Outstanding Opportunities for Exceptional Students

Since 1973, the Draper Scholar Program, formerly known as the Draper Fellow Program, has supported more than 1,000 graduate students pursuing advanced degrees in engineering and the sciences. Draper Scholars are from both civilian and military backgrounds, and Draper Scholar Alumni excel worldwide in the technical, corporate, government, academic and entrepreneurship sectors.

In the 2021/22 academic year, Draper is supporting 55 Scholars at 11 universities in the Draper Scholar Program. Seventeen Draper Scholars graduated in 2021.

The Draper Scholars Experience

The Draper Scholars Program provides a unique opportunity for post-graduate students to conduct their research under the supervision of both a university faculty advisor and a Draper technical staff supervisor in an area of mutual interest.  Scholars benefit not only from immersion in their university's academic research environment, but also from leveraging Draper's collective knowledge and experience, facilities, and resources. Draper Scholars work closely with Draper technical staff to solve real-world problems, to develop state-of-the-art technologies in world-class laboratories, and to publish their scholarly outputs in top-tier journals and conference presentations.  Projects range from advanced theoretical work to testing prototypes in fielded implementations.  The Program supports both master's and PhD students in thesis-bearing technical degree programs.

The Draper Scholar Program provides structured additional professional development opportunities for students to complement and supplement their research experiences. Additionally, Scholars have the opportunity to be paired with a mentor drawn from Program alumni to leverage the Draper Scholars network.

Quick facts:

• Draper Scholar Program supports M.S. and Ph.D. study in technical areas of interest to Draper, in engineering and the sciences. All Draper Scholars must complete a thesis. 
• Support includes tuition and stipend; tuition is at a rate agreed to by Draper and the university while stipend is at the university's set rate.
• Draper supports a Scholar for two years for a Masters Degree and for 5 years for a PhD. Scholarships are renewable annually following a successful yearly review by a faculty advisor and Draper supervisor indicating progress toward the degree.
• Students must be accepted to and matriculate at a participating university, listed below.
• Technical areas of interest to Draper include but are not limited to our capability areas, as given at draper.com/core-capabilities.
• Students may be at any point in their graduate degree programs; the Scholarship is not limited to students at the beginning of their graduate study.
• Active duty military personnel pursuing graduate study may work on classified projects.
• The program is open to U.S. citizens only.

Participating universities:

• Boston University
• Brown University
• Harvard University
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Northeastern University
• Purdue University
• Rice University
• Tufts University
• University of Colorado, Boulder
• University of Massachusetts, Lowell
• University of South Florida

Department/degree programs:

• Aerospace Engineering
• Bioengineering/Biomedical Engineering
• Computer Science
• Electrical Engineering/Electrical & Computer Engineering/EECS
• Health, Science, and Technology (Harvard/MIT Joint Program)
• Materials Science
• Mechanical Engineering
• Nuclear Engineering
• Operations Research
• Physics
• Technology and Policy
• Other programs also may be included

Application Material Required:

• Resume
• Statement of Purpose
• Transcript
• Two References
• University Application Status

Applications are now closed for 2022. Please email educat[email protected] with any questions.