How Math Students Can Find Math Scholarships, Grants, and Fellowships
Math students can find many opportunities in 2013 to help them find money to pay for college, in the form of college grants and math scholarships. SMART Grants, explained on this page are also important sources of funding to help pay for a math degree, because the U.S. government recognizes that math is an important area of study and that there is a lack of students graduating with a math degree.
Math Grants for Undergraduate Students
American Competitiveness Initiative (ACI) Grants are part of a federal program to raise the education standards in math, science, and foreign languages. These grants are given to low-income freshmen and sophomore college students in a “rigorous” program of study. It helps to have completed at least two Advanced Placement courses during high school.
While U.S. Department of Education SMART Grants (Science and Mathematics Access to Retain Talent) help college juniors and seniors pay for college, SMART Scholarships (Science, Mathematics And Research for Transformation) help undergraduate math students pay for college. The American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) administers the SMART Scholarship with the U.S. Department of Defense. The ASEE is also an excellent resource for math students to find other college grants, scholarships, and fellowships to help them pay for college.
For residents of the state of New York, interested in teaching math or science, there is free money for college available to help students pay for an undergraduate or master’s degree, known as the NYS Math and Science Teaching Incentive Scholarships. The scholarship would potentially pay for all of a candidate’s undergraduate studies or up to one full year of graduate studies. See the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation for more details. See whether your state of residence has special college grants and scholarships for math students.
The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship is for undergraduate students in mathematics, sciences, and engineering.
The University of California in San Diego’s Department of Mathematics has several math scholarships listed on their website.
According to U.S. News, the top colleges for mathematics degrees are (1) Massachusetts Institute of Technology (M.I.T.) (2) Harvard (3) Princeton (4) Stanford (5) University of California – Berkley and (6) University of Chicago. Usually the colleges themselves issue grants and scholarships, often based on financial need. That is why it is important to submit the FAFSA paperwork, apply for the Pell Grant, and communicate with the financial offices of the college you will be attending. At M.I.T. for example, Student Financial Services issues several scholarships per year based on demonstrated financial need.
Math Grants for Graduate Students
The National Science Foundation sponsors the Graduate Research Fellowship Program. They award research-based grants for students pursuing a master’s or doctoral degree. They encourage applications for women, ethnic minorities, and those with disabilities as a way of increasing diversity in the fields of science, mathematics, technology and engineering.
For residents of the state of New York, interested in teaching math or science, there is free money for college available to help students pay for an undergraduate or master’s degree, known as the NYS Math and Science Teaching Incentive Scholarships. The scholarship would potentially pay for all of a candidate’s undergraduate studies or up to one full year of graduate studies. See the New York State Higher Education Services Corporation for more details.
The University of California in San Diego’s Department of Mathematics has several math scholarships listed on their website.
Post-Graduate Math Grants
After completing a Ph.D. in mathematics, if you become a university professor, you may be interested in applying for a fellowship in the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
Summary for How to Pay for a Math Degree
Since math is an important field of study, there are many opportunities to help math students pay for college. From SMART grants to SMART scholarships, from math fellowships to math scholarships, math students can find free money to help pay for college.
