David and Catherine Thompson Space Technology Scholarship

To help support our future aerospace professionals, the AIAA Foundation provides scholarships and graduate awards annually to undergraduate and graduate students in science or engineering programs.

In the past 20 years, the AIAA Foundation has provided over 1,300 scholarships and graduate awards to students at more than 150 colleges and universities worldwide.

The AIAA Foundation Undergraduate Scholarships Program offers scholarships to college sophomores, juniors, and seniors each year.

Through its annual Graduate Awards Program, the AIAA Foundation presents awards to graduate students doing excellent research in the air and space sciences.

Undergraduate Scholarship and Graduate Award applications must be submitted online. Applicants must be AIAA Student Members. To become a Student Member, click here.

Applicants may apply for up to two (2) scholarships or graduate awards. On the application form, you will indicate your primary award preference, along with a secondary award preference for which you would like to be considered. Please note that applicants with no demonstrated academic interest in the subject area of the award will not be considered, so please carefully select the awards that most closely correspond to your area of academic interest.

Scholarship applications are being accepted from 15 October to 31 January

Undergraduate Scholarships

Applicants for an AIAA Foundation Undergraduate Scholarship shall meet the following eligibility requirements:

• Must be a current AIAA Student member in good standing
• Must have completed at least 1 academic semester of full-time college work
• Must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.300 on a 4.000 scale unless otherwise noted
• Unless otherwise noted, applicants must be enrolled in an accredited college or university within the United States or U.S. Territories
• Applicant’s education plan shall be such as to continue coursework in some field of science or engineering that will provide for entry into the aerospace engineering field

Undergraduate Scholarships

The recipient of the scholarship will be selected on the basis of the following criteria:

College/University Transcripts (if you’ve attended more than one College/University, transcripts for all graduate-level work from ALL schools must be provided), including all graduate work completed through the most recent Fall term. Transcripts should be uploaded as one .pdf document via your online application. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable, however, if you are offered a scholarship or graduate award you will be asked to send copies of your official transcripts* to AIAA for grade and GPA verification.**We do not accept high school transcripts.

• Assessment of a 500-1,000 word essay specifying the applicant’s career objectives and an outline of the academic program required to achieve the career objectives.
• Assessment of award or scholarship-specific writing prompt if applying for a TC or Section-sponsored award.
• Two (2) professional letters of recommendation. These letters should be from any combination of academic or career references (advisors, supervisors, bosses, cohort leaders, etc.) and must be submitted via the online application system. Letters of recommendations may not be submitted by relatives.
• Resume or CV highlighting any professional experiences, extracurricular activities, awards/certifications, etc.
• An official transcript is the University’s certified statement of your academic record. The official paper transcript is printed on security sensitive paper and contains the University seal and signature of the University Registrar.

Graduate Awards

The recipient of the award will be selected on the basis of the following criteria:

College/University Transcripts (if you’ve attended more than one College/University, transcripts for all graduate-level work from ALL schools must be provided), including all graduate work completed through the most recent Fall term. Transcripts should be uploaded as one .pdf document via your online application. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable, however, if you are offered a scholarship or graduate award you will be asked to send copies of your official transcripts* to AIAA for grade and GPA verification. **Please do not submit undergraduate transcripts if applying for a graduate award.

• Assessment of a 500-1,000 word typewritten essay, specifying the applicant’s career objectives and an outline of the academic program required to achieve the career objectives
• Assessment of award or scholarship-specific writing prompt if applying for a TC or Section-sponsored award.
• A research description
• Must be 1-3 pages, double-spaced
• Descriptions over 3 pages will not be accepted
• Should clearly define any research hypotheses, approach, objectives and benefits of research
• The applicant should be able to succinctly describe their research and research objectives
• Two (2) professional letters of recommendation. These letters should be from any combination of academic or career references (advisors, supervisors, bosses, cohort leaders, etc.) and must be submitted via the online application system. Letters of recommendations may not be submitted by relatives.
• Resume or CV highlighting any professional experiences, extracurricular activities, awards/certifications, etc.
• An official transcript is the University’s certified statement of your academic record. The official paper transcript is printed on security sensitive paper and contains the University seal and signature of the University Registrar.

How does AIAA calculate cumulative G.P.A.?Cumulative G.P.A. is calculated using the following formula:

(# of credit hours from previous college X GPA at previous college) + (# of credit hours completed so far at current college X GPA at current college) = SUM

THEN

SUM divided by total credit hours from both colleges = combined G.P.A.

Note to Ph.D. Students: If you are in an advanced Ph.D. program that doesn’t record traditional grades, please obtain a letter from your advisor verifying your enrollment as a Ph.D. student. This letter should be on your university letterhead and include your name, the name of your program, and your advisor’s contact information for verification purposes and should be submitted in PDF format only.