Mission

The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship is a distinguished undergraduate scholarship that provides up to $7,500 per year for rising college juniors and seniors in the natural sciences, mathematics, and engineering who are interested in pursuing careers in research. This highly prestigious and competitive award is granted to up to 300 students nationwide. VMI must nominate the applicants and may only support a limited number of applications each year. Students are required to fill out a pre-application so the Institute can identify and work with them through the application process.

Minimum Qualifications

• U.S. citizen, national, or permanent resident
• Sophomore or junior (1-2 years of study remaining after applying)
• 3.0 GPA or higher
• Intend to pursue a research career in the natural sciences, engineering, or mathematics

Top Attributes of Successful Candidates

• Research must be a central part of the student’s career goals and this must be evident from the research essay and the support letters
• Student should have prior experience engaging in research and should have worked closely with a research mentor through VMI or through a research-focused internship
• Have a GPA > 3.5 (In recent years, a GPA of 3.3 was the lowest of any awardee)
• Meticulous attention to detail (there are restrictive formatting requirements, page limits, and 25+ pages of helpful directions regarding the application)

VMI Contact: Col. David Feinauer, feinauerdm@vmi.edu 

More Information: Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education