Eligibility

Schools:

• Must be a U.S. institution of higher education (IHE)
• Must be a Minority Serving Institution (MSI)
• May have more than one team
• May partner with another IHE; lead institution must be an MSI

Students:

• Must be an undergraduate student in good academic standing
• May be enrolled part-time or full-time
• May participate on one team only
• Dual-enrolled high school students may participate, but cannot serve as team lead

Teams:

• Must have at least 2 undergraduate students to participate
• Graduate students may serve as mentors, but cannot be on the team
• Dual-enrolled high school students may participate, but cannot serve as team lead
• Must have a faculty advisor/mentor

Faculty Advisor/Mentor:

• Must be employed by and authorized to represent the institution
• May advise/mentor more than one team
• Cannot be a team member

How to Apply

Complete the following steps to submit a Challenge Application in NASA STEM Gateway:

1. Login OR Create a Customized Profile – Create an account for access to additional functionality and curated experiences.
2. Choose the Challenge Opportunity – The challenge opportunity will only be accessible during the active (open) application period.
3. Click on the Apply button in the upper-right corner and complete the application.  

Note: The team lead starts the application process and will be the responsible party to upload the Application Package to the STEM Gateway Website.

The following deliverables are required to apply to NASA MINDS [use the following format to name your PDF files, Deliverable Name-Abbreviated School Name-Team Name]:

• Application Template
  AT-School Abbreviation-Team Name
• Faculty Advisor Letter
  FAL-School Abbreviation-Team Name

The team lead will be notified of the application status.

See the Timeline for due dates.

See the NASA MINDS Guidebook, Appendix E, for detailed Gateway registration and application instructions.

For all inquiries, contact ksc-nasa-minds@mail.nasa.gov.

NASA MINDS 2025 Application (PDF)