Opportunities
Transfer Students
Transfer students can apply for the vast majority of awards, but we are highlighting two here because they are scholarships that typically limit how many students can be nominated from each university. However, they both allow for a university to nominate one extra candidate if that student transferred from community college. If you are a transfer student and interested in either of these opportunities, please visit ONS as early as possible.
The Goldwater Scholarship Program, one of the oldest and most prestigious national scholarships in the natural sciences, engineering and mathematics in the United States, seeks to identify and support college sophomores and juniors (by year of graduation) who show exceptional promise of becoming this Nation's next generation of research leaders in these fields. Selected students will receive a stipend for academic and research support for their remaining years as an undergraduate.
Eligibility: Goldwater applicants must be US citizens or permanent residents aspiring toward obtaining a PhD or MD/PHD. Applicants must also have a minimum 3.0 GPA. Candidates who are aiming to obtain a master’s degree in a STEM area are not eligible and pre-med candidates are also ineligible.
Undergraduates with one or more years of deep dive research experiences are ideal candidates. Candidates must have a significant role in the research project(s) on which the Goldwater application research paper will be written. Completed research, and not research proposals, are desired. At least a significant study pertaining to the research question being used to apply must be complete at the time of the application. Papers either in submitted or published status, as well as presentations in local, regional or national conferences are preferred. USF can only nominate 4 students plus one student transferring from a 2-year institution. Therefore, there is a campus review process associated with choosing nominees. The review committee meets in December, reviews the application dossiers in its entirety and chooses nominees based on (A) strength and intellectual merit of research (B) preparation and steps taken towards completed research (C) career goals and (D) leadership and Broader impacts of research and extracurricular activities related to STEM.
When is the national deadline? Last Friday of January of every year.
When should you come see us? ONS will usually recruit and mentor potential Goldwater candidates early in their freshman year. But we realize that we will not be able to reach all students who are involved in research. Ideally the first Goldwater assessment meeting should take place at least a year prior to the application, but it should be no later than the August before the January when the application is due.
What is the application timeline? August through December of every year, Goldwater candidates (pre-nomination) work under the guidance of Dr. Sayandeb Basu and individual PI’s to prepare the application for Internal Competition and Review. In December, the USF Goldwater committee meets to review the applications. Final nominees are chosen first week of January, and in the time remaining, nominees work under the guidance of Dr. Basu and their PI’s to refine and finalize applications for submission.
ONS Contact: Dr. Sayandeb Basu, sayandeb@honors.usf.edu
The Truman Scholarship recognizes future "change agents." They have the passion, intellect, and leadership potential that in time should enable them to improve the ways that public entities - be they government agencies, nonprofit organizations, public and private educational institutions, or advocacy organizations - serve the public good. Eligible applicants are university students with junior-level academic standing and who wish to attend professional or graduate school to prepare for careers in government or the nonprofit and advocacy sectors where they will improve the ways these institutions work. Applicants from USF must be nominated to apply in spring of their sophomore year.
Eligibility: US Citizen; rising third year student
When is the national deadline? Early February
When should you come see us? Spring of second year
What is the application timeline? Potential candidates are nominated in the spring of their second year and undergo an extensive internal review process to be endorsed to apply for the Truman Scholarship through USF. The following summer and fall semester, applicants undergo a structured process of drafting application essays, learning about public policy, and other professional development. In early fall, applicants submit the names of three recommendation letter writers and drafts of the letters will be due for feedback in early November.
ONS Contact: Dr. Sayandeb Basu, sayandeb@honors.usf.edu