Funding opportunities

Awards and Fellowships

Achievement Rewards for College Scientists

The Achievement Rewards for College Scientists (ARCS) awards unrestricted funding to talented scholars at more than 50 top American research universities. The ARCS® Foundation is a nonprofit organization of women who sponsor students in science and technology research.

About this Award

The ARCS® Foundation Phoenix Chapter advances science and technology in the United States by providing financial awards to academically outstanding doctoral students studying to complete degrees in science, engineering and medical research. Read more about the ARCS Foundation: National organization and Phoenix chapter. 

  • Neil deGrasse Tyson, scientist and host of "Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey," may be the best-known scholar alumnus of the ARCS award.
  • Nine out of 10 ARCS Scholars work in their chosen fields after graduation.
  • ARCS Foundation members are volunteers. One hundred percent of contributions they receive directly fund scholars.
  • ARCS Foundation has provided nearly $87 million in funding to more than 14,700 scholars since their founding in 1958.

Complete nomination details outlined at the bottom of this page.

Questions can be directed to GCFellowships@asu.edu.

Award Details

  • $8,500/academic year ($4,250 in Fall and $4,250 in Spring)

Terms of Award

  • Recipient must be a U.S. citizen enrolled full-time in an on-campus immersion doctoral program from approved degree programs list
  • Recipient must maintain 3.5+ GPA
  • Recipient must be enrolled in 6 or more credits during funding period

ARCS Scholars at ASU for 2022-23

Submission Procedures

Graduate Faculty Program Director or designee, submits the ARCS Scholarship Nomination Form* electronically, uploading the following materials as part of the process:

  • Completed ARCS application (sent to eligible academic units via email), with student signature in Section 1
  • Letter of Recommendation (one (1) single space page max)

Once the nomination form has been submitted, an automatic confirmation will be received immediately. After the submission deadline, all completed eligible applications will undergo faculty review and finalists will move forward to the ARCS Foundation for final selection. Once finalists have been selected, approximately one month after the nomination deadline, departments will be notified by email. 

Any questions should be submitted to GCFellowships@asu.edu.

*If you have any issues accessing the nomination form, please ensure you are logged in to goggle with your asurite ID when trying to access the form. In some instances, using a different browser may be necessary.

Deadlines

Nominations for the 2023-24 academic year are due by September 30, 2022 at 5 p.m. Arizona time

Note: Schools/departments should submit no more than three nominations per program. Nominations are not required for current fellows.

Eligibility

In order to be eligible for nomination:

  1. Student must be enrolled full-time in an on-campus immersion doctoral program conducting research in an approved degree programs list. List will be provided in call for nominations per specification of ARCS Foundation.
  2. Student must be in good academic standing with a minimum 3.5 GPA.
  3. Student must be a citizen of the United States (permanent residents and international students are not eligible). 

Note: Current ARCS fellows do not require department nomination or count toward the limitations set above. Current scholars will re-apply directly to the Graduate College.

Additional Information

Taxes

Each fellow is personally responsible for individual taxes related to this award. Additional information regarding tax issues related to awards can be found at tax considerations. Specific questions should be directed to a tax advisor or contact the ASU Financial Aid and Scholarship Services.

Overawards

An "overaward" is when a student’s need based awards exceed his/her financial need, or the total of the awards exceeds the cost of attendance. If a student has been overawarded, federal regulations require ASU to adjust his/her awards which may result in a reduction in awards or a bill. Need based aid include grants, scholarships, Federal Work-Study, Federal Perkins Loans,  and outside resources (i.e. faculty/staff tuition benefits, scholarships, stipends, etc.). Non-need based aid includes unsubsidized Federal Stafford Loans, Federal Graduate PLUS Loans and Private Education Loans. Questions regarding overawards should be directed to the ASU Financial Aid and Scholarship Services.