Neuroscience & Neurotechnology Scholarships
January Deadlines
1) Introduction to Neuroscience Scholarship Application
Why It Slaps: This is not a giant national scholarship, but it is still a strong niche opportunity for students who want a neuroscience-specific entry point. It offers a tuition waiver tied to an actual neuroscience course through Burke Neurological Institute and Weill Cornell Medicine’s orbit, which makes it especially useful for motivated beginners who want exposure, credibility, and a real academic foothold in brain science. For students trying to build a neuroscience profile without taking on extra cost, this kind of targeted waiver can be more practical than a flashy broad scholarship with weak field alignment.
Amount: Tuition waiver
Deadline: January 17, 2026
2) 2026 Ralph L. Sacco Scholarships in Brain Health
Why It Slaps: This one is a serious career-builder for postdoctoral researchers working at the intersection of neuroscience, prevention, and brain health. It is especially appealing because it supports work connected to neurological and mental or behavioral health, so it fits applicants whose projects are not just bench neuroscience but also translational or population-level brain research. The funding level is strong, the training is mentored, and the program is backed by major organizations in neurology and cardiovascular-brain health.
Amount: $150,000 over two years
Deadline: January 29, 2026
Apply/info: https://professional.heart.org/en/research-programs/aha-funding-opportunities/ralph-l-sacco-scholars-program
3) Undergraduate Summer Research Award (UConn IBACS)
Why It Slaps: This is a great fit for undergraduates who want to turn a neuroscience or brain-science idea into a real summer research project. The award is flexible enough to cover both living support and research expenses, which is a big deal because many students can do research only if they can afford not to work a separate summer job. It is also broad across brain and cognitive science topics, so students in psychology, biology, engineering, cognition, or adjacent majors can still fit if their project supports the institute mission.
Amount: $5,000 for one summer
Deadline: January 30, 2026
Apply/info: https://braincognitivesciences.institute.uconn.edu/services/undergraduate-summer-research-award/
4) MIT Summer Research Program in Biology/Neuroscience (BSG-MSRP-Bio)
Why It Slaps: This is one of the best “not technically called a scholarship but absolutely scholarship-worthy” opportunities on the list. It gives undergraduates real neuroscience research training at MIT, plus housing, a stipend, and travel support. It is especially strong for students from low-income backgrounds, first-generation students, veterans, and students from colleges with fewer research opportunities. If your goal is a neuroscience PhD or elite summer lab experience, this is a power move.
Amount: Weekly stipend plus campus housing and travel allowance; no fixed public dollar amount listed on the page
Deadline: January 30, 2026
Apply/info: https://bcs.mit.edu/msrp
5) Dompé Scholarships for Neuroscience and Neurobiology
Why It Slaps: This is one of the clearest true field-specific opportunities on the whole page. It is built specifically for neuroscience and neurobiology trainees and supports master’s, PhD, and postdoctoral study at U.S. universities. That makes it especially strong for students who want something more tightly aligned than a generic STEM scholarship. The annual funding level is substantial, and the program is explicitly focused on developing the next generation of neuroscientists.
Amount: $25,000 per year
Deadline: January 31, 2026
Apply/info: https://www.dompefoundation.org/scholarships/usa/dompe-scholarships-for-neuroscience-and-neurobiology/
February Deadlines
6) Neuroscience Scholars Program (Society for Neuroscience)
Why It Slaps: This program is perfect for graduate students and postdocs who want more than just money. It combines professional development, mentoring, community access, annual meeting support, and enrichment funds. In a field like neuroscience, where relationships, conference visibility, and mentorship can change your career trajectory, that bundle can be worth as much as a cash-only award. It is especially useful for emerging researchers who want structured support over multiple years.
Amount: Travel award to the SfN annual meeting, up to $1,500 in enrichment funds, and two years of complimentary SfN membership
Deadline: February 13, 2026
Apply/info: https://www.sfn.org/initiatives/community/neuroscience-scholars-program
7) MIT Research Scholars Program
Why It Slaps: This is a standout option for recent graduates who need a serious post-bacc bridge into a neuroscience, computational neuroscience, cognitive science, or neuroengineering PhD path. It is fully funded, offers research training inside MIT’s brain and cognitive sciences ecosystem, and is built for talented students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Programs like this can radically strengthen a future PhD application because they add lab depth, coursework exposure, and recommendation power all at once.
Amount: Fully funded; includes stipend, health benefits, and tuition remission
Deadline: February 15, 2026
Apply/info: https://bcs.mit.edu/postbac1
March Deadlines
8) The Hirsch Family Award
Why It Slaps: This is a solid campus-based scholarship for students already majoring in neuroscience or closely related life-science fields at UIC. What makes it useful is that it rewards strong academics without demanding a huge, complicated national-level application strategy. For continuing students who need smaller but real scholarship support, awards like this can stack well with other campus funding and help reduce semester-by-semester pressure.
Amount: $1,000
Deadline: March 1, 2026
Apply/info: https://lin.uic.edu/academics/awards/
9) Richard J. Massey Endowed Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This scholarship is a smart fit for continuing UIC students in neuroscience and related life-science majors who are building a serious academic profile. It is not huge money, but it is targeted, official, and clearly active for the 2026 cycle. Smaller institutional scholarships like this often have better odds than national awards, especially when the applicant pool is limited to enrolled majors.
Amount: $1,100
Deadline: March 1, 2026
Apply/info: https://lin.uic.edu/academics/awards/
10) The Hodgkin and Huxley Neuroscience Award
Why It Slaps: This award is a good example of a scholarship that rewards actual neuroscience work, not just general grades. It specifically looks for an outstanding graduating neuroscience major with a strong GPA and an exceptional research project. If you are already doing lab work and want your research to translate into recognition and funding, this kind of department-level award can strengthen your resume for grad school, med school, or research jobs.
Amount: $500 honorarium
Deadline: March 1, 2026
Apply/info: https://lin.uic.edu/academics/awards/
11) David E. Featherstone Memorial Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This is one of the more creative opportunities on the list. It rewards neuroscience majors at UIC who propose a novel, out-of-the-box research project under faculty guidance. That makes it especially attractive for students who have an original idea and want recognition for research creativity, not just course performance. Programs like this can be great for students who want to stand out in personal statements later.
Amount: $500 scholarship for each of two awardees
Deadline: March 1, 2026
Apply/info: https://lin.uic.edu/academics/awards/
12) Dornsife Neuroscience Experiential Learning Fellowship
Why It Slaps: This fellowship gives USC neuroscience undergrads paid research support tied directly to faculty-led neuroscience work. That makes it a strong practical option for students who want to deepen lab experience during the academic year instead of only chasing one-time prize money. The expected weekly commitment also means awardees are building a real research habit, not just adding a line to a resume.
Amount: $2,000
Deadline: March 13, 2026
Apply/info: https://dornsife.usc.edu/usc-neuroscience/awards-and-scholarships/
13) Ng Family Fellowships in Computational Neurosciences
Why It Slaps: This is one of the best matches on the page for students leaning into the neurotechnology side of the field. Computational neuroscience sits right at the overlap of brains, code, data, modeling, and future neurotech applications. If you are the kind of student who likes neural signals, machine learning, modeling, imaging, or brain-computation problems, this fellowship is unusually on-brand and highly relevant.
Amount: $2,000
Deadline: March 13, 2026
Apply/info: https://dornsife.usc.edu/usc-neuroscience/awards-and-scholarships/
14) Meliora Fellowships in BCS
Why It Slaps: This is an especially strong starter fellowship for students who are interested in brain research but do not yet have a deep research background. The University of Rochester built it to widen access, especially for first- and second-year students, first-generation students, and students from lower-income backgrounds. That makes it a fantastic entry-level launchpad for someone who wants to break into neuroscience research early instead of waiting until junior year.
Amount: $6,000 stipend
Deadline: March 16, 2026
Apply/info: https://www.sas.rochester.edu/bcs/undergraduate/meliora_fellowships.html
15) NIH Undergraduate Scholarship Program (UGSP)
Why It Slaps: This is one of the biggest-value undergraduate awards on the page. It is not neuroscience-only, but it strongly fits neuroscience, neurobiology, psychology, bioinformatics, and other biomedical research paths. The program combines significant scholarship money with NIH internship and service components, which means winners do not just get aid, they get pipeline access to one of the biggest research ecosystems in the country.
Amount: Up to $20,000 per academic year
Deadline: March 31, 2026
Apply/info: https://www.training.nih.gov/research-training/pb/ugsp/
April Deadlines
16) Shenoy Undergraduate Research Fellowship in Neuroscience (SURFiN)
Why It Slaps: This is one of the strongest undergraduate neuroscience opportunities currently posted for 2026. It is built specifically for students who have not had access to research training opportunities, which is a huge plus for students from less-resourced schools or students trying to break into research for the first time. The paid assistantship model, plus mentorship and career development, makes this much more valuable than a simple scholarship check.
Amount: Up to $7,500
Deadline: April 21, 2026
Apply/info: https://www.simonsfoundation.org/grant/shenoy-undergraduate-research-fellowship-in-neuroscience-surfin/
17) Ian Jasheway Memorial Scholarship in Neuroscience
Why It Slaps: This is a clean, targeted scholarship for undergraduate neuroscience students at UT Dallas. The requirements are straightforward, which makes it more accessible than many elite research fellowships. If you are already in a neuroscience major and want department-aligned support without a complicated multi-stage national process, this is exactly the kind of award worth prioritizing.
Amount: Not publicly listed on the scholarship page
Deadline: April 26, 2026
Apply/info: https://bbs.utdallas.edu/academics/scholarships-awards/
June Deadlines
18) Applied Cognition and Neuroscience (ACN) Academic Excellence Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This is a strong option for master’s-level students in applied cognition and neuroscience at UT Dallas, especially out-of-state students because the award can also unlock in-state tuition treatment for the listed terms. That tuition angle can make the real value much bigger than the headline dollar figure. For neuro students looking at cognition, behavior, perception, or computationally informed brain science, this one is worth serious attention.
Amount: $1,000 one-time award, plus in-state tuition eligibility for qualifying out-of-state recipients
Deadline: June 15, 2026
Apply/info: https://bbs.utdallas.edu/academics/scholarships-awards/
July Deadlines
19) Gunther Stent Neuroscience Research Scholars Program
Why It Slaps: This is an excellent research-focused award for Berkeley undergrads who already have momentum in a neuroscience lab. It supports junior or senior students over the academic year, which is ideal for applicants who are ready to move from “helping in a lab” to owning a more developed research role. The latest posted deadline on the official page was for the 2025-2026 cycle, so this is one to bookmark early for the next round.
Amount: $7,500 for the academic year
Deadline: Latest posted deadline was July 14, 2025
Apply/info: https://neuroscience.berkeley.edu/gunther-stent-neuroscience-research-scholars-program
September Deadlines
20) Neuroscience Research Training Scholarship
Why It Slaps: This is a major award for young investigators doing laboratory or preclinical neurology-related research. It is far more serious than a typical student scholarship and is best thought of as high-value career funding for the next stage of a neuroscience research path. For applicants with strong mentorship and a focused project, this kind of award can materially change what research is possible.
Amount: $150,000 total over two years
Deadline: Latest posted deadline was September 9, 2025, for funding beginning July 1, 2026
Apply/info: https://www.aan.com/research/neuroscience-research-training-scholarship
October Deadlines
21) Leon Levy Scholarships in Neuroscience
Why It Slaps: This is one of the most prestigious neuroscience-specific awards on this list. It is designed for postdoctoral researchers in New York City and comes with enhanced compensation, training, mentorship, and a real professional-development structure. It is not for beginners, but for the right applicant it is a career-defining neuroscience award, especially because it gives both funding and visibility in a competitive research environment.
Amount: 125% of the NIH postdoctoral rate, plus a $2,000 computer allowance and up to $10,000 annually for care costs
Deadline: October 17, 2025, for the 2026 cohort
Apply/info: https://www.nyas.org/shaping-science/fellowships/the-leon-levy-scholarships-in-neuroscience-llsn/
December Deadlines
22) Summer Graduate Fellowships (UConn IBACS)
Why It Slaps: This is a smart funding option for graduate students doing brain and cognitive sciences work who want summer support while building toward bigger external fellowships. It is especially appealing because it does not just hand over money and walk away. The structure pushes applicants toward grant-writing practice and external-funding readiness, which can pay off long after the summer ends.
Amount: Up to $5,000
Deadline: December 31, 2025, for summer 2026
Apply/info: https://braincognitivesciences.institute.uconn.edu/services/summer-graduate-fellowships/
Best Bets by Student Type
Best picks for undergraduates
SURFiN, NIH UGSP, MIT Summer Research Program in Biology/Neuroscience, UConn Undergraduate Summer Research Award, Meliora Fellowships, and the USC/UIC departmental awards stand out because they are either paid research entry points or realistic scholarships for currently enrolled neuroscience students.
Best picks for graduate students and post-bacc applicants
MIT Research Scholars Program, UConn Summer Graduate Fellowships, the UT Dallas ACN scholarship, and the SfN Neuroscience Scholars Program are especially strong for students who are already moving deeper into research training.
Best picks for postdocs and early-career researchers
Dompé, Leon Levy, AAN’s Neuroscience Research Training Scholarship, and the Ralph L. Sacco Scholarships in Brain Health are the heavyweight options here.
FAQs
Are there many true “neurotechnology scholarships” for undergrads?
Not really. In this niche, a lot of the best funding comes through neuroscience research fellowships, computational neuroscience awards, brain-health scholarships, and lab-based summer programs rather than plain tuition-only scholarships. That is why a smart search strategy includes neurobiology, computational neuroscience, cognitive neuroscience, brain and cognitive sciences, neuroengineering, and brain-health funding too.
Should biology, psychology, engineering, or computer science students apply too?
Yes. Many neuroscience opportunities are open to adjacent majors as long as the student’s research interests or faculty mentor fit the brain-science mission. This is especially true for computational neuroscience, neuroengineering, cognitive science, and biomedical research pathways.
What if the 2026 deadline already passed?
Still save the program. Many of the strongest awards on this page are recurring, and niche scholarships often reopen on a similar calendar. Create a tracker by month, save the official page, and start preparing materials early.
Do I need research experience?
Not always. Some programs, like SURFiN and Rochester’s Meliora Fellowships, are intentionally designed to help students who have had limited access to research opportunities. Others, like Gunther Stent or Leon Levy, are clearly for applicants who already have a stronger research base.
Should I only apply to neuroscience-specific scholarships?
No. That would be too narrow. Students in this field should also apply to broader STEM, biomedical research, undergraduate research, first-generation, women in STEM, and need-based programs. The niche list above is your core list, not your entire list.
What makes a neuroscience scholarship application stronger?
Faculty-backed research experience, a focused statement of interest, proof that you understand the specific brain-science area you want to study, and a clear explanation of how the funding helps you advance in neuroscience or neurotechnology usually matter more than trying to sound impressive.
