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2025-2026 Undergraduate STEM Research Scholarship

Deadline: June 9, 2025 by 4:00 p.m.

Purpose

Eight (8) scholarships of $5,000 will be awarded to support outstanding undergraduate students pursuing a degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) disciplines that support NASA’s mission. (Preservice STEM education majors also qualify.) Awards of $2,500 per semester with proof of enrollment, in addition to continuation of research involvement, and minimum 3.0 GPA met with transcript verification from Fall 2025, are required for the Spring 2026 allotment.

Eligibility

  • U. S. citizenship
  • Full-time enrollment at DMACC, Drake, ISU, Loras, Morningside, UI, or UNI as of August 2025
  • Graduation date no earlier than May 2026
  • Majoring in STEM disciplines (includes Preservice STEM education majors)
  • Currently working on a faculty-mentored research project that has NASA STEM relevance
  • Good academic standing (minimum 3.0/4.0 GPA)

Selection

Funding is competitively awarded based on complete application information including academic qualifications, research project, NASA alignment, and faculty letter of recommendation. Awardees will be required to present their research as a poster presentation at the ISGC Student Research Symposium in Spring 2026 (date TBD). Some students, based on mentor recommendation, will be asked to give an oral presentation at this symposium. Awardees will need to provide an unofficial transcript upon graduation and agree to participate in a NASA longitudinal tracking process that surveys student progress and eventual employment outcome to help assess the effectiveness of our program and STEM retention efforts.

To Apply

Complete the scholarship application: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/0196160109eb752897fcc4e6d0a987b4
As part of the application, you will be asked to upload your most recent unofficial transcript (unprotected and unsecured PDF)
Faculty advisors must submit a recommendation letter that describes the student’s role within a STEM research project. A second recommendation letter is optional that addresses the student’s broader qualifications. Forward this request to your mentor by email with the following URL for online submission: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/01961621e36a7cd18fe14e75a2a20264

Announcement Date

Preliminary announcement date for awards is July 26, 2025, contingent upon availability of NASA funding.

This online announcement is available on the ISGC website.