Genomics & CRISPR Scholarships (2026): 17 Verified Scholarships, Fellowships, and Research Awards
January
1) Barry Goldwater Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This is one of the best prestige plays for undergraduates who want to build a real research career in genomics, genetics, molecular biology, or bioengineering. If a student is already doing lab work, computational biology, wet-lab gene editing projects, or serious undergraduate research, Goldwater can move them from “good STEM student” to “future PhD or MD-PhD candidate with national-level credibility.” It is not genomics-only, but for strong undergrads headed toward CRISPR, genome engineering, or functional genomics, it is one of the smartest fits on the board.
Amount: Up to $7,500 per academic year.
Deadline: Campus nomination deadlines come first, and the Foundation deadline is the last Friday in January. For the 2026 cycle, that was January 30, 2026.
Apply/info: Official scholarship page
2) JXTX + CSHL 2026 Biology of Genomes Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This is one of the cleanest true-fit awards in the whole niche because it is built specifically around a major genomics conference. It is best for graduate students already doing real genomics or data-science work and ready to present it. That makes it more selective than a generic STEM scholarship, but also much more valuable for the exact audience this page targets: students already moving inside genomic research communities.
Amount: Tiered support. One award covers conference registration plus transportation, and two awards cover conference registration only.
Deadline: January 31, 2026 for the 2026 cycle.
Apply/info: Official scholarship page
February
3) Amgen Scholars Program
Why It Slaps: Amgen Scholars is not a traditional tuition scholarship, but it is still one of the strongest funded opportunities for students trying to break into serious biomedical and biotechnology research. For genomics and CRISPR students, the value is the combination of lab immersion, faculty mentorship, symposium access, and financial support that can help a student land the next internship, postbac, or grad-school admit. If someone is early in their research path and wants a recognizable, elite-name summer experience, this is a high-upside move.
Amount: Financial support varies by host institution, but official program pages confirm support such as stipend, housing, and travel at participating sites.
Deadline: For the U.S. host institutions listed on the official program page, the 2026 application deadline was February 1, 2026.
Apply/info: Official U.S. program page
4) AWIS First-Generation College Student Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This is a strong fit for first-generation students in science who are trying to enter expensive, research-heavy fields without much family roadmap. Genomics and CRISPR pathways usually require persistence through lab work, coursework, conferences, and often graduate school planning, so a first-gen student who is majoring in biology, genetics, biochemistry, or related science can get real benefit here. It is especially useful because it supports students before they hit the doctoral stage, when many niche awards still feel out of reach.
Amount: Up to four scholarships of $2,000.
Deadline: February 28 in the current AWIS scholarship system; the 2026 cycle is closed.
Apply/info: Official AWIS scholarship page
5) AWIS Dr. Vicki L. Schechtman Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This is a clean, straightforward science scholarship that can work well for undergraduates moving toward genetics, genomics, molecular biology, or biotechnology. It is not branded as a genomics scholarship, but it fits the pipeline stage where many future CRISPR or genomics researchers actually need support: the early undergrad years, before they have a dissertation topic or a conference poster. For students building their first serious science résumé, this is exactly the kind of award worth chasing.
Amount: $2,000.
Deadline: February 28 in the current AWIS scholarship system; the 2026 cycle is closed.
Apply/info: Official AWIS scholarship page
6) AWIS Distinguished Doctoral Research Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This is one of the better doctoral-stage awards on this list for genomics students because it explicitly funds dissertation-level research potential in life sciences and related STEM fields. If a PhD student is doing genomic methods, human genetics, transcriptomics, disease mechanisms, molecular biology, or computational genomics, this is a real fit rather than a stretch. It works especially well for students who already have a defined research identity and need a respected award that validates the project as much as the person.
Amount: $10,000.
Deadline: February 28 in the current AWIS scholarship system; the 2026 cycle is closed.
Apply/info: Official AWIS scholarship page
April
7) EveryLife Foundation Scholarship for Rare Diseases
Why It Slaps: This is one of the most useful “mission-fit” awards for students whose genomics interests connect to rare disease, genetic diagnosis, gene therapy, or inherited conditions. Rare disease work is one of the biggest real-world homes for genomics and CRISPR innovation, so students studying biology, genetics, biomedical sciences, or patient-centered research should not overlook it just because the title is not “genomics scholarship.” The program is also notable because it offers a meaningful award amount and a clearly posted 2026 cycle.
Amount: $5,000 one-time scholarships, with up to 58 awards in 2026.
Deadline: The 2026 application window ran March 17 to April 28, 2026 at 2 PM Eastern.
Apply/info: Official scholarship page
8) ASHG Human Genetics Scholars Initiative (HGSI)
Why It Slaps: HGSI is a high-value professional development program for early-career researchers in human genetics and genomics. It is not a basic cash scholarship, but the package is excellent: membership, meeting registration, travel, hotel support, mentorship, and enrichment funds. For students and trainees who want to move from classroom-level genetics into the actual human-genetics professional community, this is the kind of program that opens doors beyond one semester’s tuition bill.
Amount: Complimentary two-year ASHG membership, registration, travel, and hotel for two Annual Meetings, plus enrichment funds.
Deadline: The official page states that 2026 applications open April 27, 2026. The close date was not posted on the page when checked.
Apply/info: Official program page
May
9) Postgraduate Research Scholarship in Gene Editing and CRISPR
Why It Slaps: This is one of the rare truly direct CRISPR scholarships on an official university page. It is very specific, which is exactly why it belongs high on a Genomics & CRISPR page. For international PhD applicants whose research plans are genuinely centered on CRISPR-based technologies, this is not adjacent-fit funding, it is direct-fit funding.
Amount: $33,511 per year for up to 3.5 years.
Deadline: The last posted official cycle on the scholarship page opened April 16, 2025 and closed May 4, 2025. Watch the same page for the next round.
Apply/info: Official scholarship page
August / Fall cycle
10) Thermo Fisher Scientific Antibody Scholarship Program
Why It Slaps: This scholarship is especially useful for students in biotech, molecular biology, immunology, and research-heavy life-science tracks that can overlap with functional genomics and CRISPR screening work. It is broader than pure gene editing, but it is highly relevant for students building hands-on biomedical research credentials. Another plus is that it welcomes a wide academic range, from incoming college students to graduate students, which makes it more flexible than many niche genomics awards.
Amount: $35,000 total funding across awards: one $10,000 award and five $5,000 awards.
Deadline: The official page says “Future application coming soon” and lists “New program starting August 1, 2026.” A final 2026 submission deadline was not yet posted on the page when checked.
Apply/info: Official scholarship page
October
11) Creative BioMart Scholarship Program
Why It Slaps: This is a smaller-dollar award, but it is still worth including because it is science-specific, official, and broadly usable for students in biology, biochemistry, molecular biology, biotechnology, and related biomedical fields. For students who are early in the genomics pipeline, stacking a smaller verified award like this with institutional aid or lab experience can make more sense than chasing only huge national awards. Smaller verified science scholarships are often more practical than students think.
Amount: $1,000.
Deadline: The official site search result shows an application deadline of October 31, 2026.
Apply/info: Official scholarship page
November
12) NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program (GRFP)
Why It Slaps: GRFP is not niche-branded, but for graduate-bound genomics students it is one of the biggest funding wins available in the United States. If a student wants to pursue genome biology, human genetics, bioinformatics, molecular biology, or CRISPR-related life sciences at the research graduate level, GRFP can fund the years where the real scientific identity gets built. This is a heavyweight award, and serious genomics students should treat it that way.
Amount: $37,000 stipend per fellowship year, plus a $16,000 cost-of-education allowance to the institution, for each of the three supported years.
Deadline: In the latest official solicitation I found, Life Sciences applications were due November 10, 2025. Check the same page for the next competition cycle.
Apply/info: Official fellowship page
December
13) Sarah Lawrence Human Genetics Fellowship
Why It Slaps: For students specifically headed into human genetics and genetic counseling, this is one of the most on-topic institutional awards on the page. It is not just life science in general; it is embedded inside an actual Human Genetics graduate track. If the student’s genomics interest is clinical, patient-facing, counseling-oriented, or rooted in inherited disease, this is a sharp-fit opportunity rather than a generic scholarship add-on.
Amount: Up to $7,200 total, distributed across two years.
Deadline: Sarah Lawrence states that applications and all supporting documents are due December 14 for fall enrollment in the following calendar year.
Apply/info: Official scholarship/funding page
14) Sarah Lawrence Merit Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This is the stronger-dollar Sarah Lawrence award and one of the better institutional scholarships for a student entering the human genetics genetic counseling path. For students who want a genomics career outside bench research alone, especially in clinical interpretation and counseling, this can be a practical and highly relevant option. It is also automatically considered within the program’s scholarship matching structure, which lowers friction compared with separate outside applications.
Amount: Up to $20,000 total, or $10,000 per year.
Deadline: Sarah Lawrence states that applications and all supporting documents are due December 14 for fall enrollment in the following calendar year.
Apply/info: Official scholarship/funding page
15) Schultz Foundation Human Genetics Fellowship
Why It Slaps: This is another direct human-genetics program fit, and it belongs on this list because genetic counseling remains one of the clearest applied-career endpoints for genomics students. A page like this should not only serve future CRISPR researchers in the lab, but also students who want to work with genomic information in clinical settings. This award helps cover that side of the field in a way most “biotech scholarship” lists miss.
Amount: Up to $7,200 total, or $3,600 per year.
Deadline: Sarah Lawrence states that applications and all supporting documents are due December 14 for fall enrollment in the following calendar year.
Apply/info: Official scholarship/funding page
Rolling / date varies
16) Buffalo State DSA Genomics Fellowship
Why It Slaps: This is one of the strongest data-side genomics opportunities I found on an official university page. It is especially good for students who want genomics but from the angle of data science, bioinformatics, and research analytics rather than only wet-lab gene editing. Because modern CRISPR and genomics work increasingly depends on computational pipelines, this kind of program is a real career builder, not a side route.
Amount: Tuition and fees for 30 credit hours plus a $17,250 stipend over the 15-month program.
Deadline: No formal deadline; applications are reviewed as received until fellows are selected. The official page currently says the application is closed.
Apply/info: Official fellowship page
17) ThinkGenetic Pro-GC Learning and Leadership Grant
Why It Slaps: This is a strong add for genetic counseling students and professionals because genomics careers do not all live in research labs. If a student is moving toward clinical genetics, counseling, rare disease support, or conference-based professional development, this program can be highly practical. It is also one of the few verified opportunities on an official genetics-focused site that directly supports professional growth costs in the field.
Amount: Award use is flexible for travel, room, meals, registration fees, tuition, materials, and similar career-development costs; the page does not list one fixed award amount.
Deadline: The page says the round is currently closed and invites applicants to sign up for updates when the next round opens.
Apply/info: Official program page
FAQs
Are there many true CRISPR-only scholarships?
Not many. The cleanest direct match I found was the University of Sydney’s Postgraduate Research Scholarship in Gene Editing and CRISPR. Most other strong fits live one layer out, in genomics, human genetics, rare disease genetics, genomic data science, or funded research programs rather than a scholarship literally named “CRISPR.”
Are conference scholarships worth listing on a scholarship page?
Yes, when they are official, current, and tightly aligned with the niche. For genomics students, conference-support awards like JXTX + CSHL Biology of Genomes Scholarship or development programs like HGSI can be more career-changing than a small generic tuition award because they fund visibility, mentorship, and community access.
What should high school students do if most genomics scholarships skew college or grad level?
High school students usually get the best traction by combining broad science scholarships with genomics-adjacent opportunities such as essay contests, early research programs, and later freshman-eligible science awards. On the official pages I checked, the ASHG DNA Day Essay Contest remains one of the clearest genetics-focused options for grades 9–12, and Thermo Fisher’s scholarship FAQ also confirms that incoming college students can be eligible for that program.
Are genetic counseling scholarships relevant for a Genomics & CRISPR page?
Yes. Not every genomics career is bench gene editing. Human genetics and genetic counseling are major applied pathways for students who want to work with genomic information in clinical, diagnostic, and patient-facing settings. That is why the Sarah Lawrence and ThinkGenetic opportunities belong here.
