STEM Scholarships for Undergraduate Students
The demand for STEM talent continues to grow, and so does the financial support available to future innovators. If you are an incoming or current college student thinking about pursuing your degree in a STEM field, Scholarships.com can help. Scholarships are one of many sources of funding for college, including savings, current income, and federal and private loans. This guide breaks down what scholarships are available for STEM students, how to qualify, and where to find the top scholarships for STEM students.
Understanding STEM and STEAM
A STEM scholarship is a non-loan financial aid award offered to students on the basis of their participation or interest in STEM fields. Sometimes these scholarships invite applicants from any STEM field; sometimes they are targeted towards one specific discipline beneath the STEM umbrella. As AI technologies develop and grow in popularity, more and more students are becoming interested in studying AI at the collegiate level. Because AI itself is a technology, its study can be classified underneath the STEM umbrella. There are even some scholarships dedicated specifically to AI itself rather than STEM as a whole. One example is the Vectra AI Cybersecurity Scholarship, open to graduating seniors, current college students, and graduate students pursuing the study of AI. The difference between STEM and STEAM, represented by the letter “A,” is the inclusion of art or architecture in the category. This means STEAM scholarships accept a wider group of applicants than STEM scholarships.
Decoding STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics
The “S” in STEM stands for science. Science is a broad field that encompasses many disciplines. For this reason, students enrolled in programs from biology to psychology to medicine to computer science can be considered to be STEM students. While social sciences such as anthropology and political science are not always considered to fit the STEM category, it is always worth checking with scholarship providers to see if your particular field is included in their definition of STEM.
The “T” in STEM stands for technology. Any course of study involving the development and manufacturing of technological tools can be considered to fall under the STEM umbrella; the study of AI (artificial intelligence) technologies are included in this category.
The “E” in STEM stands for engineering. All kinds of engineering, from chemical to automotive to civil and more, are considered to be a discipline of STEM. There are countless scholarships dedicated solely to engineering students as well as general STEM scholarships for which engineering students are also eligible. Many engineering fields, especially robotics and computer engineering, overlap heavily with technological fields.
Read also: Broad Stem Cell Research Center
Finally, the “M” in STEM stands for mathematics. Students who pursue a higher education in mathematics may choose any type of math for their particular focus.
Finding and Applying for STEM Scholarships
The easiest way to find, apply for, and win STEM scholarships is by using Scholarships.com. When you create your free Scholarships.com account and indicate that you are interested in majoring in a STEM-related field, we will automatically match you with every scholarship open to students of your particular specialty. Once you have received your scholarship matches, it’s simple to apply. Just click on each match to review a full description of the award and the steps you’ll need to take in order to submit your application. Dante Parker, a software engineering major at the University of Michigan, applied for the Amazon Future Engineer scholarship after matching with it on Scholarships.com; Georgia Tech aviation student Leslie Nava did the same with AT&T’s oxyGEN award.
Eligibility and Types of STEM Scholarships
Scholarships for high school seniors: Planning to pursue a STEM degree?
Scholarships for college students: Already enrolled in a STEM program?
Scholarships for first-generation students: First in your family to attend college and majoring in STEM?
Read also: Applying for the Future Women in STEM Scholarship
Scholarships for adults: Returning to school or transitioning into a STEM career?
Pro tip: Apply to scholarships across multiple categories. For example, a first-generation woman majoring in engineering may qualify for several different awards. There are plenty of STEM scholarships for students without financial need; because the quantity of merit-based STEM scholarships available is so huge, it’s a good idea to narrow your search by demographic or academic specifications to find the best options for you. Some STEM scholarships require students to declare majors in STEM fields in order to receive or renew funding, but there are also STEM scholarships available to non-STEM majors. One STEM scholarship you can apply for without declaring a major in STEM is the Regeneron Science Talent Search Scholarship. This prestigious award for high school students is judged based on applicants’ scientific research. As a historically underrepresented group in the field, women are considered a minority in STEM programs. As such, there are STEM scholarships specifically designed to uplift them.
Scholarship Opportunities and Programs
Alpha One (South Portland, ME) Powering Education Scholarship: Alpha One has been promoting independent living for people with disabilities in Maine for 30 years. This scholarship will provide awards of $2,000 each to 3 selected candidate.
American Indian College Fund (Denver, CO) Scholarship Programs: For undergraduates and graduate students. Undergraduates Attending Tribal Colleges: We offer two scholarship programs, TCU and Full Circle scholarships, each with their own requirements.
Women in STEM Scholarship (BestColleges, Houston, TX): The Women In STEM Scholarship is available to undergraduate and graduate female students. You must be pursuing a degree in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics to be eligible.
Read also: Preparing Students for the Future in STEM
STEM Disability Scholarships: Several institutions, including Columbus State Community College (Columbus, OH), Ohio State University (Columbus, OH), Sinclair Community College (Dayton, OH) and Wright State University (Dayton, OH), offer STEM Disability Scholarships. OSAA is an NSF-funded initiative seeking to increase the number of students with disabilities that earn STEM degrees and enter the STEM workforce. Google is committed to helping the innovators of the future make the most of their talents by providing support.
NASA Internships and Fellowships: NASA offers a wide variety of paid summer, spring, and fall semester internships, as well as some graduate fellowships and undergraduate scholarships through this site. Application Deadline: 2/27/2026. These opportunities are available at various NASA centers, including:
- NASA Ames Research Center (Moffett Field, CA)
- NASA Dryden Flight Research Center (Edwards, CA)
- NASA Glenn Research Center (Cleveland, OH)
- NASA Goddard Institute of Space Studies (New York, NY)
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (Greenbelt, MD)
- NASA IV and V Facility (Fairmont, WV)
- NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (Pasadena, CA)
- NASA Johnson Space Center (Houston, TX)
- NASA Kennedy Space Center (Kennedy Space Center, FL)
- NASA Langley Research Center (Hampton, VA)
- NASA Marshall Space Flight Center (Huntsville, AL)
- NASA Shared Services Center (Bay St Louis, MS)
- NASA Stennis Space Center (Bay St Louis, MS)
- NASA Wallops Flight Facility (Wallops Island, VA)
- NASA White Sands Test Facility (Las Cruces, NM)
NACME Administered Scholarships (National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME), White Plains, NY): Through the NACME Scholars Program, NACME provides block grants to colleges and universities that, in turn, award the money to talented African American, American Indian, and Latinx students pursuing engineering degrees.
S-STEM Program: The main goal of the S-STEM program is to enable academically talented, low-income students to pursue successful careers in promising STEM fields. Ultimately, the S-STEM program seeks to increase the number of academically promising low-income students who graduate with an S-STEM eligible degree and contribute to the American innovation economy with their STEM knowledge. To be eligible, scholars must be domestic low-income students with academic ability, talent, or potential and demonstrated unmet financial need who are enrolled in an associate, baccalaureate, or graduate degree program in an S-STEM eligible discipline. Proposers must provide an analysis that articulates the characteristics and academic needs of the population of students they are trying to serve. NSF is particularly interested in supporting the attainment of degrees in fields identified as critical needs for the Nation. Doctoral (Ph.D.
Tips for Applying
These tips can help as you get ready to apply for STEM scholarships. There’s no standard deadline for scholarship applications. You don’t need to know which college you’re going to attend before applying for most scholarships. Absolutely not, so apply for as many as you can to increase your chances of winning free money. Want to find more types of scholarships? There are so many, check them out! Not every scholarship will ask you to submit an essay-different scholarships have different requirements. If you’re applying for a scholarship with an essay and need help writing yours, get tips for writing scholarship essays.
Financial Aid Beyond Scholarships
Please note, most scholarship recipients receive $2,500 or less, and only 0.1% of undergraduate students receive $25,000 or more in scholarship funds. Scholarships are one of many sources of funding for college, including savings, current income, and federal and private loans.
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