ARCS Foundation chapters support 675 approved programs and departments at 50 leading research universities across the United States. In assessing potential academic partners, ARCS evaluates strength of graduate degree programs, facutly size and quality, national rankings, and national research grant funding, among other criteria. Contact ARCS Foundation for more information.
Marine Biology has been added to the list of disciplines that may be considered for ARCS Scholar Award funding. The addition, along with approval of the University of Hawai‘i at Manoa's interdisciplinary PhD program in Marine Biology, were requested by the Honolulu Chapter, vetted by the national University Relations Committee, and approved by the National Board at its January 2024 meeting in Honolulu.
The National Board also approved the Chemistry/Biochemistry program at the University of California, Merced, ARCS Foundation's newest university partner.
National review considers the caliber of faculty, quality of research, and strength of department to ensure that ARCS Scholar Awards go to students in leading programs of study.In 2023, the board added Clinical Psychology with a research focus as a new discipline at the request of the San Diego Chapter and approved the Electrical Engineering and Computer Science PhD program at Washington State University.