NIH Undergraduate Scholarship Program

Award Amount
Application deadline
Awarded By:

National Institutes of Health

Number of Awards & Eligibility: The number of awards offered varies annually. There were 20 new scholarships awarded in prior academic years.
In order to qualify, students must meet the following criteria:
  1. This award is for U.S. students.
  2. Must have a grade point average of 3.3 or higher on a 4.0 scale OR be ranked within the top 5 percent of his/her class.
  3. Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.
  4. Must be committed to pursuing a career in biomedical, behavioral, and social science health-related research.
  5. Must enroll full time.
  6. Must have exceptional financial need as certified by his/her undergraduate institution. The guidelines for demonstrating need are available online at www.training.nih.gov/programs/ugsp.
  7. Must be enrolled or accepted for enrollment at an accredited four-year undergraduate institution in the United States. High school seniors are not eligible to apply; students who have been awarded an undergraduate degree and/or are enrolled in an advanced degree program (such as a master's degree) are also not eligible to apply.

In order to qualify, students must meet the following criteria:

Description: U.S. undergraduate students who demonstrate exceptional financial need and have a grade point average of 3.3 or higher or rank in the top five percent of their class are eligible to apply for this award. Students must demonstrate a sincere interest in pursuing a career in biomedical, behavioral, and social science health-related research.

Application requirements for the NIH Undergraduate Scholarship Program are:

  • Application form
  • Transcript
  • Resume
  • Personal statement
  • Recommendation letters (3)
  • Interview
Additional Information: Invitations for phone interviews will be distributed in mid-June. Phone interviews will occur in mid-July, and selection of scholars will occur in late July. For each full or partial scholarship year, the recipient commits to two NIH service obligations. The first is a 10-week summer laboratory experience. After each year of scholarship support, the recipient will train for 10 weeks as a paid summer research employee in an NIH research laboratory. This employment occurs after the receipt of the scholarship award. Each scholar will be assigned to an NIH researcher and an NIH postdoctoral fellow, who will serve as mentors. The scholar will also attend formal seminars and participate in a variety of programs. The second obligation is employment at the NIH after graduation. The recipient must serve one year of full-time employment for each year of scholarship.

Award Amount: Up to $20,000 annually, renewable for up to three additional years. Funds are used for tuition, educational expenses, and reasonable living expenses  The total dollars awarded for this scholarship is $80,000.

Deadline Information:

Deadline for this scholarship is Monday, March 18

Deadline Information:

Deadline for this scholarship is Monday, March 18

Applications are available on the National Institutes of Health (NIH) website. The student must apply online via the NIH application system. The student will be required to submit the following information as part of the online application: information on his/her coursework (to include courses taken and grades received); a resume; a personal statement; and contact information for three persons who will provide letters of recommendation. The recommenders will be sent instructions on how to submit their letters. The student will also be required to have the institution he/she will be attending in the fall complete a "Certification for Exceptional Financial Need" form. This form is available on the NIH website at www.training.nih.gov/programs/ugsp/appcenter. The application must be submitted by 11:59 p.m. EST on March 15, 2018. Letters of recommendation must be received by 11:59 p.m. EST on March 28, 2018.
About National Institutes of Health:
Contact Information: Rayna Carter, Ph.D., Director of Student Services
Address: Office of Intramural Training & Education, National Institutes of Health - DHHS 2 Center Drive, Building 2 / Room 2E24 Bethesda, Maryland 20892-0230

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