Undergraduate Physics Scholarships

• U of A
• Physics
• Scholarships
• Undergraduate Physics Scholarships

Paul C. Sharrah Scholarship

• Description: This Scholarship was establish to honor Dr. Paul C. Sharrah, who served the Department of Physics at UA with distinction for over 50 years. During his tenure as the chairman, the Department experienced rapid growth and developed the Ph.D. program. This Scholarship is awarded to outstanding undergraduate physics majors.
• Eligibility for Application:
  • Undergraduate physics majors at all levels (from freshman to senior)
  • ≥3.0 GPA; "B" or better in Physics, Astronomy, and Math
  • Satisfactory progress towards physics degree
• Amount: $1500
• Deadline: March 1st each year
• Application Link

Robert D. Maurer Scholarship

• Description: This Scholarship was establish by a generous gift by Dr. Robert Maurer, a native of Arkadelphia, Arkansas, who received his B.S. Degree in Physics, with high honors, from the University of Arkansas in 1948.​ He is the “father of the optical fiber”.​ This Scholarship is awarded to outstanding undergraduate physics majors.
• Eligibility for Application:
  • Undergraduate physics majors at all levels (from freshman to senior)
• Amount: $1500
• Deadline: March 1st each year
• Application Link

Charles B. Richardson Senior Fellowship

• Description: This Fellowship was established by a generous gift by Professor Richardson to the Department of Physics Department at UA. It was established to encourage undergraduate student participation in research in accordance with Professor Richardson's own experience and his philosophy of broadening and enriching undergraduate education. This Fellowship is awarded to outstanding junior or senior physics majors engaged in research.
• Eligibility for Application:
  • Junior or senior physics majors
  • ≥3.0 GPA
  • Academic Excellence
  • Actively engaged in research
• Amount: $1000
• Deadline: March 1st each year
• Application Link

Admiral William C. Bryson Endowed Scholarship

• Description: This Scholarship was established by a grant received in 1985 from the family of J. R. Porter (B.S. 1963) for an astronomy scholarship. It is named after a former professor of mechanical engineering, navy officer, and avid amateur astronomer, Rear Admiral William C. Bryson.  He was one of the founders of the Northwest Arkansas Amateur Astronomy Club, along with Judge Mack Luffman of Rogers and Professor Paul C. Sharrah. This Scholarship is awarded to outstanding undergraduate physics majors with a demonstrated interest in astronomy.
• Eligibility for Application:
  • Junior or senior physics majors
  • ≥3.0 GPA
  • Demonstrated interest in astronomy
• Preference is given to students with academic achievement progress
• Amount: $1500
• Deadline: March 1st each year
• Application Link

George D. Lingelbach Memorial Award

• Description: This Award was established by the family of George Lingelbach in his memory. George Lingelbach was an instructor in the department from 1946 to 1965 and was primarily responsible for running the undergraduate laboratories.​ This prestigeous Award is the “top overall graduating senior” award in the Department, and is awarded to outstanding senior physics majors demonstrating 4 years of outstanding service, academics, and research in the Department.
• Eligibility for Application:
  • Senior physics majors
  • Demonstrated 4 years of outstanding service, academics, and/or research in the Department
• Application is not required: the Department will nominate and select outstanding physics seniors for this award. 

Steve T. Hildebrand Endowed Scholarship

• Description: This Scholarship was establish by a generous gift by Steve Hildebrand, who got his Physics MS at University of Arkansas in 1973.  He went on to lead a very successful career in the oil industry doing geophysics research. This merit-based Scholarship is awarded to outstanding undergraduate physics majors.
• Eligibility for Application:
  • Undergraduate physics majors at all levels (from freshman to senior)
• Amount: $1000
• Deadline: March 1st each year
• Application Link

Mastery of Physics Award

• Description: This Award is awarded to outstanding senior physics majors who got the best scores on the ETS Physics Major Field Test (MFT) each year.
• Eligibility for Application:
  • Senior physics majors
  • Enrolled in PHYS 4991 in the academic year
  • Completed the ETS Physics MFT in the academic year
• Amount: $1000
• Application is not required: all students enrolled in PHYS 4991 and completed the ETS Physics MFT will be automatically considered for this award.

Chan and Chen Endowed Research Scholarship

• Description: This Scholarship was establish by a generous gift by Fui T. Chan and Kaiyuan Chen. It was established to provide support for undergraduate physics majors to pursue and conduct research under the supervision and mentorship of a faculty member in the Department of Physics. This Scholarship is awarded to outstanding sophomore, junior or senior physics majors engaged in research.
• Eligibility for Application:
  • Must be sophomores, juniors, or seniors at the time of award
  • ≥3.0 GPA
  • Must have secured a UA faculty member to supervise their research at the time they apply for the scholarship.
• Preference is given to applicants with financial need and students who are not currently members of the Honors College.
• Amount: $2500
• Deadline:
  • • March 1st, 2024 for AY23-24 (will be awarded in April 2024)
    • October 2024 for AY24-25 (will be awarded in April 2025)
• Application Link

Other University Scholarships

The University maintains a web site with other scholarships available to students. Please see http://scholarships.uark.edu.