AIAA Foundation Graduate Awards Program - Abe M. Zarem Graduate Award for Distinguished Achievement Grant

AIAA Foundation Graduate Awards Program - Abe M. Zarem Graduate Award for Distinguished Achievement Grant

Status: ACTIVE
Funder: Aiaa Foundation
Last Updated: October 18, 2025

Summary

The AIAA Foundation Graduate Awards Program, specifically the Abe M. Zarem Graduate Award for Distinguished Achievement, aims to support graduate students in aeronautics and astronautics. Eligible candidates must be enrolled full-time in U.S. institutions, maintain a minimum GPA of 3.3, and submit original work. This program has granted over 1,300 awards in 20 years, encouraging students to pursue advanced degrees and fill the talent gap in aerospace fields.

Overview

Undergraduate Scholarships & Graduate Awards To help support our future aerospace professionals, the AIAA Foundation provides scholarships and graduate awards annually to undergraduate and graduate students in science or engineering programs. In the past 20 years, the AIAA Foundation has provided over 1,300 scholarships and graduate awards to students at more than 150 colleges and universities worldwide. Through its annual Graduate Awards Program, the AIAA Foundation presents awards to graduate students doing excellent research in the air and space sciences. Graduate Awards Abe M. Zarem Graduate Award for Distinguished Achievement The Zarem Graduate Student Awards have been established by AIAA and Dr. Abe Zarem as a means for students at U.S. schools pursuing advanced degrees (master’s level candidates) in aeronautics and astronautics to showcase their talent and work. It is hoped that these awards will not only identify talented students but also motivate/encourage more students to seek advanced degrees in these areas and thus start to fill a void that has worried educators for many years.

Eligibility

You can learn more about this opportunity by visiting the funder's website. Applicants for an AIAA Foundation Graduate Award shall meet the following eligibility requirements:Must have completed at least one (1) academic quarter or semester of full-time graduate-level college work and have a research topic approved Must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.300 on a 4.000 scale unless otherwise noted Must be enrolled in an accredited college or university within the United States or U.S. TerritoriesApplicant's education plan shall be such as to continue graduate work or research in some field of science or engineering that will provide for entry into the aerospace engineering fieldApplicants may be students of any nationality, not restricted by the U.S. State Department, in full-time study Applicant must be a full-time graduate student during the academic year of the award for at least one semesterPlagiarism – Any essay responses or collateral materials should be the original work of the applicant. Any portion of an application that is found to be plagiarized will disqualify the application from any further review.Abe M. Zarem Graduate Award for Distinguished Achievement eligibilityAny U.S.-based master's student who would like to be considered for the award should submit their paper online via the published submissions process. Awardees are notified in the summer following the closing of the program.Must be researching a topic related to Aeronautics or AstronauticsApplicants may apply for up to three (3) scholarships or graduate awards. On the application form, you will indicate your primary award preference, along with two (2) secondary awards for which you would like to be considered. You must be a member of this organization to apply for this award - become a member. Must be a current AIAA Student member in good standing

Ineligibility

Applicants shall not have, or subsequently receive any other graduate award which, when combined with the AIAA Foundation award, would provide a stipend greater than their tuition plus educational expenses (such as books, lab fees, room, board, etc.) estimated by the educational institution the applicant plans to attendPostdoctoral students are not eligible to receive graduate awardsPlease note that applicants with no demonstrated academic interest in the subject area of the award will not be considered, so please carefully select the awards that most closely correspond to your area of academic interest.This award is subject to all applicable laws, including US export laws. US law prohibits AIAA from awarding graduate award prize money to persons residing in Iran, Cuba, North Korea, Crimea, Sudan, or Syria.