Cognitive Science Scholarships

Support Your Science Education

Cognitive science is an intriguing, interdisciplinary field that is comprised of intricately related disciplines, such as linguistics and speech pathology, psychology, artificial intelligence, data analysis and computer science. This wide realm all adds up to explorations in how humans and machines think, communicate and perceive the outside world.

You will find that there are as many undergraduate scholarships as there are graduate. In fact, many cognitive science undergraduates go on to study at the graduate and even post-graduate level.

While the following are fairly focused scholarships, there are many others in associated science disciplines that might apply for the right student as well.

Government Scholarships

The Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation (SMART) Scholarship for Service Program is open to graduate and undergraduate students studying cognitive science. Offered through the U.S. National Defense Education Program, it is an outstanding package for students willing to accept post-graduate employment with the U.S. Dept. of Defense. In return, it pays full tuition and education-related fees, a stipend of up to $38,000 depending on the science, math or technological degree, paid summer internships, health insurance and a book allowance of $1,000 per academic year. To be considered, you  must have a minimum 3.0 GPA.

Scholarship Programs

• Through the University of California-San Diego, undergraduate and graduates students may qualify for fellowships sponsored by the National Science Foundation. Twelve undergraduates are chosen for the Biological Basis of Human and Animal Behavior, an in-depth summer term research experience focused on animal  and human behavior. Graduate students can apply for three different fellowships to study developmental social neuroscience, autism and computational neuroscience. Jobs offering hands-on experience and pay, linked to the field of cognitive science, are posted through the department’s home page.

• Merck Pharmaceuticals offers the Merck Research Laboratories (MRL) Postdoctoral Research Fellow Program for industrial post-doctoral researchers who want to work in laboratory environments with top capabilities and expertise, while obtaining experience in drug development. You can earn a competitive salary in preparation for a return to academia or to launch into the pharmaceutical or biotechnology industries.

• The Association for Women in Science offers a number of national scholarships. However, the organization also works on a more regional level through its state associations to extend education funds. Applicants may hail from any type of educational background, including community or technical college, undergraduate or graduate. Check with the national organization for scholarships and ask out about the one in your community so you can check there, too.

• Paid internships and fellowships for cognitive science majors are available at Johns Hopkins University Center for Language and Speech Processing. One is the Graduate Research Fellowship Program, funded by the National Science Foundation to support outstanding graduate students who are pursuing research-based master’s and doctoral degrees in fields such as cognitive science. Awards cover three years of graduate education.

United Negro College Fund

The United Negro College Fund Special Programs Corporation (an outgrowth of the long-standing UNCF) works with government agencies and private corporations to offer a range of internships, scholarships, fellowships and jobs for connecting diverse learners with the workforce. The UNCFSP taps students from historically black colleges and universities, hispanic-serving institutions, tribal colleges and universities, and other minority institutions. From NASA to the Department of Energy to Merck Pharmaceuticals, see what offerings may apply to you in the field of cognitive science. The list of partnerships and availability constantly evolves.