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Undergraduate Scholarships
Commitment & Potential to Improve or Preserve the Environment
The Morris K. Udall Scholarship and Excellence in National
Environmental Policy Foundation was founded by the U.S. Congress
in 1992 to honor Congressman Morris King Udall for his legacy
of public service.
- OPEN TO outstanding SOPHOMORES & JUNIORS with a GPA of
3.5/+ studying in fields ENVIRONMENT-related: Anthropology,
biology, cultural studies, environment, geography, history,
natural sciences, pre-law, political science, public policy,
sociology, etc.
- There is no need to be pursuing a major, or even minor,
in environmental science or environmental studies to be
competitive. But you do need to demonstrate a commitment
to the environment.
- 75 nominees awarded up to $5,000 in April for following
JUNIOR or SENIOR YEAR. Sophomores may reapply as juniors.
About 77 awards in 2002 out of about 450 applicants = 17%
chance or 1 in 6.
- The award can be used for Study Abroad provided the program
is through Smith (a Smith-approved program) and degree credits
are earned. There are no restrictions on the length of the
program abroad or when it is held, provided the award is
used during the junior or senior year, or for junior- or
senior-year credits (i.e. during J-term or the summer).
Awards for junior year cannot be used in senior year.
- Must be U.S. citizen or permanent resident nominated by
Smith who may nominate up to SIX nominees.
Confirm eligibility on www.udall.gov
Use the PDF fillable format for all nomination forms, 11 point
font size.
The most advantageous time to register for a fellowship
is in the spring, starting mid February. Statistics show that
those who register earlier fare far better. The deadline to
register for the Udall is the end of September. Petitions
to register later may be considered from students who show
exceptional promise to be successful in fellowships competitions.
The essay is also critical and should involve not only an
analysis of one of Udall’s speeches or legislative pieces,
but also a well-reasoned description of how this work fits
into your particular field of interest or career goals. For
example, if your interests are in soil erosion, don’t pick
something Udall wrote on spotted owls. Dig deep for the essay
topic (i.e. don’t pick the first thing that that pops up on
a web-search, because many others are likely to do the same).
Originality draws interest. No project proposal is required.
References are preferred from professors, or employers from
an environmentally relevant job.
Ask about the Udall scholarship for Native American
& Alaskan Natives
For sophomores, juniors in fields related to health care,
tribal public policy, tourism, environment.
For Udall application strategies from past winners, look
at the Live to Learn website.
