Faculty & Staff Resources

We rely on faculty and staff to identify, develop, and support applicants in addition to writing strong letters of recommendation.

If you know a student who excels inside and outside the classroom and may be interested in learning more about fellowship opportunities, please complete this NOMINATION FORM. We will follow up with the student promptly.

Successful applicant characteristics vary greatly by award. Generally speaking, candidates have a 3.5+ GPA (3.9-4.0 for awards like Goldwater and Rhodes) and have chosen challenging coursework. Students should be passionate and have clear short and long-term goals. Extracurricular involvement, leadership ability, and community service are also critical components to a winning application.

Are you working on a letter of recommendation? Writing a recommendation for a student applying to a prestigious national award can be a daunting task. Many awards ask you to focus on different skills or qualities. Use the links below for specific guidance. If you need further assistance in writing your letter, please contact nationally competitive awards staff at nationalawards@iastate.edu or (515) 294-0172. 

We have created the form below as a resource for letter writers. Please feel free to share the link with any students who have requested a letter to gather more information and aid in writing a stronger letter of support. Once the student submits the form, the letter writer will receive an email prompt containing the responses.

Recommendation/Nomination Letter Request Form

Award-Specific Guidance

Use the links below to find information tailored to reference writers for the following awards.