Honorable Mentions

From 2006 through 2018, the Foundation recognized Honorable Mentions: students whose applications merited a Goldwater Scholarship, but whom the Foundation could not fund with the resources available in those years. They were Goldwater-caliber scholars in every respect — the limit was funding, not merit.

That changed through Congressional support. In 2019, the Foundation secured a $9 million appropriation that allowed it to roughly double the number of scholarships awarded each year — from about 250 to 500 — over the 2019–2023 competitions. The increase let the Foundation fund the students it would previously have named Honorable Mentions, and the designation was retired. An additional $9 million secured in 2023 sustains 500 scholarships annually from 2024 through 2028. Should that increased support ever lapse, the Honorable Mention designation would return.

The directory below lists every Honorable Mention from 2006 through 2018, by state of legal residence at the time of recognition. Use the search and filters to explore by year, school, state, or field of study.