2026 - 2027 First Year (Merit) Scholarship Program
Deadline: June 6, 2026 by 4:00 p.m.
Purpose
Ten (10) scholarships of $3,000 will be awarded to support outstanding, incoming freshman, undergraduate students pursuing a degree in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) disciplines that support NASA’s mission. (Preservice STEM education majors also qualify.)
Eligibility
- U.S. citizenship
- Full-time enrollment at DMACC, Drake, ISU, Loras, Morningside, UI, Simpson, or UNI as of August 2026
- To be eligible, applicants must have graduated from high school prior to August 2026.
- Graduation date no earlier than May 2027
- Majoring in STEM disciplines (includes Preservice STEM education majors)
- Good academic standing (minimum 3.0/4.0 GPA)
- Students currently enrolled in a 2-yr community college program who are transferring into a full-time 4-yr program at Drake, ISU, Loras, Morningside, UI, Simpson or UNI as of August 2026 are also eligible to apply
Selection
Funding is competitively awarded based on complete application information including academic qualifications, and mentor letter of recommendation. To be considered, an applicant must describe leadership or service within your community and describe financial need. 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.
Awardees will be required to attend the ISGC Spring Research Symposium in April 2027 (date TBD) and complete at least one online professional development training. Funds will be applied to the Spring 2027 semester. Distribution of funds is contingent upon completion of the virtual professional development training session provided by the Iowa Space Grant Consortium during the Fall 2026 semester.
To Apply
As part of the application, you will be asked to upload your most recent unofficial transcript (unprotected and unsecured PDF)
A mentor must submit a recommendation letter that describes the student’s overall academic achievements and attributes. Forward this request to your mentor by email with the following URL for online submission: https://app.smartsheet.com/b/form/019d734462da75d78a7eb88bc3427190
Announcement Date
Preliminary announcement date for awards is July 2026, contingent upon availability of NASA funding.
This online announcement is available on the ISGC website.