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AWS AI & ML Scholarship program
Access to hands-on learning, scholarships, and mentorship for students underserved or underrepresented in tech
AWS AI & ML Scholarship program
Access to hands-on learning, scholarships, and mentorship for students underserved or underrepresented in tech
Olympiah Otieno is developing a mobile app that uses image classification to improve crop yield for her community of Nairobi, Kenya.
Vani Agarwal is charting her own path in AI & ML and moving away from her hometown to pursue academic goals– all while mentoring the next generation.
José Tapia is applying hands-on learnings from the scholarship program to build a livestreaming device that brings families together using machine learning.
José, Vani, and Olympiah are three AWS AI & ML Scholarship students who are navigating and defining what a career in technology can look like today.
Click to learn more about their story and envision your own future in tech with the AI & ML Scholarship.
The AWS Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) Scholarship program, in collaboration with Udacity, aims to help underserved and underrepresented high school and college students learn foundational ML concepts to prepare them for careers in AI and ML.
Start your ML journey today
Each year, 2,500 scholarships are awarded to students seeking to learn and apply ML skills. Recipients will receive Udacity Nanodegree scholarships, mentorship, and career development opportunities by opting into the scholarship program on AWS DeepRacer Student.
Features and Benefits
AWS DeepRacer Student is a free service for students over the age of 16 enrolled in high school and higher education institutions around the globe.
Applicants can access 20 hours of AI & ML content to learn the foundations of reinforcement learning. Apply your learnings with 10 hours of model training and 5 GB of storage per month to compete in the AWS DeepRacer Student League (a global autonomous racing competition exclusively for students).
2,000 students per year will receive scholarships for the Udacity AI Programming with Python Nanodegree program ($4,000 USD value). This four-month collaborative virtual course teaches programming tools and techniques fundamental to machine learning, with technical support in weekly group sessions.
500 of the top performing students in the first Udacity Nanodegree program can earn a second, more advanced Udacity Nanodegree in deep learning and ML engineering concepts.
All students in the program will receive tailored mentoring and career guidance through monthly “Ask Me Anything” seminars with top industry experts.
Participants in the advanced program will receive a full year of one-on-one mentorship from an AWS employee who will provide guidance for both coursework and preparing for a career in technology.
Getting Started
Sign up for AWS DeepRacer Student and opt into the AWS AI & ML Scholarship program. There is currently over 20 hours of free content available to start learning today.
Track your progress to complete the application prerequisites while you learn, practice, and participate on AWS DeepRacer Student.
Submit your application on Udacity using a unique code you’ll get once you complete the application prerequisites.
Scholarship Timeline (Winter Cohort)
June 1, 2023
Scholarship prerequisites open on AWS DeepRacer Student. Complete to unlock your unique code and finish your application.
September 30, 2023
Last day to submit your application for the winter cohort. 1,000 students will be selected to receive a scholarship to the 2023 winter program.
October 16, 2023
Scholarship Nanodegree program: AI Programming with Python begins.
Frequently asked questions
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General program information
Q: What is the AWS AI & ML Scholarship program?
The AWS AI & ML Scholarship program, in collaboration with Udacity, is an AI/ML-focused scholarship program providing 2,500 scholarships annually, as well as a mentorship program, to students that identify as underserved or underrepresented in technology. The program aims to make the future tech workforce more diverse by removing financial barriers, providing training for a career in tech, and offering mentorship support to individuals that are underserved or underrepresented in tech.Q: How does the Scholarship program leverage AWS DeepRacer?
The AWS AI & ML Scholarship program uses a student-only version of the award-winning AWS DeepRacer League to qualify participants for scholarship opportunities. This league engages students with fun, hands-on learning opportunities. Students that complete the program requisites (from high school students over the age of 16 to college students) are invited to apply for one of 2,500 Udacity Nanodegree scholarships, with the opportunity to continue learning with a more advanced nanodegree, helping them prepare for a career in technology.Q: When does the AWS AI & ML Scholarship program begin?
Applications open for the new 2023 AWS AI & ML Scholarship program on February 1, 2023 through Udacity. Students can complete scholarship prerequisites for the 2023 program on AWS DeepRacer Student to unlock their unique code to finish their application. AWS DeepRacer Student provides more than 20 hours of learning content, assessments, and the ability to compete in the AWS DeepRacer Student League.Q: What are the important program dates?
AWS AI & ML Scholarship Event Start Date End Date Applications Open - Summer Cohort 2/1/2023 5/31/2023 Application Open - Winter Cohort 6/1/2023 9/30/2023 Udacity NanoDegree 1 – Summer Cohort (1000 students) 6/14/2023 9/14/2023 Udacity NanoDegree 1 – Winter Cohort (1000 students) 10/16/2023 1/15/2024 Udacity NanoDegree 2 – Combined Cohorts (500 Students) 3/1/2024 7/1/2024 12-Month mentorship for the top 500 students 3/1/2024 3/1/2025 Q: Where is The AWS AI & ML Scholarship program available?
The AWS AI & ML Scholarship program is available globally, except where prohibited by law. See here for official terms and conditions.Q: What differentiates the AWS AI & ML Scholarship program from other scholarship programs?
The AWS AI & ML Scholarship program is unique because it uses AWS DeepRacer and corresponding AI/ML training content as a mechanism to inspire, engage, and educate participants in ways no other scholarship program does. Unlike traditional scholarships, all participants, not just winners, benefit from the program by learning the fundamentals of ML, AWS offerings, and the real-world problems that AWS ML solves (through content developed in collaboration with Udacity).One of the issues those new to ML face is the feeling that ML is out of reach for them. By familiarizing students with cloud and ML offerings in fun and hands-on ways, AWS DeepRacer provides inspiration and confidence students need to not only enroll in STEM fields, but also overcome challenges and successfully graduate. Demystifying ML through gamified and hands-on AWS DeepRacer competitions creates a cycle to help these individuals graduate and create a more diverse workforce. Improved diversity leads to creation of technologies that are more welcoming to the next generations of currently underrepresented minority groups.
Compared to traditional scholarships, AWS DeepRacer makes learning more engaging by teaching the fundamentals of AI & ML while having fun racing a model car.
Q: What is a Udacity NanoDegree?
Udacity nanodegrees are massive open online courses (MOOCs) designed to bridge the gap between learning and career goals. For more details, see What is a Nanodegree Program? in the Udacity support documentation.Q: Are there any costs associated with applying to the AWS AI & ML Scholarship program, including completing the prerequisites?
No, there are no costs to apply. Additionally, all aspects of AWS DeepRacer Student, the service used to complete the application requisites, is free for students to learn, train, and participate.Q: When are scholarship recipients selected?
The AWS AI & ML Scholarship program works on a cohort-based approach. Each year, two cohorts of 1,000 students are selected. The applications for the first cohort in 2023 are due May 31, 2023, and the applications for the second cohort are due Septmeber 30, 2023. -
Program eligibility
Q: Who can apply to the AWS AI & ML Scholarship program?
Any student over the age of 16 that self identifies as underserved or underrepresented in technology, and is currently enrolled in high school or college, may apply (subject to terms and conditions on Udacity).Q: How do I prequalify for the AWS AI & ML Scholarship program?
Prequalifying for the scholarship is based on two criteria:
- Review coursework and pass assessments. To qualify you must score 80% or better on all required assessments on AWS DeepRacer Student learning modules. Each assessment is based on different chapters you can find in the Learn section in the AWS DeepRacer Student navigation pane.
- Achieve a minimum lap time. Each month from March to September, a new leaderboard is launched in the AWS DeepRacer Student League, featuring a new track design. To qualify for the scholarship, you will need to complete a time trial lap in less than 3 minutes on any single leaderboard.
Q: If I prequalify for the AWS AI & ML Scholarship, do I automatically receive a Udacity Nanodegree scholarship?
No. Students who prequalify for the AWS AI & ML Scholarship are given access to the application for the Udacity Nanodegree scholarship. Udacity determines which prequalified students are awarded Udacity Nanodegree scholarships.
Q: How will I know if I have completed all of the prerequisites on AWS DeepRacer Student?
By opting in to the AWS AI & ML Scholarship at AWS DeepRacer Student registration, students have their progress towards completing the prerequisites tracked automatically in the dashboard section of DeepRacer Student. When a student successfully completes all requirements, they will receive an automated email with a unique application code and instructions to finish their application on Udacity. At the close of each application period, selected recipients will receive an email from Udacity regarding their enrollment.
Q: Am I required to provide proof of enrollment before being selected for the AWS AI & ML Scholarship?
You may be asked to provide proof of enrollment (such as a college transcript) to receive the AWS AI & ML Scholarship. -
Scholarship selection
Q: How are students selected for the AWS AI & ML Scholarship program?
Students that successfully complete prerequisites within AWS DeepRacer Student and submit their application on the Udacity website by the submission deadline are considered for the scholarship. Udacity will use a combination of application data, including but not limited to prerequisite knowledge assessments, to determine 2,000 scholarship applicants annually.
Q: How are the top 500 students selected for the advanced Udacity Nanodegree program with one-on-one mentoring?
To determine the top 500 students, students will be evaluated based on the completion of coursework during the first nanodegree, including course assessments and module completion.
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Educators
Q: Are educators eligible to use the AWS DeepRacer Student service?
Yes, educators are strongly encouraged to take advantage of the free educational content and service on AWS DeepRacer Student. The learning content provided has been curated by AWS ML experts to help students get started with ML, and is a great addition and resource for any computer science and related course.
Q: Are educators eligible to apply for the AWS AI & ML Scholarship?
No, at this time the AWS AI & ML Scholarship program is only open to currently enrolled students at high school, secondary school, and higher education institutions. However, you are encouraged to share the opportunity with your students and help them take advantage of the scholarship opportunity.
Q: Who can I contact to learn more about incorporating AWS DeepRacer Student into my curriculum?
To connect regarding AWS DeepRacer Student opportunities, please complete this form and an AWS DeepRacer Student expert will contact you.