The President Walker Award
This award is presented annually to undergraduate degree candidates and degree-seeking provisional students who have earned a 4.0 (A) cumulative grade-point average based on at least 12 graded Penn State credits completed during their first semester of admission. Credits where Alternative Grades were selected do not count in the graded credits total. Candidates are eligible for this award if they have fewer than 36 Penn State credits earned. (CEEB advanced placement credits, CLEP taken prior to high school, International Baccalaureate credits, and credits taken prior to high school graduation are not counted in the total credits earned for purposes of this award. Credits earned using Alternative Grades do count in the total credits earned.)
During the presidency of Eric A. Walker (1956-1970), and with the approval of the Board of Trustees, the number of awards was increased and in 1960, the President’s Freshman Award was established.
Contact: scholasticawards@psu.edu
The President Sparks Award
This award is presented annually to those undergraduate degree candidates who have earned a 4.0 (A) cumulative grade-point average based on at least 36 graded Penn State credits completed by the end of the fall semester of the academic year in which the award is given. Credits where Alternative Grades were selected do not count in the Penn State graded credits total. Candidates are eligible for this award if they have fewer than 60 total credits earned. (CEEB advanced placement credits, CLEP taken prior to high school, International Baccalaureate credits, and credits taken prior to high school graduation are not counted in the total credits earned for purposes of this award. Credits earned using Alternative Grades do count in the total credits earned.)
In 1919 the President Sparks Medal was awarded to one student attaining the highest average. Edwin Erle Sparks was president from 1908 to 1920.
Contact: scholasticawards@psu.edu
The Evan Pugh Scholar Award – Juniors
These scholars are those students who are in the upper 0.5 percent of their respective classes and have completed at least 48 graded Penn State credits and at least 60 cumulative credits with no more than 92 cumulative credits, at the end of the fall semester of the academic year in which the award is given. Cumulative credits include all Penn State earned credits, transfer credits, AP credits, IB credits and CLEP credits. Credits where Alternative Grades were selected do not count in the Penn State graded credits total. Candidates are eligible if they have been full-time Penn State undergraduate students for at least four semesters prior to selection. The students this year have cumulative grade-point averages of 4.0.
Contact: scholasticawards@psu.edu
The Evan Pugh Scholar Award – Seniors
These scholars are those students who are in the upper 0.5 percent of their respective classes and have completed at least 48 graded Penn State credits, with more than 92.1 cumulative credits, at the end of the fall semester of the academic year in which the award is given. Cumulative credits include all Penn State earned credits, transfer credits, AP credits, IB credits and CLEP credits. Credits where Alternative Grades were selected do not count in the Penn State graded credits total. Candidates are eligible if they have been full-time Penn State undergraduate students for at least four semesters prior to selection. The seniors this year have cumulative grade-point averages of 4.0.
The Evan Pugh Scholar Awards began in 1933 and were given to the top five persons in both the junior and senior classes. The award is named for Evan Pugh, Penn State’s first president (1859-1864).
Contact: scholasticawards@psu.edu
The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation Award
The Astronaut Scholarship Foundation was created to ensure that the United States would maintain its leadership in science and technology by supporting promising students in science and engineering. Scholarship candidates must be nominated by faculty members and must be in an engineering, science or mathematics field. Scholarship nominees are those students who have shown initiative, creativity, and excellence in their chosen field.
Contact: The Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowship Mentoring | 321 Boucke | urfm@psu.edu
Marshall Scholarships
Marshall Scholarships finance young Americans of high ability to study for a degree in the United Kingdom. Up to forty Scholars are selected each year to study at graduate level at an UK institution in any field of study. As future leaders, with a lasting understanding of British society, Marshall Scholars strengthen the enduring relationship between the British and American peoples, their governments and their institutions. Marshall Scholars are talented, independent and wide-ranging, and their time as Scholars enhances their intellectual and personal growth. Their direct engagement with Britain through its best academic programmes contributes to their ultimate personal success.
Contact: The Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowship Mentoring | 321 Boucke | urfm@psu.edu
Goldwater Scholarship Award
The Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship, established by Congress in 1986 to honor former U.S. Senator Goldwater, is a distinguished undergraduate scholarship initiative that was created to encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in mathematics, the natural sciences, or engineering and to foster excellence in those fields. This highly prestigious and competitive award is granted to up to 300 students nationwide and is based on the student’s field of study, career objectives and the extent to which that individual has the commitment and potential to make a significant contribution to his or her field.
Contact: The Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowship Mentoring | 321 Boucke | urfm@psu.edu
Gates Cambridge Scholarships
Gates Cambridge Scholarships are prestigious, highly competitive full-cost scholarships. They are awarded to outstanding applicants from countries outside the UK to pursue a full-time postgraduate degree in any subject available at the University of Cambridge. Winners are chosen for their outstanding intellectual ability, leadership potential, and commitment to improving the lives of others. The program aims to build a global network of future leaders committed to improving the lives of others.
Contact: The Office of Undergraduate Research and Fellowship Mentoring | 321 Boucke | urfm@psu.edu