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The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program was authorized by the United States Congress in 1986 to honor Senator Barry Goldwater, who served his country for 56 years as a soldier and statesman, including 30 years of service in the U.S. Senate. The purpose of the scholarship is to foster and encourage excellence in science and mathematics.

The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation will award undergraduate scholarships to outstanding students. The awards are based on merit. Two groups of student are eligible to receive funding: those who will be college juniors during the next academic year, and those who will be college seniors. Successful applicants will have outstanding potential and intend to pursue careers in mathematics, the natural sciences, or engineering. 

Each scholarship covers eligible expenses for undergraduate tuition, fees, books, and housing and food, up to a maximum of $7,500 annually. Scholarship monies not used during one academic year are not transferable to the succeeding academic year. Junior-level scholarship recipients are eligible for a maximum of two years of scholarship support, and senior-level scholarship recipients are eligible for a maximum of one year of scholarship support. Scholars may opt to study abroad, but their Goldwater funding will be based on their U.S. institution's budget. Scholars must consult with the Goldwater Foundation prior to signing up for an overseas program, as there may be some costs associated with being overseas that are prohibited from being covered by this scholarship.

UAF may nominate up to four students per year. To be considered, a student must be nominated by his or her university representative through the official online nomination process on the Foundation's website.

To be considered for nomination as a Goldwater Scholar, a student must:

1. Be a full-time matriculated sophomore or junior pursuing a degree at an accredited institution of higher education during the year they apply. "Sophomore" is defined as a student who plans two more years of full-time undergraduate study starting the next academic year. Sophomore nominees can expect to receive a maximum of two years of support. "Junior" is defined as a student who plans one more year of full-time undergraduate study after the start of the next academic year. Junior nominees can expect to receive a maximum of one year of support.
2. Have a college grade-point average of at least 3.0.
3. Be a United States citizen from the 50 states or the District of Columbia; US national for those students nominated from Puerto Rico, Guam, Virgin Islands, American Samoa, and Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands; or a permanent resident. A permanent resident nominated for the scholarship must include a letter stating his/her intent to become a US citizen. A photocopy of the nominee's Permanent Resident Card must also be submitted.
4. Intend to pursue a research career in mathematics, science, or engineering. Nominees for Goldwater Scholarships must include in their online application a statement of interest that details how their academic program and their overall educational plans will prepare them for their chosen career goal. It is expected that students selected as scholars will pursue advanced research degrees (e.g. PhD). If the MS degree is the highest degree expected, it may not worth the effort it takes to apply. Students with interests in the health sciences (medicine, veterinary medicine, physical therapy, pharmacy, etc.) are eligible for a Goldwater Scholarship only if they plan a career that emphasizes research over clinical practice.

I. Pre-application
Students who wish to be considered for nomination by UAF must do the following before Tue 28 Nov. 2023 at 5pm AK time:

1. Contact the UAF Goldwater representative Dr. Eugenie Euskirchen (seeuskirchen@alaska.edu) stating intent to apply.
2. Fill out the online Goldwater Pre-Application and Student Profile. Follow the steps outlined on the Goldwater Scholarship website, https://goldwaterscholarship.gov/.
3. You will be asked in the pre-application for a list of people who might write you letters of recommendation. These names are suggestions; do not contact letter writers until your pre-application is approved. If your pre-application is approved, the campus representative will work with you to compile the strongest possible list of referees and provide you with information to send with your request when you ask for recommendation letters.  

II. Formal application for internal review
Students whose pre-applications are approved should do the following:

1. Discuss your list of letter writers with the campus representative. Informally approach the referees that you decide upon with the representative to determine if they are willing to provide a letter.  Formally,  the request for a letter of recommendation will be extended by the campus representative. So make sure the campus representative has the correct names, affiliations, and email addresses. 
2. Make your transcripts available to the UAF campus representative. (In some cases unofficial UAF transcripts may be used - contact the representative if that is your preference.)
3. Complete the online Goldwater Scholarship application.

III. Formal application to the national competition
Up to four UAF students will be nominated for the national Goldwater Scholarship competition. The deadline for the campus representative to make a nomination is Fri 26 Jan at 5pm CST.

Students who are successful at the pre-application stage will be asked to submit a Research Essay as part of the Goldwater application. The essay should discuss a significant problem or issue in the student's field of study and explain how research the student has done or proposes to do contributes to a better understanding or resolution of the problem.

More detailed instructions for the essay can be found on the Goldwater Scholarship website.

Students will submit a list of potential referees (letter writers) in the pre-application. However, this list of referees is preliminary. Students who are invited to submit a full application should discuss their choice of referees with the campus representative before contacting their referees. Once approved by the campus representative, students should ask potential referees if they are willing to write a recommendation. To help explain what is needed, the student can provide them with this information. 

Letters of recommendation will be formally requested in writing by the campus representative. Letters of recommendation must be sent by the referee directly to the campus representative (seeuskirchen@alaska.edu) on or before the due date, which is posted under the Deadlines section.

UAF Schedule

• 28 Nov 2023 - Pre-application due online. For more information about the pre-application.
• 4 Dec 2023 - Pre-applicants will be notified about whether they may formally apply for the scholarship.
• 12 Jan 2024 - Letters of recommendation due from letter-writers to campus representative
• 12 Jan 2024 - Transcripts due to campus representative
• 14 Jan 2024 - Online application should be complete
• On or before 26 Jan 2024 - UAF representative will inform students whether or not they will be nominated to the national competition

Goldwater Foundation Schedule

• 26 Jan 2024 - 5:00 p.m. CT - Deadline for nominations by universities
• Spring 2024 - Awardees will be notified