USAII® AI NextGen Challenge™ 2026: Three Tracks to $12.3M+ Scholarship
Join the USAII® AI NextGen Challenge™ 2026: America’s largest AI scholarship, offering online AI education, certifications, and skill-building opportunities.
Divyanshi Kulkarni 
The USAII® AI NextGen Challenge™ 2026 isn't just another scholarship program. It's America's most transformative AI education movement, a $12.3+ million initiative that's rewriting the rules of opportunity for STEM students from grades 9 to 12 and undergrads and graduates.
Widening AI Skills Gap in America
AI NextGen Challenge™ 2026 will give 200,000+ U.S. students from 2,000+ institutions access to world-class AI education. McKinsey reports that demand for “AI fluency” has grown nearly sevenfold in two years, highlighting the urgent need for students to gain AI skills and certifications. This initiative goes beyond career readiness; it’s a national movement to close the AI skills gap and prepare America’s next generation of AI innovators.
The AI NextGen Challenge™ 2026 is a nationwide drive to provide students with career-ready skills, and close the AI skills gap. It is aligned with the White House AI Workforce Development Framework and the National AI Strategy 2024, making it not just a program; but leading America’s AI future.
Three Tracks- One Extraordinary Scholarship
Track 1 - CAIP™ (Certified Artificial Intelligence Prefect)
For grades 9-10: Scholarship Worth $4.8+ Million
The CAIP™ will introduce students to the fundamentals of AI, including robotics, deep learning, and other advanced technologies in a self-paced manner.
Track 2 - ™ CAIPa (Certified Artificial Intelligence Prefect-Advanced)
For grades 11-12: Scholarship Worth $4.8+ Million
The ™CAIPa covers applied machine learning, deep neural networks, and hands-on AI innovation. These skills will set students apart from the pack when submitting their college applications and open access to higher-level employment opportunities.
Track 3 - CAIE™ (Certified Artificial Intelligence Engineer)
For undergraduate and graduate STEM students: Scholarship Worth $7.4+ Million
The CAIE™ professional track builds expertise in Gen AI, LLMs, MLOps, RAG, ML architecture, and enterprise AI, accelerating careers and giving students a competitive edge.
Your shot at America’s largest AI scholarship includes:
50 questions- 60 minutes- Fully AI-proctored Online Scholarship Test
Hurry Up: Register for Round 2 before December 31, 2025
Tips to Win $12.3+ Million AI Scholarship:
Wondering how to earn one of the USA's top AI Scholarships in 2026? Let’s clarify your doubts in five easy steps:
· Register for the Scholarship Test
Register through your school, college, or independently before the deadline. Participation fees are $49 for grades 9–12 and $88 for college/undergraduate STEM students. Early applicants gain more preparation time.
· Rank in the Top 10% Nationwide
The best-performing 10% of students earn 100% scholarships covering USAII® certifications (CAIP™/ ™CAIPa/ CAIE™) depending on their educational levels.
· Earn USAII® Certifications
Scholarship winners unlock self-paced, industry-recognized AI programs trusted by Microsoft, Dell, Pfizer, Cisco, and many others. Complete your certification by April 2026 to move to the next stage.
· Advance to the Pre-Hackathon Selections
Students who excel in the Pre-Hackathon round qualify to represent their institution at the national level.
· Enter the National AI Hackathon Stage — Atlanta 2026
From thousands of participants across partner schools, colleges, and universities,
the top 250 innovators will be selected to compete in 50 dynamic teams with 5 students each.
These finalists will collaborate to solve real-world AI problems. They will compete for $100,000 in cash rewards, earn national media recognition, build industry networks, and secure prestigious internship opportunities, all during the AI NextGen National Hackathon on June 20–21, 2026.
Note: Grades 9-10 are not eligible for the hackathon and get another year to strengthen their AI skills for next year’s winning prospects.
Know More About AI NextGen Hackathon 2026
FAQs
- When are the online scholarship test(s) scheduled?
The Round 1 online scholarship test is on December 6, 2025; followed by Round 2 and Round 3 scheduled on January 31 and February 28, 2026.
- Is the participation fee refundable?
No, to participate in the AI NextGen Challenge™ 2026, students must pay a non-refundable fee of $49 or $88, depending upon the track.
- Can I Reschedule My Exam?
Yes, you can email to [email protected] or [email protected] at least 3 working days before your exam. Rescheduling is at USAII®’s discretion, and the new date will be emailed to you.
