Science Post Graduate Scholarship Fund (S.T.E.M. Loan for Service)
NOW ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS for the AY 2016-2017
Science Post Graduate Scholarship Fund (STEM Loan for Service) is a graduate level educational loan awarded to United States Federally-recognized American Indian and Alaska Native community members (students) pursuing graduate or professional level education. To be considered, applicants must possess a minimum 3.0 GPA and be pursuing a master, doctorate or professional degree in the STEM fields, be full-time student at an accredited graduate or professional school in the United States. STEM Loan for Service recipients must agree to relocate, if necessary, to obtain acceptable employment for the service payback agreement.
The specific purpose of the Science Post Graduate Scholarship Fund (SPGSF) program is to provide financial assistance to eligible American Indian and Alaska Native graduate and professional degree candidates to promote Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) research in and opportunities for careers with Bureau of Indian Education (BIE) and BIE funded organizations on and off reservation and tribal governments. Future employment with other federal and state agencies and private entities may be eligible if the organization’s primary mission is assistance and support to tribal communities or individuals.
Advanced education is the STEM fields is in greater demand than ever before, particularly in Indian communities. Many tribal lands are situated on lands with greater natural resources potential that requirement individuals with education, skills and expertise to sustainably develop resources. Indian students in STEM fields often recognize the importance of reinvesting their knowledge back into their home communities, bringing skills back to home tribes or other tribal communities. There is a high deficiency in STEM fields and urgency for research to understand why. A portion of the SPGSF will be directed towards graduate level (Masters and Doctoral) research to understand the barriers that discourage Indian students participation in these fields and expanding STEM opportunities at Tribal Colleges and Universities.
The SPGSF is a loan for service program to be served on a 1 per 1 basis, i.e., one year of funding per one year of service. The maximum amount of an award will be up to $30,000 per year. Actual award amounts and the number of awards will be determined based on the number of funded students at each academic level (master’s, professional and doctoral).
Note: All applicants are required to submit a Tribal Eligibility Certificate (TEC) and Financial Needs Form (FNF) which is always available at www.aigcs.org where you may also review the AIGC Online Application Instructions.
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