Tatum Scholarship Requirements

William J. Tatum Scholarship

Established in 2002 by the late William J. Tatum, who served in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War and completed his education at Indiana University thanks to the G.I. Bill. Mr. Tatum earned two degrees from Indiana University: B.S. Educ. 1961 Biological Sciences and M.A. for Teachers 1966 Biology. He taught biology and general science to seventh and eighth graders in Bloomington-area schools throughout his career. Mr. Tatum hoped his scholarship would serve to encourage new generations of science students, and he had the pleasure of seeing six students awarded the Tatum Scholarship before his death at the age of 81.

Read about William Tatum and the recent recipient of the William J. Tatum Scholarship.

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Eligibility

Any undergraduate who has a declared major from the IUB Department of Biology and a GPA of 3.5 or better. Must have financial need.

Application process

Applying to Biology funding opportunities is done in One.IU.

Students have a single portal for finding funding. The system optimizes opportunities by matching you to recommended awards of which you might not otherwise be aware.

To get started, you must initiate a general application by answering 5 required questions and electronically signing before submitting. The application contains many questions designed for undergraduate applicants to IU. Continuing undergraduate and graduate students need only complete the required pieces. The general application may be created at any time during the academic year.

NOTE: One of the required questions is whether you have or will file a FAFSA for the coming year. Because some funding opportunities are given to students who demonstrate financial need, please consider filing the FAFSA to provide the greatest access to funding.

For Biology awards, you must upload a current resume, a personal statement, and the email address of a faculty member who will supply a letter of recommendation. Refer to specific awards for additional required materials. The capability to submit these materials was added to individual funding applications.

You will be sent emails about specific opportunities for which you are initially eligible, but may need to provide additional materials. These opportunities will tell you exactly what is needed—including your resume, personal statement, and letter of recommendation.

Start your general application today! Search in One.IU for the “IU Scholarships” tile.

One.IU

Recommendations and nominations

Department of Biology faculty and postdoc fellows will be emailed a link to a web page where they may upload their recommendation letters. Non-departmental science faculty and science postdocs should contact the Department of Biology’s undergraduate advising office for assistance.

Student awards ceremony

Recipients of this award will be recognized at a student awards ceremony to be held on Friday, April 29, 2022, at 3:30 p.m. in Biology Bldg. A100.