All applicants must submit a personal statement, transcript, and TWO letters of recommendation. For PhD Applicants and Masters students an additional short statement describing your research project/thesis is also required.
1. Please fill out the scholarship application form and complete all required information, including your personal statement. Personal statements must be saved in PDF format and named with your last name, first initial and ending with “
statement.pdf”. For example, Jane Doe:
DoeJstatement.pdf
Prompt for ALL applicants to submit:
Please submit a personal statement (maximum 750 words) describing your academic and professional interests in STEM and your long-term career aspirations. Include a discussion of any relevant research experience, internships, leadership roles, or extracurricular activities, if applicable.
In your statement, also explain how you support and promote the full participation of women in STEM, through advocacy, mentorship, outreach, or other efforts. Finally, describe how receiving this scholarship would support your academic goals and contribute to your success in your chosen field.
Your personal statement must be uploaded as a single PDF. Statements exceeding 750 words will not be reviewed.
For only Master and PhD applicants:
Please write a short summary of your research dissertation, thesis, or capstone project (approximately 300-500 words). Your summary should clearly describe: the main research question or problem your work addresses, the broader context or motivation for the project, the methods, data, or approaches you are using or plan to use, and the expected contributions or significance of your research (theoretical, methodological, or practical)
If as a graduate student you do not have a current research project or thesis please instead describe any current research you are doing (if rotating in a lab) with the same requirements as above or use this short summary to discuss your current field of study and what internships, non-research projects, or exposures you have as part of your coursework and its importance.
These statements are designed to allow for more in-depth conversation about your work and place in the STEM fields that the general prompt would not allow room for.
2. Please provide your most recent transcript from your current institution only. Unofficial transcripts are acceptable, but they must be current and complete. Transcript must be saved in PDF format and named with your last name, first initial and ending with “
trans.pdf”. For example, Jane Doe:
DoeJtrans.pdf
Letter of Recommendation
3. Letters of reference: We require TWO letters of reference to complete your application. These letters can be from instructors, advisors, teaching assistants, supervisors for positions relevant to field of study, and/or similar individuals and should describe your scientific abilities and interests in a STEM career. Reference letters must be written on official institution letterhead and submitted as PDF files.
7. Reference letter PDF files must be named with the applicant’s last name and first initial, referee’s initials and ending with
rec.pdf. For example, Jane Doe recommended by John Smith:
DoeJJSrec.pdf.
Please have your recommenders upload their letters to the following form:
https://tally.so/r/Ekxo9A
We will NOT be contacting your recommenders to get their letters of reference so please ensure it is understood that they access their respective form either via our website or you can send the link listed above directly to them.
APPLICATIONS AND LETTERS OF REFERENCE MUST BE RECEIVED BY OUR APPLICATION DEADLINE – Friday March 27th, 2026 11:59PM will be the deadline for submission
IMPORTANT NOTES AND INSTRUCTIONS:
Eligibility:
Students actively engaged in a STEM related degree program in the 2025-2026 academic year may apply. Applicants who are not currently enrolled in a program and active within that program and or whose degree does not apply as a STEM field are not currently eligible to apply. If you have any questions or concerns for your eligibility prior to applying please reach out to
scholarship@awissd.org.
Applicants must have a minimum GPA of 3.0 from their current institution, be enrolled in an accredited college or university in San Diego County, and demonstrate a commitment to advancing the equitable participation of women in STEM.
With exception to previous runner ups, any previous AWIS San Diego Scholarship recipients are not eligible. Applicants will be judged within their academic program category e.g. community college, bachelor’s, master’s, PhD Year 1-3 and PhD Years 4+ relevant to the academic degree they are currently enrolled in.
Correspondence and notice of awards:
Please ensure that you provide a current email address on your application as it will be considered your main point of contact. Scholarship recipients will be notified through email by April 2026 via scholarship@awissd.org. Please ensure this email address is not sent to spam. Awards will be presented at an AWIS-SD event in Spring 2026.
Submitting application materials:
You MUST submit the completed application form, personal statement, additional research statement if applicable and your transcript online at the same time; all documents must be in PDF format. Please ensure all documents are correct both in content and in format as you can only submit the application once and cannot make any changes after submission. Do not send additional materials such as a CV or resume, reprints, or extra letters of reference. Additional materials that are not listed in the instructions will NOT be considered in support of your application.
Please ensure your letters of reference are submitted before the deadline. Application materials received after the deadline, will not be considered
Please contact scholarship@awissd.org if you have any questions or concerns.
