Scholarships are open to current college or vocational students and to high school students entering college in the upcoming year. Full-time graduate and law school students are also eligible. Applicants do not have to be U.S. citizens to be eligible but do have to attend U.S.-based institutions. Applicants for all awards must be atheists and must have a cumulative GPA of 2.5 or higher in academic subjects. Applicants of all races, ethnicities, genders, and sexual orientations are encouraged to apply.

Membership in American Atheists is not required to submit an application, but scholarship winners must be members to accept the awards. All applicants are offered a free one-year membership to American Atheists.