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2027-2028 ARCS Foundation Doctoral Student Funding Application Availalbe - Deadline 10/9/26

Today

Applications are now being accepted for the external 2027-2028 ARCS Foundation Graduate Scholarship. We highly encourage eligible students to apply.  OSC has had at least two award recipients per academic year for the last several years. Please see below for scholarship details, including eligibility and application instructions.

ARCS (Achievement Rewards for College Scientists) Foundation advances science and technology in the United States by providing financial awards to academically outstanding students who are US citizens studying to complete degrees in science, engineering, math, technology, and medical research. For more information on this foundation please visit https://phoenix.arcsfoundation.org/. This is a highly competitive and prestigious award and provides a great opportunity for doctoral students to present their research to interested donors.  The ARCS Foundation selection is based on the impact of the student’s research and individual ARCS Foundation donor interest, so not all exceptional students will be funded. 

Award: 

  • $10,500 cash stipend ($8,500 from ARCS, $2,000 from the Graduate College)

  • Full tuition from the Graduate College

  • $500 annual travel grant from the Graduate College

  • Awarded student may concurrently hold a graduate assistantship. If the graduate assistant is .50 FTE, the tuition from the Graduate College will not be able to be used. 

Eligibility:

  • UA doctoral track graduate student

  • U.S. citizen (not permanent resident) - no exceptions

  • Cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher - no exceptions

Application Instructions:

  1. Submit a completed 2027-2028 ARCS Application Form (attached) to Mark Rodriguez via email by 5:00 PM on Friday, October 9, 2026.
  2. Request that your faculty letter of recommendation writer email a one-page letter of recommendation to Mark Rodriguez via email by 5:00 PM on Friday, October 9, 2026. See Section 4 of attached application form for letter requirements. The faculty member must be a Dean, Department Chair, Professor, or Advisor.

       ***Previous award recipients interested in reapplying must follow the applications instructions listed above to reapply.  Previous winners are strongly encouraged to apply.

Review and Selection Process:

All OSC applications will be evaluated internally by the OSC Scholarship Committee.  The top three ranked applications will be submitted as the College’s nominees to the UA Graduate College for award consideration.  All applicants will be informed by me in late-October if they were selected as one of the OSC nominees.  ARCS/Graduate College will notify college nominees on the status of their application by early 2027.  

Application Info. Session and Scholarship Guide:

  • The Graduate College will hold an information session to discuss the application rubric, selection process, and writing support. Attendance is recommended.
  • Use the attached ARCS Application Guidance to help you connect your audience and increase your likelihood of being selected.
  • Mentor reference letters have a one-page limit. If your letter is longer than one page, we will be asking you to revise.
  • Additional writing support is offered by the Graduate Writing Lab at the Graduate Center. We recommend registering for the Fellowship Application Development Program.

Reach out to Mark Rodriguez with any questions!