Diversity Scholars Program

To be eligible to participate in the AIAA Diversity Scholars program, student applicants must satisfy the eligibility requirements below:

• Must be studying at an accredited college/university in the 50 U.S. states or one of its dependent territories
• Must be an undergraduate, masters, or Ph.D. student
• If you previously attended an in-person event as a Diversity Scholar or as a participant in the International Student Conference, you are ineligible to apply
• If applying to the ASCEND event, applicants who are younger than 21 years of age will need to be accompanied by a companion 21 years or old

A completed application requires the following information from all applicants

• Basic information about you
• Your university and degree information
• Gender identity
• Racial or ethnic identification
• Age
• A resume or CV (optional, to help judges learn more about your background)
• Answers to three short-answer essay questions

Applications take an average of 30 minutes to complete.

Students selected for an AIAA Diversity Scholarship will receive the following, covered by the Diversity Scholarship Program:

• Roundtrip coach airfare 
• Conference registration (includes access to all networking events)
• Hotel room for the duration of the conference in host hotel
• A customized schedule 
• Special small-group meetings with aerospace industry leaders
• The opportunity to make new friends that will last a lifetime

In 2023, all programs are scheduled to be in-person. In the event government actions around COVID-19 cause the cancellation of an AIAA Forum, or AIAA determines that the health and safety situation warrant the cancellation of a forum, activities will be transitioned to a virtual format and students will have the opportunity to participate as Diversity Scholars.