The National Institutes of Health (NIH) Undergraduate Scholarship Program (UGSP) offers competitive scholarships to students from disadvantaged backgrounds who are committed to careers in biomedical, behavioral, and social science health-related research. In addition to the scholarship, students receive paid research training at the NIH during the summer and paid employment at the NIH after graduation.

The program offers research opportunities in the biomedical, behavioral and social sciences with opportunities to explore translational and clinical research. Students with experience in biology, engineering, epidemiology, psychology, mathematics, chemistry, pharmaceutical sciences, nursing, physics, computer science, bioinformatics and other health-related fields are invited to apply. Applicants must demonstrate exceptional financial need certified by their undergraduate institution’s financial aid office.

For every year of scholarship support, scholars commit to two paid service obligations in the NIH Intramural Research Program:

• A ten week full-time summer internship at the NIH immediately following the year of scholarship support
• One year of full-time work at the NIH post-graduation; this service obligation may be deferred until completion of an advanced degree program.