkeley, UT Austin Lead Publics in NSF Graduate Research Grants

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The National Science Foundation has named 2017 grantees for the prestigious NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (NFSGRFP). UC Berkeley and UT Austin led all public universities while MIT and Cornell led private institutions.

Below please see a list of the 50 universities with the most NSFGRFP grants in 2017.

For the 2017 competition, NSF received over 13,000 applications, and made 2,000 award offers.

Past fellows include numerous Nobel Prize winners, U.S. Secretary of Energy, Steven Chu, Google founder, Sergey Brin, and Freakonomics co-author, Steven Levitt.

Fellows share in the prestige and opportunities that become available when they are selected. Fellows benefit from a three-year annual stipend of $34,000 along with a $12,000 cost of education allowance for tuition and fees (paid to the institution), opportunities for international research and professional development, and the freedom to conduct their own research at any accredited U.S. institution of graduate education they choose.

NSF Grad Research FellowshipsNumber
UC Berkeley64
MIT59
Cornell43
Harvard36
Yale35
UT Austin34
Stanford32
Brown30
Princeton29
Washington27
UC San Diego25
UCLA25
Wisconsin24
North Carolina22
Arizona St21
Florida21
Columbia21
Georgia Tech20
Michigan19
Maryland18
Rice18
Arizona17
Minnesota17
USC17
North Carolina St16
Caltech16
Chicago16
Colorado15
Illinois15
Duke15
Penn15
CUNY14
Ohio St14
UC Davis14
Pomona14
Pitt13
Purdue13
Tennessee12
UC Irvine12
Virginia12
Swarthmore12
Auburn11
Florida St11
UC Riverside11
Johns Hopkins11
Clemson10
Georgia 10
Texas A&M10
Northwestern10
Notre Dame10
Washington Univ10