• A number of U.S. government agencies provide scholarship opportunities to undergraduate students. They offer financial assistance to college students to ensure that the American workforce continues to be well-educated, and in many cases, to attract qualified undergraduate students to careers in the agencies that offer the aid. A good source for finding scholarship opportunities available from the U.S. government is the website www.students.gov.
  
  

HRSA Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students

• The United States Department of Health and Human Services provides scholarship funds for disadvantaged undergraduate students through the Health Resources and Services Administration. The amount of these scholarships varies. Students must be enrolled in study that will lead to a career in health care. They must be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States to be eligible for these scholarships. Students also must come from a disadvantaged background, which is defined by the DHHS as either "an environment that has inhibited the individual from obtaining the knowledge, skill, and abilities required to enroll in and graduate from a health professions school," or "a family with an annual income below a level based on low- income thresholds according to family size published by the U.S. Bureau of Census." Students must apply for HRSA scholarships through the financial aid office at their school.
  
  Health Resources and Services Administration
  5600 Fishers Lane
  Rockville, MD 20857
  888-275-4772
  bhpr.hrsa.gov
  
  

DOE Technical Internships

• The United States Department of Energy offers several scholarships to undergraduate students. One is the Technical Career Intern Program offered through the Office of Fossil Energy. Under this program, the DOE pays for approximately half of a student's tuition for their junior year, and for all tuition for their senior year. In addition, this program has the potential to cover as much as $60,000 of an intern's student loan debt. In return, students must commit to a career with the Department of Energy upon graduation.
  
  Office of Fossil Energy
  U.S. Department of Energy
  1000 Independence Ave. SW
  Washington, DC 20585
  301-903-2668
  www.energy.gov
  
  

Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship Program

• The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration provides monetary assistance to undergraduate students through the Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship Program. This scholarship provides annual assistance of up to $8,000 for one to two years. Part of the scholarship includes a 10-week summer internship at a NOAA facility, which in 2010 paid an additional $650 per week. In order to be eligible, a student must be a U.S. citizen, have a 3.0 GPA, must be enrolled full-time, must be in their sophomore year and pursuing a degree in an area of study related to the work of the NOAA.
  
  National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
  Room 5128
  1401 Constitution Ave. NW
  Washington, DC 20230
  301-713-9437
  www.noaa.gov