College Scholarships for Math Students

Get the Numbers Your Deserve

Subject-specific financial aid is aimed at college students committed to certain professions, and provides valuable supplemental resources for tuition relief.  Core subjects like mathematics and science are widely applied within the workforce, so financial assistance in these educational areas helps students transition into a variety of related careers.  Statistical analysts, accountants and actuaries each rely on mathematics education – as well as professionals working in dozens of other math-heavy vocations.

STEM subjects: Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics represent the cutting-edge of education, so particular interest is paid to financial aid that supports these areas.  To lure the brightest college minds, corporate benefactors and research organizations put-forth substantial financial aid initiatives for post-secondary education.

Trade associations and other industry groups are well-represented in math-related careers; supporting diverse professionals like certified public accountants, mathematics educators, and software engineers.  Mathematics scholarship-seekers compete for privately funded merit-based aid from companies like Microsoft, Siemens, and Cisco.

Government initiatives also include educational assistance specifically targeting mathematics majors and other students working toward degrees influenced by math studies.  States fund education for college students who intend to be math teachers following graduation, as well as promising technology degree candidates.  Financial aid backed by the public sector is sometimes distributed on-campus, by school administrators who are familiar with university degree programs and well-equipped to place financial aid awards with the mathematics students who are most deserving.

Math Scholarships Resources

Scholarships for math students originate from a variety of sources including private corporations, memorial endowments, philanthropic organizations, state and local governments, individual university departments and educational foundations.  Use your academic major to open scholarship doors for math-related education.

Because they are supported by diverse entities, scholarship eligibility requirements are not consistent for all awards.  Some merit-scholarships have very specific GPA requirements, while some rely heavily on standardized test scores to evaluate applicants.

Many scholarships are linked to a student’s performance on the PSAT or SAT. The National Merit Scholarship, for example, uses the PSAT as a preliminary qualifier for winning awards. Of the 1.5 million applicants, about fifty-thousand are selected to continue, based on PSAT scores.  Eventually, around 15,000 finalists are selected to compete for $2500 National Merit Scholarships.  In addition to the general awards, which are evenly spread across states, the National Merit Program also administers special, privately-sponsored scholarships.

To earn Benjamin Rush Scholarships at Dickinson College, a colonial school located in rural Pennsylvania, high achieving applicants must log a combined SAT score of 1350 or greater. Additional requirements include rigorous high school curricula and GPA near 4.0.  Qualified applicants earn $15,000 each semester, for up to eight semesters.  Consult your on-campus financial aid office for details about programs at your school.

National Scholarships

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security administers the DHS Scholarship and Fellowship Program which offers full tuition, plus monthly living stipends, to qualified students in designated majors; including mathematical sciences.

The National Science Foundation provides federally-backed assistance for qualifying students.  NSF Scholarships in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (S-STEM), benefit talented STEM students, who qualify for up to $10,000 each academic year.

The Siemens Foundation hosts annual Siemens Scholarship Competitions in Math, Science & Technology. Regional winners are awarded scholarships worth $1000 each, and those students moving on to the national round of  finalists qualify for additional college funding worth as much as $100,000.

The Intel Science Talent Search represents a tremendous annual opportunity for 1700 high school students who excel in math and science. Over one-million dollars worth of scholarships and awards are at stake annually, for innovative students who might land top prizes exceeding $100,000. Finalists also benefit from greater access to certain colleges and universities. New York University, for instance, has consistently offered four-year scholarships to finalists of the Intel Science Talent Search who otherwise meet their admission criteria.

MATHCOUNTS is a national organization for  6th, 7th, and 8th grade students interested in fun and challenging math-related activities.  The group hosts a competition annually, which places participants in contention for college scholarships.

University Scholarships

Washington University, in St. Louis, provides full-tuition and half-tuition scholarships; issued through its Honorary Scholars Program. The Arthur Holly Compton Fellowship in the Physical Sciences and Mathematics is a four-year fellowship opportunity for Honors Scholars program participants. Compton Scholars receive full-tuition scholarships and$1000 living stipends.

Baylor University supports its mathematics department with scholarships for promising students enrolled in applied math and mathematics education programs.  The Professor Albert Boggess Mathematics Scholarship Fund and the Ruth and Gene Royer Scholarship fund each provide endowments for mathematics students.

Math and computer science students at Eastern Illinois University have access to campus funding for tuition and related expenses.  Various programs benefit incoming freshmen, current students and students transferring from other schools.

A full-ride scholarships is awarded annually to a UCLA Mathematics Department student with an outstanding academic record and demonstrable aptitude for mathematics education.

Scholarships for Math Teachers

Scholarships specifically address the need for qualified teachers in mathematics.  For example; Math for America administers The Newton Fellowship Program, which helps train math-savvy individuals to become high school math teachers. A five-year teaching commitment, in a program-designated school, rewards each participant with $90,000 to offset undergraduate education expenses, and a scholarship covering full tuition toward an M.Ed degree..

Financing Graduate School for Math Majors

Advanced mathematical and scientific studies are highly specialized and involve an extraordinary commitment to research activities.  Government initiatives and privately funded fellowships allow cutting-edge academic mathematicians to conduct valuable research, without the need for additional employment.  STEM fellowships often include stipends to help with living expenses during advanced degree pursuits.

Fannie and John Hertz Foundation provides educational resources for motivated individuals studying science and engineering.  The organization’s merit awards provide cost-of-education allowances as well as personal awards for living expenses.

The Department of Defense funds National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate Fellowships. Around 200 new, three-year fellowships are initiated annually, in areas like mathematics, aeronautical engineering and bio-sciences.