The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Undergraduate Scholarship
Program (UGSP) offers competitive scholarships to students from
disadvantaged backgrounds who are committed to careers in biomedical,
behavioral, and social science health-related research. The program
offers:
- Scholarship support
- Paid research training at the NIH during the summer
- Paid employment and training at the NIH after graduation
Scholarship support
The NIH UGSP will pay up to $20,000 per academic year in tuition,
educational expenses, and reasonable living expenses to scholarship
recipients. Scholarships are awarded for 1 year, and can be renewed up
to 4 years.
Research Training at the NIH
For each full or partial scholarship year, you are committed to two
NIH service obligations. The obligations are actually benefits of the
UGSP, providing you with invaluable research training and experience at
the NIH.
- 10-week Summer Laboratory Experience. After each year of scholarship
support, you will train for 10 weeks as a paid summer research employee
in an NIH research laboratory. This employment occurs after the receipt
of the scholarship award. Each scholar will be assigned to an NIH
researcher and an NIH postdoctoral fellow, who will serve as mentors.
You will also attend formal seminars and participate in a variety of
programs. - Employment at the NIH after Graduation. After graduation, you will
continue your training as a full-time employee in an NIH research
laboratory. You must serve 1 year of full-time employment for each year
of scholarship.
Eligibility requirements
You must meet all of these requirements in order to be eligible for admission into the UGSP.
- U.S.A. citizen or U.S.A. permanent resident
- Enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a full-time student at an
accredited 4-year undergraduate institution located in the United States
of America - Undergraduate University Grade Point Average of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0-point scale or within the top 5 percent of your class
- Having ‘Exceptional Financial Need’ as certified by your undergraduate institution financial aid office (Federal Register, Vol. 77, No. 17, Pages 4034-4035
) – see table.
Persons in Family
(Includes only dependents listed on Federal income tax forms)
Family Income Level
(Adjusted gross income, rounded to the nearest $100.00)
1 $22,340.00 2 $30,260.00 3 $38,180.00 4 $46,100.00 5 $54,020.00 6 $61,940.00 7 $69,860.00 8 $77,780.00 For families with more then 8 persons, add $3,960 for each additional person Table Updated January 26, 2012.
You are not eligible for the UGSP if any one of the following items pertains to you:
- You are a high school senior
- You have been awarded an undergraduate degree
- You are enrolled in an advanced degree program, such as a master’s degree
- You are unable to fulfill the payback requirements
If you are uncertain about your eligiblity, please take a moment to use our Eligibilty Wizard.
Application Information
Visit the Application Center to learn more about our application requirements.
Key dates for admission consideration in fall 2012-2013 academic year
- October 17, 2011 – Online Application Opens
- February 1, 2012 – Application Deadline / Application Closes
- Summer 2012 – Interviews for Admission
- July-August 2012 – Award Notifications
This program is administered without discrimination on the basis
of age, race, culture, gender, sexual orientation, disability,
socioeconomic status, or other nonmerit factors.
NIH is an equal opportunity employer and encourages applications
from underrepresented minorities, women, and individuals with
disabilities. NIH is dedicated to building a diverse community in its
training and employment programs.