Funding the STEM futures of American Indian, Alaska Native, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, and First Nations Students
AISES recognizes education as a means of empowerment, personal growth, and fosters the diversity Indigenous students will bring to STEM landscapes. We provide financial aid to Indigenous students in STEM through scholarships funded by our dedicated donors and partners.
Award Amount: $5,000
Eligible Student Level: Undergraduate and Graduate Students
GPA: 3.0 or higher
Eligible Fields of Study: Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Web Design and Development, Audio Technology, Mechanical Engineering, Mathematics, Information Technology, Communications, or other related fields.
About:
Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) is a California-based foundation with roots in amateur radio and the technology of internet communication. The ARDC mission is to support, promote, and enhance digital communication and broader communication science and technology, to promote amateur radio, scientific research, experimentation, education, development, open access, and innovation in information and communication technology.
Learn More About ARDC Here: ARDC | Empowering the future of amateur radio and digital communications
Award Amount: $1,000 for Undergraduate Students | $2,000 for Graduate Students
Eligible Student Level: Undergraduate and Graduate Students
GPA: 3.0 or higher
Eligible Fields of Study: Any STEM Fiel
About:
The AISES A.T. Anderson Scholarship program, including endowed scholarships for D. S. Parker, Chahta, Stutt, and John B. Clark, recognizes students pursuing a degree in a STEM field. Members of the Advancing Indigenous People in STEM (AISES) are welcome to apply.
Award Amount: $5,000
Eligible Student Level: Undergraduate and graduate Students. Must be enrolled full-time at an accredited four-year college or university
GPA: 3.0 or higher
Eligible Fields of Study: Mechanical Engineering, Digital and Information Technology, Manufacturing and Supply Chain, or other STEM-related fields.
About:
Indian Motorcycle together with the Polaris Foundation is dedicated to long-term investment in the communities where we live, work and play. We bring innovation to the products we design and experiences we create for all those who play, work, and thrive outside.
Learn more about Indian Motorcycle here: Indian Motorcycle – America’s First Motorcycle Company
Award Amount: $2,000
Eligible Student Level: Must be enrolled as a full-time student pursuing a certificate or vocational program
GPA: 2.0 or higher
Eligible Fields of Study: in the following or similar- Welding, Carpentry, Residential Building, Commercial Driver’s License, Electrician, Electric Utilities, Clean Energy Technician, Automotive Technology, Diesel Technology, Business, Highway Construction, Agriculture Technology, Tribal Management/Leadership, Heavy Equipment Operations, Construction Engineering, General Studies, Concrete Technology, Administrative Assistant, CNC Machinist, Computer Technology, Business Entrepreneurship, Information Technology, Office Management, Industrial Maintenance/Operations, Grants Project Management, Data Entry, Cyber Security, Plumbing, City/Urban/Community/Regional Planning, or other relevant program.
About:
Indian Motorcycle along with the Polaris Foundation are proud to partner with AISES to offer academic and vocational scholarships for the 2026/2027 academic year. As a leader in power sports, we bring cutting edge innovation to the product we design and the experiences we create for those who play, work and thrive outside.
Learn more about Indian Motorcycle here: Indian Motorcycle – America’s First Motorcycle Company
Award Amount: $2,000
Eligible Student Level: Must be enrolled as a full-time student pursuing a degree program aligned with a career in the casino gaming industry.
GPA: 3.0 or higher
Eligible Fields of Study: Software Development, Technology, Supply Chain, or related fields
About:
RISE, powered by Aristocrat Gaming, engages and supports Indigenous students, professionals, and tribes by offering exposure, resources, and programming aimed to increase Indigenous talent in tribal gaming education and careers. The scholarship is available to students interested in all aspects of the casino gaming industry from game development, commissioning, marketing, cyber security and so much more.
Learn more about RISE here: Resources for Indigenous STEM Education (RISE)
Award Amount: $2,500
Eligible Student Level: Must be enrolled as a full-time student pursuing a degree program aligned with a career in the casino gaming industry.
GPA: 3.0 or higher
Eligible Fields of Study: Software Development, Technology, Supply Chain, or related fields
About:
FanDuel Group is the premier mobile gaming company in the United States. FanDuel Group consists of a portfolio of leading brands across mobile wagering including, America’s #1 Sportsbook FanDuel Sportsbook, its leading iGaming platform FanDuel Casino, the industry’s unquestioned leader in horse racing and advance-deposit wagering, FanDuel Racing and its daily fantasy sports product. In addition, FanDuel Group operates FanDuel TV, its broadly distributed linear cable television network and FanDuel TV+, its leading direct-to-consumer OTT platform. FanDuel Group has a presence across all 50 states with approximately 17 million customers and 25 retail locations. The company is based in New York with offices in Los Angeles, Atlanta and Jersey City, as well as in Canada, Scotland, Ireland, Portugal, Romania and Australia.
FanDuel Group is a subsidiary of Flutter Entertainment, the world’s largest sports betting and gaming operator with a portfolio of globally recognized brands and traded on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: FLUT).
Learn more about FanDuel here: Join the Winning Team | FanDuel Careers
Note that deadlines and requirements may vary by scholarship.
Mainstream society often believes the notion that Indigenous students attend college for free, due to tribal nation resources. This is a very pervasive and damaging myth. College is an overwhelming expense for many Native American students as they make the decision to leave their home communities to pursue higher education while taking on debt.
AISES scholarships help minimize the barriers of college and university affordability among Indigenous students so they can continue on their paths to education.
Help us continue to fund our STEM futures by donating today!
The Online Scholarship Application Information System (OASIS) is the system AISES uses to collect and evaluate scholarship and internship applications. AISES has partnered with Indigenous Education, Inc. (providers of the Cobell Scholarship) to offer easy access to scholarships for American Indians, Alaska Natives, Native Hawai’ians, Pacific Islanders, and members of Canada’s First Nations through the OASIS Platform.
Creating a General Application Profile is the first step to completing other scholarship applications you qualify for. In OASIS, students will complete a General Application Profile that can be completed, revised, and submitted year-round and will match you only with the scholarship opportunities you are eligible for and those that are open and available to receive. All scholarship opportunities (AISES, The Cobell Scholarship, and others offered by Indigenous Education, Inc., and Dream Warriors) have different eligibility criteria. Be sure to read the specific requirements carefully.
Each AISES Scholarship has its own eligibility requirements regarding GPA, majors and academic status. Please see the individual scholarship pages for eligibility requirements. At a minimum, all scholarships require:
Tribal Membership: Applicants must be an enrolled member or a descendant of an enrolled member of a federal or state recognized American Indian Tribe or Alaska Native Village; or Native Hawaiian or descendant from a Native Hawaiian; or Pacific Islander or descendant from Pacific Islander; or Indigenous person of Canada. Enrollment documents and/or a copy of birth certificate(s) showing descendancy from an enrolled citizen, Indigenous group of Canada, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander are acceptable. Applicants may also, instead, provide a copy of their Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood or Certificate of Degree of Alaska Native Blood (CDIB) card. Please note, AISES may not always have scholarships available for non-citizens of the United States.
Scholarships open on December 15 and close on April 30 of each scholarship application period. Our scholarships are provided each academic year to include equal Fall and Spring disbursements of scholarships for each semester/quarter.
We do not allow parents or guardians to fill out any portions of the scholarship application or profile on OASIS. Students may be disqualified from scholarship and internship opportunities with inaccurate primary contact information. Students MUST be the primary contact for their scholarships and internships.
The field of study requirements are set by the funder. Students will be required to verify their field of study to receive the scholarship. The OASIS system matches students to scholarships they are eligible for based on their area of study. If you are not matched with a scholarship, you are not eligible to apply.
Areas of study that are adjacent to the required fields are still not considered a match and cannot apply. Reach out to the student success team if you think there is an issue with your matches on OASIS.
Unfortunately, AISES scholarships are only available to full-time students
To apply for an AISES scholarship, you must be an enrolled member of a state (only select scholarships), a federally recognized tribe, or a descendant of someone that was enrolled in a tribe.
For students who are not enrolled tribal citizens themselves but can prove that their parents or grandparents have tribal enrollment, the following will be needed:
If you are proving descendancy to a grandparent, Steps 1-2 must be repeated by using your parents’ birth certificate and grandparents’ tribal enrollment document.
Once these documents are collected, please upload them as ONE document in OASIS.
Examples of tribal documents may include:
Please note that DNA results from sites like Ancestry.com, 23&Me, MyHeritage DNA, etc., DO NOT prove tribal descent, therefore, CANNOT be used for verification of tribal descent.
There are many reasons why students may be deemed ineligible for a scholarship, which can include the following:
Yes, we require two letters of recommendation for each application. If the applicant does not get two letters of recommendation submitted on their behalf, their application will be deemed incomplete.
Awarded students (finalists) will receive the list of any additional requirements in their scholarship notification letters. AISES will/may require an official or unofficial transcript, enrollment verification, a direct deposit form, a recent photo, a thank you and/or cover letter to the scholarship donor to be uploaded in OASIS.
Yes, we accept unofficial transcripts for grade and institution verification
AISES disperses scholarship payments on a rolling basis for all of our scholarships from September through October
If a scholar is awarded a scholarship but changes their field of study to an area not supported by their scholarship, reach out to the AISES Student Success Team. It will be at the discretion of the funder of the scholarship if the student can be re-awarded in the spring.
AISES requires that scholars be full-time during the academic year they are awarded. We understand that things happen and every situation is unique.
Scholars should let the Student Success Team know of ANY changes to their field of study, their full-time status, institution location, and graduation at studentsuccess@aises.org.
Unfortunately, no. In the United States, the term “Indian” is often used to refer to Native Americans, and American Indians. In Canada, the term commonly used is First Nations people. This term “Indian” is used in the acronym of AISES, American Indian Science & Engineering Society, but this term refers to Native Americans, American Indians, and First Nations People.
Applicants must be an enrolled citizen or a descendant of an enrolled citizen of a federal or state recognized American Indian Tribe or Alaska Native Village; or Native Hawaiian or descendant from a Native Hawaiian; or Pacific Islander or descendant from Pacific Islander; or an Indigenous person of Canada. Enrollment documents and/or a copy of birth certificate(s) showing descendancy from an enrolled citizen, Indigenous group of Canada, Native Hawaiian, or Pacific Islander are acceptable. Applicants may also, instead, provide a copy of their Certificate of Degree of Indian Blood or Certificate of Degree of Alaska Native Blood (CDIB) card. Please note, AISES may not always have scholarships available for non-citizens of the United States.
Yes, architecture is considered a STEM major; students majoring in architecture qualify for the AT Anderson Scholarship and the 3M Scholarship (if you are an incoming college freshman).
If you have questions about AISES Scholarships, or your school requires that documents be sent by mail, please send an e-mail to scholarships@aises.org, or mail to: AISES Scholarship Department, 6899 Winchester Circle, STE 102A, Boulder, CO 80301. You can also reach us by phone at 720-552-6123.
