Geo-Spatial Intelligence & Remote Sensing Scholarships (2026 Guide)

January

I did not find a strong set of official, currently posted January deadlines that clearly fit this niche better than the scholarships below. Most verified opportunities I found clustered in February, March, April, May, June, November, and December.

February

1) American Association for Geodetic Surveying Graduate Fellowship (AAGS)

Why It Slaps: This is one of the cleanest fits on the board for students leaning into higher-end geodesy or geodetic surveying work. That matters because the geospatial job market pays a premium for people who can do precision measurement, control, and positioning, not just basic mapping. If your path touches satellite positioning, spatial measurement, surveying science, or advanced geomatics, this award lines up with the technical side of the field in a way many generic scholarships do not.
Amount: $2,000
Deadline: February 2, 2026
Apply/info: cdn.ymaws.com/nsps.us.com/resource/resmgr/scholarships/Updated_10_23__25__2026_Scho.pdf

2) AAGS Joseph F. Dracup Scholarship

Why It Slaps: This one is especially attractive for students in four-year surveying, geomatics, or surveying engineering programs, with preference for applicants whose coursework has a significant geodetic surveying focus. That makes it a strong bridge scholarship for students who want to work where measurement science meets real geospatial infrastructure. In practice, that means better alignment for students interested in positioning systems, advanced coordinate frameworks, and the technical foundations behind location intelligence.
Amount: $2,000
Deadline: February 2, 2026
Apply/info: cdn.ymaws.com/nsps.us.com/resource/resmgr/scholarships/Updated_10_23__25__2026_Scho.pdf

3) NSPS Scholarship

Why It Slaps: This is a classic backbone scholarship for students in four-year surveying or closely related geomatics programs. It is not flashy, but those are often the awards worth chasing because they come from the professional society closest to the field itself. If you want a scholarship that reads well on a resume and signals real commitment to the surveying and geospatial profession, this is exactly the kind of award that helps.
Amount: $2,000
Deadline: February 2, 2026
Apply/info: cdn.ymaws.com/nsps.us.com/resource/resmgr/scholarships/Updated_10_23__25__2026_Scho.pdf

4) Nettie Dracup Memorial Scholarship

Why It Slaps: This is one of the stronger dollar-value options in the surveying-engineering side of geospatial study. It specifically targets undergraduates in ABET-accredited geodetic surveying degree programs, which makes it unusually well matched for students doing serious technical preparation rather than broad geography coursework alone. If your school offers a tightly structured surveying or geodetic track, this is the kind of scholarship that deserves priority status on your application calendar.
Amount: 3 awards of $5,000 each
Deadline: February 2, 2026
Apply/info: cdn.ymaws.com/nsps.us.com/resource/resmgr/scholarships/Updated_10_23__25__2026_Scho.pdf

5) Walter Robillard Scholarship in Surveying

Why It Slaps: This one is a great fit for full-time undergrads in ABET-accredited surveying, geomatics, or geodesy programs. It rewards students building the sort of licensed, technical, professional path that often leads to stable careers in land development, infrastructure, utilities, and public-sector mapping. For students who want a more structured and employable geospatial route, this is a high-value scholarship to keep near the top of the list.
Amount: $2,500
Deadline: February 2, 2026
Apply/info: cdn.ymaws.com/nsps.us.com/resource/resmgr/scholarships/Updated_10_23__25__2026_Scho.pdf

6) Geographic and Land Information Society Scholarship

Why It Slaps: This is one of the best direct-fit awards for students whose work connects surveying and GIS, which is exactly where a lot of real-world geospatial careers live. It is especially smart for students who like the applied side of the field: land records, land information systems, parcel work, mapping workflows, and spatial data integration. The niche focus can make it more attractive than broad STEM scholarships because the applicant pool is naturally smaller and more specialized.
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: February 2, 2026
Apply/info: cdn.ymaws.com/nsps.us.com/resource/resmgr/scholarships/Updated_10_23__25__2026_Scho.pdf

7) Lowell H. and Dorothy Loving Undergraduate Scholarship

Why It Slaps: This scholarship stands out because the eligibility language explicitly names coursework like photogrammetry/remote sensing and spatial measurement. That makes it one of the more relevant February awards for students who want their remote sensing work to count, not just their general major title. If your transcript includes the technical classes sponsors keep saying they want, this award gives you a chance to turn that coursework into real scholarship money.
Amount: $2,000
Deadline: February 2, 2026
Apply/info: cdn.ymaws.com/nsps.us.com/resource/resmgr/scholarships/Updated_10_23__25__2026_Scho.pdf

8) Trimble Scholarship

Why It Slaps: A scholarship carrying the Trimble name has instant credibility in the geospatial world because Trimble is tied so closely to positioning, measurement, field data, and professional geospatial workflows. This award is targeted to undergrads in ABET-accredited surveying engineering programs, which makes it a high-signal option for students aiming at precision geospatial careers. It is especially strong for applicants who want to show they are building toward the professional-grade side of mapping and measurement, not just consumer GIS.
Amount: $5,000
Deadline: February 2, 2026
Apply/info: cdn.ymaws.com/nsps.us.com/resource/resmgr/scholarships/Updated_10_23__25__2026_Scho.pdf

March

9) AAG Cartography & Mapping Specialty Group Master’s Thesis Research Grant

Why It Slaps: This is a smaller award, but it is laser-targeted and therefore useful. It helps master’s students fund real cartographic research expenses like travel, materials, equipment, and human-subject costs, which can make a small amount of money go much further than a bigger unrestricted award. If your work blends mapping, geovisualization, spatial storytelling, or interface design with geospatial analysis, this is one of the smartest “fit” applications on the list.
Amount: Up to $500
Deadline: March 1 each year
Apply/info: aagcartography.wordpress.com/awards-competitions/masters-thesis-research-grant

10) Women in GIS Undergraduate Scholarship

Why It Slaps: This is a focused opportunity for women in geospatial fields, and targeted scholarships like this can be much more efficient than broad general-audience awards. Even though the dollar amount is modest, the professional value can be bigger than it looks because it places you inside an active geospatial network tied to Esri collaboration. For undergrads trying to stack smaller awards, industry recognition, and community visibility, this is a practical application that makes sense.
Amount: $500
Deadline: March 6, 2026
Apply/info: womeningis.wildapricot.org/2026AS

11) Women in GIS Graduate Scholarship

Why It Slaps: Graduate students in GIS and related geospatial fields often hit the awkward middle ground where their projects are too specialized for generic scholarships but not always well served by university aid. This award is a clean fit for that problem. It also comes through a professional organization built specifically around women in geospatial work, which can add networking value, credibility, and longer-term career upside beyond the scholarship dollars alone.
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: March 6, 2026
Apply/info: womeningis.wildapricot.org/2026AS

April

12) Stu Shea Endowed Scholarship

Why It Slaps: This is one of the biggest pure-fit GEOINT awards on the page. It is specifically for a doctoral student studying geospatial fields, and the dollar amount is strong enough to matter even at the PhD level where research, software, conference travel, and living costs pile up fast. For students doing top-end geo-intelligence, advanced geospatial analytics, or remote sensing research with a U.S.-citizenship fit, this is premium-tier scholarship territory.
Amount: $15,000
Deadline: April 5, 2026
Apply/info: usgif.org/usgif-scholarship-program

13) Reinventing Geospatial, Inc. (RGi) Scholarship for Geospatial and Engineering

Why It Slaps: Students who can blend geospatial work with engineering thinking are unusually valuable, and this scholarship is built exactly for that overlap. That makes it stronger than a generic geospatial award if your interests include systems, platforms, infrastructure, sensors, or applied technical problem-solving. If your resume lives halfway between engineering and geospatial science, this one should be near the front of the line.
Amount: $15,000
Deadline: April 5, 2026
Apply/info: usgif.org/usgif-scholarship-program

14) Ken Miller Scholarship for Advanced Remote Sensing Applications

Why It Slaps: This is one of the strongest direct matches on the entire page for a true remote sensing student. It is aimed at a master’s student focused on advanced remote sensing applications and tied to defense or intelligence workforce pathways, which gives it a very specific professional edge. If your academic work involves imagery, earth observation, analysis pipelines, sensor-driven interpretation, or defense-oriented remote sensing, this is a must-apply scholarship.
Amount: $10,000
Deadline: April 5, 2026
Apply/info: usgif.org/usgif-scholarship-program

15) Black Cape Scholarship for Students in Geospatial Intelligence

Why It Slaps: This one is built for undergraduates in geospatial intelligence or a related field, which makes it a clean option for students who already know they want a GEOINT path rather than a broader geography route. That specificity matters because it can help your application feel naturally aligned instead of forced. It is a high-value scholarship with a mission that fits students thinking about intelligence, national security, and applied geospatial analysis.
Amount: $10,000
Deadline: April 5, 2026
Apply/info: usgif.org/usgif-scholarship-program

16) AWS Scholarship for Leadership in GEOINT

Why It Slaps: This award is interesting because it is not just about technical ability. It also emphasizes leadership, which is valuable for students who are building projects, leading teams, mentoring peers, or showing initiative in geospatial work. If your application profile is stronger on impact, initiative, and future leadership than on a single narrow research niche, this scholarship gives you a better angle than a purely technical award.
Amount: $10,000
Deadline: April 5, 2026
Apply/info: usgif.org/usgif-scholarship-program

17) Future Geospatial Innovator Award

Why It Slaps: This is the kind of scholarship that rewards students who are bringing newer tools into geospatial problem-solving. That could mean AI-assisted analysis, new visualization methods, spatial automation, data fusion, cloud workflows, or other emerging tech applied to geospatial solutions. If your project feels modern and forward-leaning, this award gives you a place to turn that into scholarship money instead of just a portfolio bullet.
Amount: $10,000
Deadline: April 5, 2026
Apply/info: usgif.org/usgif-scholarship-program

18) RCS Staffing GIS Scholarship

Why It Slaps: This is a smaller, school-hosted GIS scholarship, but those can be some of the best value plays because the competition is narrower and the fit is tighter. It is aimed at GIScience-oriented undergraduates with strong GIS and remote sensing coursework interest, which makes it unusually relevant for students actually taking the classes that employers care about. For students at Montclair State who qualify, this should be treated like a priority application, not a side note.
Amount: Two $1,000 scholarships
Deadline: April 12
Apply/info: montclair.edu/earth-and-environmental-studies/scholarships-fellowships-and-grants

May

19) CaGIS Master’s Scholarship

Why It Slaps: CaGIS is one of the most on-target organizations in the map, cartography, and GIScience world, so a scholarship from them carries real field relevance. The master’s awards are smaller than some others, but they directly reward academic achievement and original research in cartography and GIScience. If your graduate work includes map design, GIScience, spatial data visualization, geodetic science, or remote sensing-related coursework, this is a polished, credible scholarship to stack with larger awards.
Amount: Up to three scholarships at $400 each
Deadline: May 15, 2026
Apply/info: cartogis.org/awards/students

20) CaGIS Doctoral Scholarship

Why It Slaps: The doctoral version is much stronger on dollar value and is especially appealing for students producing original research that advances cartography or GIScience. Because the application looks hard at research contribution and professional service, it rewards students who are already building an academic or high-level applied profile. For PhD students in geospatial visualization, computational cartography, spatial data science, or closely aligned remote sensing work, this is a very smart fit application.
Amount: Up to five scholarships at $1,000 each
Deadline: May 15, 2026
Apply/info: cartogis.org/awards/students

June

21) WyGEO Undergraduate Scholarship

Why It Slaps: This is one of the more openly geospatial undergraduate awards on a live official page right now. It explicitly names GIS, remote sensing, GPS, and related disciplines, and it allows scholarship funds to help with tuition, books, data, fieldwork, or even travel to a WyGEO-sponsored gathering. For students studying in Wyoming institutions, that combination of relevant field focus and practical use of funds makes this a strong regional opportunity.
Amount: $1,500
Deadline: June 19, 2026
Apply/info: wygeo.org/scholarship

22) WyGEO Graduate Scholarship

Why It Slaps: The graduate version is solid for students doing project-based geospatial work because the application asks for a story map and, for graduate applicants, an added project essay and geospatial-analysis graphic. That means the scholarship naturally rewards students who already have meaningful applied work to show. If your graduate research uses GIS, remote sensing, or GPS in a concrete project, this is one of the better regional scholarships to pursue.
Amount: $1,500
Deadline: June 19, 2026
Apply/info: wygeo.org/scholarship

July

I did not find a comparable batch of official July deadlines that were a better fit than the scholarships already included here. Most of the strongest verified opportunities in this niche were posted on February-through-June cycles or late-fall application windows.

August

No standout official August deadlines made this cut after verification. For this niche, August is usually a prep month rather than a peak application month, so it is a good time to draft essays, update your portfolio, and line up recommendation letters for the fall-run scholarships below.

September

I did not find enough official September scholarships in this niche with clearer fit than the programs already listed. Most of the major society-backed opportunities I verified were either spring deadlines or late-fall windows.

October

October is when students should start watching the ASPRS application window and similar late-year scholarship cycles. The strongest official October-linked information I found points to application windows opening in late October for awards decided the following year.

November

23) ASPRS Robert N. Colwell Fellowship

Why It Slaps: This is elite-level remote sensing money. It targets PhD students with strong interest and aptitude in remote sensing or related geospatial information technologies, especially applicants interested in practical uses of those technologies. If you are doing advanced remote sensing at the doctoral level, this is absolutely one of the top awards in the whole space.
Amount: $10,000
Deadline: November 16, 2025 in the current posted cycle for the 2026 awards
Apply/info: asprs.org/Main/Main/Education—Careers/ASPRS-Awards-and-Scholarships.aspx

24) ASPRS Government Services Scholarship

Why It Slaps: This award is unusually strategic because it connects geospatial study directly to government-sector careers. That makes it a great fit for students who want to work in federal, state, or local government, where geospatial mapping, land records, planning, imagery analysis, and public-sector spatial data work are all major lanes. If you want your scholarship search to line up with a specific employer path, this one does that very well.
Amount: $7,000
Deadline: November 16, 2025 in the current posted cycle for the 2026 awards
Apply/info: asprs.org/Main/Main/Education—Careers/ASPRS-Awards-and-Scholarships.aspx

25) ASPRS Francis H. Moffitt Scholarship

Why It Slaps: This is another heavyweight award and a strong match for upper-division undergrads and graduate students pursuing surveying and photogrammetry. It works especially well for students on the professional mapping side of geospatial work, where strong technical training and field relevance matter. The award size is big enough that it can materially change your semester budget, not just decorate your resume.
Amount: $10,000
Deadline: November 16, 2025 in the current posted cycle for the 2026 awards
Apply/info: asprs.org/Main/Main/Education—Careers/ASPRS-Awards-and-Scholarships.aspx

26) ASPRS William A. Fischer Scholarship

Why It Slaps: This scholarship is one of the most relevant ASPRS options for students using remote sensing to study real-world Earth systems. The purpose statement specifically mentions new and innovative uses of remote sensing tied to natural, cultural, or agricultural resources of the Earth, which makes it especially attractive for environmental remote sensing, land-cover analysis, and earth observation applications. For graduate students with a practical Earth-focused project, this is a very strong match.
Amount: $3,000
Deadline: November 16, 2025 in the current posted cycle for the 2026 awards
Apply/info: asprs.org/Main/Main/Education—Careers/ASPRS-Awards-and-Scholarships.aspx

27) ASPRS Abraham Anson Scholarship

Why It Slaps: This is a broad but very relevant undergraduate ASPRS award for students moving into photogrammetry, remote sensing, surveying, and mapping. That wide lane is useful because many students in geospatial programs do not fit a single narrow bucket yet. If your coursework and internships show a serious commitment to the geospatial sciences, this scholarship gives you room to present the full picture instead of squeezing into a single subfield label.
Amount: $3,000
Deadline: November 16, 2025 in the current posted cycle for the 2026 awards
Apply/info: asprs.org/Main/Main/Education—Careers/ASPRS-Awards-and-Scholarships.aspx

28) ASPRS John O. Behrens Scholarship

Why It Slaps: This one is especially useful for undergraduates interested in land information systems, records, and geospatial data management. That may sound less glamorous than satellites or AI, but it sits right in the middle of many stable careers in local government, land administration, property systems, and applied GIS. If your strengths are in organized spatial data, land information, and systems thinking, this scholarship fits better than many generic “mapping” awards.
Amount: $3,000
Deadline: November 16, 2025 in the current posted cycle for the 2026 awards
Apply/info: asprs.org/Main/Main/Education—Careers/ASPRS-Awards-and-Scholarships.aspx

December

29) Blue Marble Undergraduate Scholarship

Why It Slaps: This is a practical scholarship for students who can actually show GIS work instead of just talking about it. The application asks for a research paper demonstrating GIS and mapping understanding, and the award also includes a Global Mapper license, which adds real tool value beyond the cash. For students building portfolios, project-based proof can be a big advantage over essay-only scholarship formats.
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: December 12, 2025 in the current posted cycle
Apply/info: bluemarblegeo.com/academic-programs/academic-scholarship-program

30) Blue Marble Graduate Scholarship

Why It Slaps: The graduate version is stronger because it pairs the cash award with a Global Mapper Pro license and publication exposure through a Blue Marble case study. That makes it a nice hybrid of scholarship, portfolio builder, and industry-facing recognition. If your graduate work uses geospatial analysis in a way you can clearly demonstrate with workflow screenshots and a solid project narrative, this is a very smart application to keep in rotation.
Amount: $2,000
Deadline: December 12, 2025 in the current posted cycle
Apply/info: bluemarblegeo.com/academic-programs/academic-scholarship-program

Best bets for this page

For this topic, the strongest scholarships by pure fit and value are usually the ones from USGIF, ASPRS, NSPS/AAGS, CaGIS, WiGIS, and strong state geospatial organizations like WyGEO. USGIF is especially strong for GEOINT and defense-facing geospatial paths, ASPRS is excellent for photogrammetry and remote sensing, and NSPS/AAGS does very well for surveying, geomatics, geodesy, and GIS-adjacent land information work.

FAQs

What majors qualify for geo-spatial intelligence and remote sensing scholarships?

Usually more majors qualify than students think. The official pages I checked regularly referenced geospatial intelligence, geospatial science, remote sensing, GIS, cartography, surveying, mapping, geomatics, geodesy, land information systems, earth science, and related disciplines.

Are these scholarships only for graduate students?

No. The verified list includes awards for graduating high school seniors, undergraduates, graduate students, and doctoral students, depending on the sponsor. USGIF, for example, explicitly lists opportunities across multiple academic levels, while ASPRS, NSPS/AAGS, CaGIS, WiGIS, Blue Marble, and WyGEO all have student-level distinctions on their pages.

Are regional scholarships worth applying for?

Yes, often more than national ones. Regional or school-linked scholarships like WyGEO or Montclair’s RCS Staffing GIS Scholarship may have smaller applicant pools and tighter fit, which can improve your odds compared with big national STEM awards.

Do I need a remote sensing major specifically?

Usually not. Many of the official scholarship pages accept students in related geospatial fields rather than requiring the exact phrase “remote sensing” in the major title. What matters is whether your coursework, project work, research, or career goals clearly show geospatial or remote sensing relevance.

What should students prepare before applying?

A lot of these scholarships ask for the same core pieces: transcripts, recommendation letters, a statement of goals, and evidence of geospatial work such as projects, papers, research reports, presentations, imagery, maps, or story maps. That means students can save time by building one strong scholarship packet and then tailoring it to each program.