Geology Department Scholarships
Thanks to generous donations by our extensive network of alumni and faculty emeriti, the PSU Geology Department has a wide range of scholarships available to Undergraduate, Graduate, Post-Baccaulaureate, and Graduate students. The administration of these scholarships has changed dramatically in the past two years: The majority of our Scholarship applications are through Scholarship Universe. All of the Geology Department scholarships in Scholarship Universe require the standard application for the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS). The more complete your application, the better your chances of receiving one of these awards. To be considered for these scholarships, you must select each one in your “match list”, so review the scholarships below carefully to make sure you apply for every award for which you qualify!
Undergraduates only
John Eliot Allen Endowed Scholarship
The John Eliot Allen Endowed Scholarship awards scholarships to students who major in Geology. One $2000 award is available.
Qualifying Criteria:
• Undergraduate Earth Science or Geology majors
• Current Sophomores, Juniors, or Seniors with at least one year left to attain the BS degree.
• Current sophomores: must have completed or currently enrolled in G201, G202 and will become a Junior or higher in the awarding year
Kristovich Endowed Scholarship for Geology Students
The Kristovitch Scholarship supports Geology or Earth Science Undergraduates who have financial need as defined by their FAFSA application. Awards will be at least $2000
Qualifying Criteria:
• Undergraduate Earth Science or Geology majors
• Has “unmet need” defined by FAFSA
Back to Top
Undergraduate and post-baccalaureate students
Michael Cummings Family, Alumni & Friends Endowed Scholarship
The Cummings Scholarship is awarded to Junior, Senior, or post-baccalaureate Geology or Earth Science majors to encourage progress toward their degrees. In 2024-25 we plan to award 6-8 scholarships of at least $2000.
Qualifying Criteria:
• Geology or Earth Science majors
• Current Sophomores, Juniors, or Seniors, or post-Bacs
• ≥ 3 GPA.
• Current sophomores: must have completed or currently enrolled in G201, G202 and will become a Junior or higher in the awarding year
Scott Burns Legacy of Service Endowed Scholarship
The Scott Burns Scholarship is awarded to advanced undergraduate or post-baccalaureate students of the Geology Department. The purpose of the award is to support full-time students in good academic standing who can use these funds to further their education. We plan to award three scholarships of at least $2,000.
Qualifying Criteria:
• Full-time students
• Current Juniors, Seniors, or Post-baccalaureate candidates
• ≥ 3 GPA.
• By spring term, student has completed:
o Geology Majors: G312/313 Mineralogy
o Earth Science Majors: G318/319 Processes in the Surface Environment
Back to Top
Graduate students
Nelson Higgs Endowed Scholarship
The Nelson Higgs Scholarship is awarded to Geology graduate students who are studying a problem in Engineering Geology. We plan to award 2-4 scholarships of at least $2,000
Qualifying Criteria:
• Geology MS or PhD student making adequate progress towards degree
• MS students have completed their thesis proposals
• Student’s application should describe progress towards their degree and how the funds will advance this progress.
Rockie Endowed Geology Scholarship
This award is to encourage full-time enrollment toward a graduate degree in Geology. We plan to award 1-2 scholarships of at least $2000.
Qualifying Criteria:
• Geology MS or PhD student making adequate progress towards degree
• MS students have completed their thesis proposals
• Student’s application should describe progress towards their degree and how the funds will advance this progress.
Back to Top
Scholarships not in Scholarship Universe
The following scholarships will not appear in your Scholarship Universe list of available scholarships. See details for application
Geology/Earth Science Incoming Student Scholarship
This award supports recent transfer students or recently declared Geology or Earth Science majors. This scholarship is designed to support students in their transition to enrollment as a PSU Geology or Earth Science major. In 2024-25 we plan to award 4-6 scholarships of at least $2000.
Qualifying Criteria:
• Declared Geology or Earth Science major
• Current sophomore or community college students
• Completed or currently enrolled in G201 and G202
Awards
Outstanding Senior Awards
All students with Senior credit standing but who still have at least a term left beyond spring, including summer term, are reviewed for this award.
Criteria & Amounts:
- Grades for Senior Geology Core Courses: 324, 326, 434, 435, 485 (in progress grades)
- Awards are ranked by cumulative GPA for these classes, over 3.5.
- Amounts and number of awards decided by available funds
Back to Top
Outstanding Junior Awards
All students with Junior or Senior credit standing and who have completed the Junior Geology core sequence but who still have a minimum of 1 year left at PSU are reviewed for this award. You will only be reviewed for this sequence once, the first year all core classes are completed with 319 in progress.
Criteria & Amounts:
- Grades for Junior Geology Core Courses: 312, 313, 314, 315, 319 (in progress grades).
- Awards are ranked by cumulative GPA for these classes, over 3.5.
- Amounts and number of awards decided by available funds
Back to Top
Student Service Award
Awarded to one grad student & one undergraduate for excellent service to the Department and Geology Community.
- Faculty will nominate students for this award.
- Service comes in many forms, but is generally considered volunteering for Department or Geology Community activities above and beyond what is required in a class, or for student research. Volunteer activities include, but are not limited to: assisting at the Geology table during campus-wide events and recruiting events; assisting with clean up across the department, in the storage area, or in a laboratory; volunteering to drive during field trips, and volunteering to assist with logistics (preparing and returning camping gear like stoves, coolers, etc.); organizing events for the various Geology clubs; Organizing student carpool and transport to attend Professional Geology meetings.
Back to Top
Grant-in-Aid Award
These grants are intended to support thesis projects that are not supported by grants of the advisor or for which other external grants (e.g. GSA student grants) have been received. The grant is intended to defray costs associated with fieldwork, equipment rental, analytical needs (e.g., instrument time, sample analyses), or consumables needed to undertake the project. The Grant-in-Aid Award application can be found here.
Back to Top
Marvin Beeson Undergraduate Research Award
The Marvin Beeson award is to support student research by undergraduate and post-bac students in Geology. These funds may support travel, analytical services, tuition, or living expenses.
Back to Top
How to apply: All eligible students will automatically be considered for this award, and a full Scholarship Universe application is not required. However, priority will be given to students with officially or unofficially demonstrated need, first-generation students, students in good standing, and other criteria. This award will not be visible to you, but we will use SU information to select the awardees, so a completed Scholarship Universe application is advantageous.
Field Camp Scholarship
This award supports students taking field camp. Because PSU does not currently offer a field camp, this award will be used to pay a portion of your tuition at a field camp offered by any accredited Geology, Earth Science, or similar program. Awards will range from $500-1000 and will be given on a first-come, first-served basis until funding is exhausted. We have funding for 3-6 awards.
Qualifying Criteria:
• Current Juniors or Seniors
• Priority given to student needing a field camp experience before entering a graduate program
How to apply: The Geology department will post a google form early in the Spring term. We will announce the opening of the application several days before posting. If awarded, the funds will be sent directly to the host institution as a partial tuition payment on your behalf.
Back to Top