Scholarships for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology

Find a Source for Financial Aid

There are a large number of scholarships available for those majoring in biochemistry and molecular biology (BMB), and what you see here are just a few examples of the available aid. Start with your school’s BMB department, then seek scholarships offered by the college (usually Arts and Sciences), by the school itself, and whatever national awards your school can recommend. Much aid money also goes to graduate fellowships, so keep that in mind when you are no longer an undergraduate.

Scholarships From Colleges

Oklahoma State University

Oklahoma State University’s Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology provides the Paul F. Kruse, Jr. Memorial Scholarship for a junior or senior who is majoring in biochemistry and molecular biology. The scholarship brings between $250 and $500, and you will have to contact the department directly to obtain further information.

There are also three departmental awards named after Grace Knox, James E. Webster, and V. G. Heller. The Webster award is worth $100, and the amounts of the other two vary annually.

University of Massachusetts Amherst

The Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department belonging to the University of Massachusetts Amherst gives the Hayes Scholarship to a sophomore or junior majoring in biochemistry and molecular biology and having a GPA of at least 3.5. The Hayes award goes to a student who seeks out unusual challenges and has a wide range of personal interests. If the recipient is a sophomore, the funding will continue until graduation.

The department also offers two other monetary gifts, the Linda Slakey Award (for a junior who wants to participate in a summer research project) and the Henry Little Award (for the junior with the highest overall GPA).

Michigan State University

Michigan State University’s Biochemistry & Molecular Biology Department hand out the Pamela J. Fraker Undergraduate Scholarship to a student majoring in biochemistry who is goal-oriented and driven to succeed in school and career. Three students receive $1,500 each every year. Criteria include academic strength as well as financial need, and you must be at least a sophomore to apply.

Also available are the Dr. James K. Billman, Jr. Undergraduate Research Awards and the BMB Undergraduate Research Fellowships for $1,500 each. These are reserved for juniors and seniors who want to conduct research but are hampered by necessary employment. The Professor Richard L. Anderson Endowed Undergraduate Research Prize, also for a junior or senior, brings $2,000 to a student engaged in or planning laboratory work.

Pomona College

Pomona College offers a program in molecular biology, supporting its majors with the Beckman Scholarships. Due to the amount ($14,600 to cover the cost of two summers of research work plus the included academic year), there is a great deal of competition for the award. The Beckman lets you work under a faculty mentor, pays for your laboratory supplies and travel to meetings, and will not affect your other financial aid.

Pomona uses a 12-point grading scale, with 11 representing an A minus, and the GPA requirement for sophomore applicants is 10.75. Juniors must be in the top 10% of GPAs found in the following majors: Chemistry, Biology, Molecular Biology, and Neuroscience (usually around 11.2).

Mississippi State University

The Mississippi State University Department of Biochemistry, Molecular Biology, Entomology and Plant Pathology provides two scholarships to its majors, including those studying biochemistry. They are the Benjamin F. Barrentine Memorial Scholarship, named for one of the Biochemistry department’s founders, and the Dr. Will D. Carpenter Scholarship. Both range between $250 and $1,000.

There is no application necessary, because the department’s head and faculty select the honorees. Your grades, involvement in department activities, and financial situation will be considered

Iowa State University

The Roy J. Carver Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics & Molecular Biology (BBMB) at Iowa State University has posted an extensive page of scholarship information, for both freshmen and continuing students. Here are three examples of what you will find:

• The Department of BBMB Freshman Scholarship goes to a new student with a good academic history who participates in school and community activities and shows leadership. It is worth $500 to $1,000.
• The Rob Stupka Memorial Scholarship is given to a major in one of the following fields: biochemistry, biophysics, or agricultural biochemistry. You must have a GPA of 3.0 and have produced research of worth, with a view to publication. This $1,000-$2,000 award is potentially renewable.
• The Donald and Margaret Graves Scholarship awards $500 every year to a student who has demonstrated both a strong interest and capability in research, and intends to do more research during the scholarship year.

Wichita State University

Wichita State University’s Department of Biochemistry offers the Charles & Nina Kirby Jones Biochemistry Scholarship, which distributes two annual awards to biochemistry majors who have finished Biology 210/211 and Chemistry 211/212. If you maintain satisfactory academic progress, you can renew the scholarship.