USRA Scholarships

The USRA Distinguished Undergraduate Awards provide college scholarship awards to students who have shown a career interest in science or engineering with an emphasis on space research or space science education, and aeronautics-related sciences.

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OVERVIEW

USRA presents up to five scholarship awards to undergraduate students each fall as part of its Distinguished Undergraduate Award program.

Applicants must be full-time undergraduate students attending a four-year accredited college or university that offers courses leading to a degree in science or engineering. Applicants must be within two (2) years of earning a B.S. or a B.A. in a field of science and engineering, including life science and science education by the time the award is received. Scholarship awards are made in the fall, with applications accepted during the summer.

Detailed eligibility and application requirements are available here.  Applications for 2025 awards will be accepted starting in June 2025.

THE SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS

Thomas R. McGetchin Memorial Scholarship Award

This scholarship award honors the late Thomas R. McGetchin, former Lunar and Planetary Institute Director, for his significant contributions in the area of volcanic and igneous processes, work accomplished through field, experimental, and theoretical investigations of volcanic activity on Earth, the Moon, and Mars. One-time award of $5000.

John R. Sevier Memorial Scholarship Award

During his 22 years of service to USRA, Sevier served as Acting Director of the Lunar and Planetary Institute and as Deputy Director of the Division of Space Life Sciences. This memorial scholarship award honors his dedication to education and advancements in aerospace technology. One-time award of $5000.

James B. Willett Educational Memorial Scholarship Award

This scholarship award recognizes the efforts of the late James B. Willett, a noted astrophysicist who worked with USRA through the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and NASA Headquarters. One-time award of $5000.

Frederick A. Tarantino Memorial Scholarship Award

This scholarship award recognizes the late Frederick A. Tarantino, USRA President and CEO from 2006 - 2014, in recognition of his many contributions to USRA and his dedication to furthering the education of young scientists and engineers in space science related fields. One-time award of $5000.

Judith L. Pipher Memorial Scholarship Award

This scholarship award recognizes the late Judy Pipher for her contributions to infrared astronomy, her mentoring the next generation of scientists and engineers, and her many contributions to USRA as a member of the Board of Trustees, the representative for University of Rochester, and the Chair of the USRA SOFIA Science Council. One-time award of $5000.

ELIGIBILITY

1. Applicants must be full-time undergraduate students attending a 4-year accredited college or university in the United States at the time the award is received.
2. Applicants must be majoring in a field of science or engineering, including life sciences or science education, with application to fields in space science or aerospace engineering.
3. Applicants must be within two years of a B.S. or B.A. in a space science-related field of science or engineering (including life science and science education with application to fields in space science or aerospace engineering) by the time the award is received.
4. Applicants must have a Cumulative GPA of 3.50 or greater.
5. Applicants must be US citizens or lawful Permanent Residents.
6. Previous USRA scholarship winners are not eligible.
7. Non-US students attending USRA Member Universities located outside the United States are also eligible to apply. Applicants must be citizens of the country in which the university is based. In addition, all application materials must be in English, and eligibility with regard to academic grades and number of years to undergraduate degree must be equivalent to that for U.S. applicants. We recognize the differences in education systems among different countries and will apply reasonable interpretations of the guidelines. (The eligible non-US universities are University of Toronto, University of British Columbia, University of Leicester, University of Sheffield, Chinese University of Hong Kong, University of Stuttgart, University of Cologne, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Tel Aviv University, University of Canterbury, University of Sydney, University of Bern, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL), University of Zurich, Seoul National University, Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST), Indian Institute of Space Science and Technology, University of Padua, and Polytechnic University of Turin.

The USRA Distinguished Undergraduate Awards are awarded without regard to race, sex, religion, age, national origin, or sexual orientation. USRA maintains impartiality in the selection of scholarship awards, and scholarships are awarded solely based on the merits of the application. USRA will not award scholarships to applicants who are not qualified and reserves the right not to award a scholarship in a given year.