The Barry Goldwater Scholarship
The Goldwater is a national merit-based scholarship open to current sophomores and juniors interested in research and majoring in the sciences, engineering, computer science, or math.
Students selected as Goldwater Scholars are eligible to receive up to $7,500 for the subsequent academic year. Current juniors are eligible for one year of scholarship support (senior year), and current sophomores are eligible for up to two years of scholarship support (junior and senior years).
Specifically, the Barry Goldwater Scholarship Program was created to encourage outstanding students to pursue research careers in science, engineering, and mathematics and to foster excellence in those fields. The most prestigious undergraduate award for STEM students, it is also a mark of distinction when applying for other awards or graduate school.
- Be a currently or previously matriculated sophomore or junior and be a full-time matriculated student during the academic terms when receiving scholarship support from the Goldwater Foundation;
- Intend to pursue a research career in a natural science, mathematics or engineering. Visit their fields of study list to determine if your major applies;
- Minimum of 3.00 GPA;
- Be a U.S. citizen, national, or permanent resident.
Selection Criteria
- Academic excellence, and, ideally, a high GPA;
- Strong research background;
- Career intent – becoming future leaders and innovators in the natural sciences, engineering, and/or mathematics.
URI applicants interested in the Goldwater Scholarship must first complete the URI pre-application and follow the campus application procedure below which helps them, if nominated, prepare for the final application materials as follows:
- Online Questionnaire
- Research Essay
- Three letters of recommendation
- Transcript
Campus Application Procedure
- For those interested in the Goldwater Scholarship, please complete the Student Interest form or the Alumni Interest form to receive program updates;
- Read the Goldwater Scholarship description so you understand the eligibility and selection criteria;
The Goldwater requires institutional nomination, a process coordinated by the Office of Fellowships@URI. Each U.S. institution (college or university) is limited to a maximum of four nominees per year or up to six students if they have both a transfer student and a U.S. Veteran (i.e., their fifth and sixth nominees cannot be two transfer students or two U.S. Veterans). Since the number of qualified candidates for nomination at URI often outnumbers this maximum number, our campus has a pre-application process to select its nominees. The campus pre-application includes:
- Short answer questions about career goals and personal statements
- Document highlighting research activities
- Brief research description
- A list of potential letter writers (no letters are submitted at this stage)
- Unofficial transcripts from all undergraduate work
- There is no such thing as starting too early for the Goldwater! Begin thinking about the many avenues to research and start seeking out or making your own research opportunities on and off campus. Take academically rigorous courses, and consider the Honors Program;
- Become familiar with the Goldwater website;
- October – November: Consolidate materials for the Goldwather Pre-application form
- Campus Pre-application Deadline – December 15.
- mid- December – Applicants will be notified of their nomination status, and those who have been nominated will schedule a meeting with Fellowships@URI to discuss their application timeline
- National Deadline: Last Friday in January (January 30, 2026) at 5:00 PM CT
- Selectees Notified: Last Friday in March
Alumni
URI nominees have been quite successful in this competition. Twenty-seven URI students have been named as Goldwater Scholars since the program’s inception in 1989.
In 2023, three URI juniors were selected as Goldwater Scholars.