The Goldwater Summer Research Internship Program is a new, Congress-authorized initiative of the Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation, starting in summer 2027. It places college freshmen and sophomores in 10-week projects at academic and national laboratories across the United States.
The first year funds 20 positions in chemistry, CISE, engineering, life sciences, and physics and astronomy. One listed project includes fieldwork on Lesvos, Greece.
Benefits & funding
- US$10,500 per intern to cover the internship and related expenses.
- Housing and meal costs vary by site, and travel to and from the site is the intern’s to budget from the award.
- Weekly Zoom cohort meetings, including a workshop on preparing a Goldwater Scholarship application.
- Interns are expected to apply for a Goldwater Scholarship through their home institution the following fall.
Eligibility
- US citizens or US permanent residents.
- Currently a freshman or sophomore undergraduate.
- Each project sets its own prerequisites (for example, completed general chemistry or programming skills) and some set a minimum age, from 16 to 18 depending on the site; one site requires a criminal background check.
Can you apply?
Here's who can apply
Decoded from the official rules. A free account checks them against your passport, degree and age in seconds.
Eligible nationalities
USA
Residents of USA can also apply.
Education required
Bachelor Enrolled
Circlebreaker is a free database of global fellowships, scholarships and programs — every one decoded like this.
We only check the criteria we have data for. Always confirm full eligibility on the official page before applying.
Application process
- 1Read the project descriptions and choose up to two projects.
- 2Submit the online intern application by 2 November 2026.
- 3The Foundation shares it with the mentors of the chosen projects, who recommend a student; the Foundation then announces awards.
Program timeline
Application deadline
Nov 2, 2026
Internships announced
Jan 15, 2027
Program starts (dates vary by project)
Jun 1, 2027
Program ends
Aug 7, 2027