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Cara Goldstone Image Written By: Cara Goldstone | Edited By: Kevin Ladd | Updated: June 16, 2026

STEM Scholarships

Key takeaways:

  • STEM-related fields of study such as computer science, engineering, biology, and technology are extremely popular among college students.
  • There are scholarships for all STEM students, some of which are open to those in any STEM field and others which are targeted towards specific groups.
  • The best way to find, apply for, and win STEM scholarships is by making a free account on Scholarships.com.

The Education Data Initiative reports that in 2025, 16.9% of all college graduates in the United States attained STEM degrees. If you are an incoming or current college student thinking about pursuing your degree in a STEM field, Scholarships.com can help. Continue reading for a full list of the best STEM scholarships available and the answers to your top questions.

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The 25 Best STEM Scholarships with Approaching Deadlines in 2026

What is a STEM scholarship?

A STEM scholarship is a non-loan financial aid award offered to students on the basis of their participation or interest in STEM fields. Sometimes these scholarships invite applicants from any STEM field; sometimes they are targeted towards one specific discipline beneath the STEM umbrella. Below, you can find descriptions of some types of STEM fields and details about scholarships associated with them.

Science

The “S” in STEM stands for science. Science is a broad field that encompasses many disciplines. For this reason, students enrolled in programs from biology to psychology to medicine to computer science can be considered to be STEM students. While social sciences such as anthropology and political science are not always considered to fit the STEM category, it is always worth checking with scholarship providers to see if your particular field is included in their definition of STEM.

Technology

The “T” in STEM stands for technology. Any course of study involving the development and manufacturing of technological tools can be considered to fall under the STEM umbrella; the study of AI (artificial intelligence) technologies are included in this category. Scholarships for technology students often overlap with those for engineering students, both of which are included in the STEM acronym.

Engineering

The “E” in STEM stands for engineering. All kinds of engineering, from chemical to automotive to civil and more, are considered to be a discipline of STEM. There are countless scholarships dedicated solely to engineering students as well as general STEM scholarships for which engineering students are also eligible. Many engineering fields, especially robotics and computer engineering, overlap heavily with technological fields. Both disciplines fall underneath the STEM umbrella.

Mathematics

Finally, the “M” in STEM stands for mathematics. Students who pursue a higher education in mathematics may choose any type of math for their particular focus. Whether it’s algebra, calculus, statistics, or a different specialty, math majors are considered to be STEM majors, and they can win STEM scholarships for their mathematical achievements.

How to win STEM scholarships

The easiest way to find, apply for, and win STEM scholarships is by using Scholarships.com. When you create your free Scholarships.com account and indicate that you are interested in majoring in a STEM-related field, we will automatically match you with every scholarship open to students of your particular specialty. We will also filter through each scholarship for other eligibility criteria, such as ethnicity, gender, or financial need, to ensure your matches are applicable.

Once you have received your scholarship matches, it’s simple to apply. Just click on each match to review a full description of the award and the steps you’ll need to take in order to submit your application. Dante Parker, a software engineering major at the University of Michigan, applied for the Amazon Future Engineer scholarship after matching with it on Scholarships.com; Georgia Tech aviation student Leslie Nava did the same with AT&T’s oxyGEN award. Both students won.

Frequently asked questions about STEM scholarships:

Are there scholarships for women in STEM?

As a historically underrepresented group in the field, women are considered a minority in STEM programs. As such, there are STEM scholarships specifically designed to uplift them. For example, Cards Against Humanity’s $20,000 Science Ambassador Scholarship is exclusively for women and non-binary STEM students.

How is a STEM scholarship different from a STEAM scholarship?

The difference between STEM and STEAM, represented by the letter “A,” is the inclusion of art or architecture in the category. This means STEAM scholarships accept a wider group of applicants than STEM scholarships. For instance, as a STEAM scholarship, the Stantec Future Leaders scholarship is open to arts and architecture students as well as STEM students.

Can you get a STEM scholarship to study AI?

As AI technologies develop and grow in popularity, more and more students are becoming interested in studying AI at the collegiate level. Because AI itself is a technology, its study can be classified underneath the STEM umbrella. Therefore, if you aim to study AI in college, you can apply for and win STEM scholarships to do so.

There are even some scholarships dedicated specifically to AI itself rather than STEM as a whole. One example is the Vectra AI Cybersecurity Scholarship, open to graduating seniors, current college students, and graduate students pursuing the study of AI. The top award is worth $10,000 and includes a mentorship program with industry experts.

Do you have to have financial need to win a STEM scholarship?

There are plenty of STEM scholarships for students without financial need; because the quantity of merit-based STEM scholarships available is so huge, it’s a good idea to narrow your search by demographic or academic specifications to find the best options for you. For instance, if you are a current college student in STEM who is also LGBTQ+, you could win the Out to Innovate scholarship, which is worth up to $5,000 and only open to LGBTQ+ STEM students.

Can you win a STEM scholarship without majoring in a STEM field?

Some STEM scholarships require students to declare majors in STEM fields in order to receive or renew funding, but there are also STEM scholarships available to non-STEM majors. These scholarships are likely to be project-based, wherein a student can demonstrate their interest in a STEM field through an extracurricular or non-academic project without necessarily needing to major in STEM.

One STEM scholarship you can apply for without declaring a major in STEM is the Regeneron Science Talent Search Scholarship. This prestigious award for high school students is judged based on applicants’ scientific research. While the primary applicant pool is composed of students who plan to formally pursue STEM fields in college, those planning to major in other fields can also apply if they have eligible research to submit.