LoginsThis page collects the questions Campus Representatives ask most. It will grow over time — for anything not answered here, contact the Goldwater Help Center at 507-931-8335 or goldwater@scholarshipamerica.org.
Generally, not. A paper or presentation produced solely for a lecture class does not rise to the level of research that a Goldwater research essay is built on, and it should not be listed in the Research Projects section of the application. It can be the springboard for a Goldwater-type project, but it is not the project itself.
Generally, not. The scholarship supports students heading for research careers, which normally means doctoral study. If a student’s stated aspiration ends at a master’s degree, reviewers are unlikely to find the case for a research career persuasive.
No — there is no per-institution cap on awards, and the likelihood of producing a Scholar increases when an institution puts forward more strong applications (institutions submitting four to six applications do well). Nominate every student who is competitive.
Yes, encourage it. The success rate for re-nominated students is generally higher than for first-time nominees, and the revision process itself strengthens their graduate school and fellowship applications.
No. CRs and mentors may give feedback throughout the process, but the writing must be the student’s own. Proofreading for errors before submission, however, is appropriate.
A letter from outside the natural sciences, mathematics, or engineering is strongly discouraged, and if none of the three letters comes from within those fields it significantly reduces the likelihood of selection. The strongest letters come from research mentors who have worked with the student over an extended period.
Family members and clergy are not appropriate letter writers, and neither are faculty from non-STEM fields. A high school teacher is an exception only where that teacher mentored the student on a significant research project.
Yes — the Foundation sees no conflict of interest, and a missing mentor letter is a bigger red flag than a CR-authored one. Note the relationship in your CR statement.
Four to five weeks before your campus deadline. Set that campus deadline well ahead of the Goldwater nomination deadline, so there is room to replace a letter or follow up with a writer who has gone quiet. Send writers the Foundation’s letter guidance along with your date; there is a draft email you can adapt on the Advising and Strategy page.
Return it to its author for revision. Letters longer than two pages will not be read. It is worth reading each letter for other obvious problems at the same time — a letter addressed to a different award competition does not impress reviewers, however prestigious the other award.
Explain why. Either you or the student should account for it, and your narrative statement is a natural place to do so. Reviewers notice when the main mentor on a listed project is absent from the letters.
No, it is optional — but stronger nominations tend to include one, and it is your only opportunity to speak directly to reviewers about a nominee. Personalize each statement rather than reusing a template. The Advising and Strategy page suggests what to cover.
No. Reviewers do not want institutional rankings. There is no cap per institution or discipline, and each application stands on its own. Use the statement for context: your selection process, the nominee’s strengths, or circumstances reviewers should understand.
No. Your nominees are submitted together, as one institutional nomination, so prepare them in parallel and submit once every file is complete. Nothing is gained by sending the first one early.
You receive a confirmation when the nomination is submitted, listing the students it covers. If that confirmation does not arrive, check your spam folder and then contact the Foundation — never assume a submission you have not seen confirmed.
Treat submission as final: it closes the file for review. If something genuinely must change, contact the Foundation before the deadline. After the deadline a nomination is reviewed exactly as it arrived.
Contact the Foundation as soon as you notice, and before the deadline wherever possible. Corrections are handled case by case, and once reviewing begins nothing can be added or exchanged.
No. Everything — essays, transcripts, letters, nomination forms, and permanent-resident materials — must be uploaded to the online portal as files (PDF preferred; PNG and JPG are accepted).
Possibly. For natural or man-made disasters, the Foundation President may grant an extension of up to five business days — request it in advance when feasible. If the application portal itself closes, the deadline extends to the business day after the closure ends.