A: Scholarship applications open Sunday, January 18th 2026. Applications will close on Sunday, April 5th, 2026

A: From graduating high school seniors to those pursuing a Ph.D., USGIF has scholarship opportunities for students in many stages of their education. While USGIF is a geospatial intelligence foundation, we invite students from a range of academic interests to apply. Our current cohort members come from myriad disciplines.  

U.S. Citizenship is not required for the general scholarship fund, nor is it required for many of our sponsored scholarships. Awards that require U.S. citizenship will be listed as such. Awardees must attend a school in the United States, unless a USGIF international partner institution. International students attending a U.S. school are eligible.

A: Scholarships do not automatically renew. If you receive an "annual" award, annual refers to the award being given annually. Students who receive a USGIF scholarship and would like to receive another in the new cycle will need to reapply. Being a past awardee does not automatically guarantee you will be selected in the future. Students who have received a USGIF scholarship, sponsored or general, are eligible to reapply so long as they meet other criteria.

A: USGIF will consider students with a GPA above 2.5. We do not require a minimum number of enrollment hours to qualify, nor do we have restrictions on majors and minors. Students from a variety of educational institutions including community colleges, technical colleges, traditional four-year universities, and other post-secondary institutions are eligible.

Students must be enrolled in a program for the fall semester to receive an award. USGIF awards cannot be deferred and USGIF does not give awards directly to students.

A:  Students interested in a USGIF scholarship should complete the general application. The general application covers each "category" of education with funds available - graduating high school senior, undergraduate, graduate, and Ph.D. Applicants should complete only one of the general applications. For students who may identify with more than one of these categories, please reach out to us for guidance. 

Applicants should be prepared to submit letters of recommendation, their most recent school transcripts, and to answer several short answer (250-word) questions. Undergraduate, graduate, and Ph.D. candidates must also submit an essay. Certain categories of applicants may be asked to submit a resume or CV. We recommend beginning your application early to allow enough time to submit all the required pieces. Applicants can start, save, and return to their application at any time.

As a best practice, USGIF recommends completing applications on a laptop or desktop computer, not a mobile device.

A: Students interested in one of USGIF’s many Named Scholarships are not required to complete a separate application. Applicants will complete the general application and may opt-in to each opportunity. However, if you would like to be considered, you may be asked to provide demographic information, answer specific prompts, or address the scholarship’s focus in an essay. Please read the application carefully and familiarize yourself with the requirements. Named Scholarships are not combinable with the general scholarships.  

A: Yes, students can begin their application and pause and save at any time.  

A: USGIF employs a volunteer panel of experts to serve as our selection committee. Each member will review applications and score them on a peer-to-peer basis. For example, undergraduate students will only be scored relative to other undergraduate students, etc.  

A ranking system is in place to ensure an equitable approach to evaluation. Each application will have a distribution of points available. Please read the “evaluation guidelines” section of the application carefully. 

A: USGIF will notify all applicants of their award status (awarded or not awarded) by the end of June, before the fall semester begins.

Please note, USGIF scholarships do not auto-renew. Students who receive awards are eligible to reapply when the next scholarship cycle begins.

A: USGIF will first work with your school to apply the scholarship award to your tuition costs. Scholarship awards are divided between the fall and spring semesters. If there are funds left over after tuition has been covered each semester, students will be directly refunded any remaining award money. If a student receives a refund, they may use the award to cover housing, books, technology needs, or other expenses related to being a student.  

It is the awardee's responsibility to understand their financial aid packages and impacts of external awards like those from USGIF, and to work directly with their school's financial aid department to ensure funds are properly applied to their account.

A: Awardees are asked to supply a headshot, short bio, and testimonial about their acceptance. These items are published on USGIF's website and individual profiles of awardees are posted on LinkedIn throughout the year. We are proud of our awardees and love sharing their accomplishments with the community.

Awards may require students to provide periodic academic updates. Students will always be notified of any additional requirements in advance.

Lastly, it is the awardee's responsibility to understand their financial aid packages and impacts of external awards like those from USGIF, and to work directly with their school's financial aid department to ensure funds are properly applied to their account.

A: Send an email to scholarships@usgif.org. If the answer is addressed in one of the above fields, our team will direct you back to this page, so please read carefully. USGIF also hosts two informational sessions for applicants during the open application timeframe. Use this link to sign up!

Please note, USGIF's staff cannot provide individualize guidance on the application or its components. We recommend consulting a trusted academic advisor, professor, or other figure on specifics of the application not addressed above or in the information sessions.