The Robert B. Reed Prize is awarded each year to the student(s) receiving the highest grade on the Department's written qualifying exam.

• 2013 - Yuanyuan Shen
• 2012 - Matey Neykov
• 2011 - Shira Mitchell
• 2010 - Wei Dai
• 2009 - Kaustubh Adhikari
• 2008 - Gourab De and Elizabeth Ogburn
• 2007 - Lee Dicker
• 2006 - Rajeev Ayyagari
• 2005 - Martin Aryee, Lu Wang and Rui Wang
• 2004 -  Xiao Ding
• 2003 -  Lingling Li
• 2002 -  Jarek Harezlak
• 2001 -  Yannis Jemiai and Lu Zheng
• 2000 -  Denise Scholtens
• 1999 -  Lu Tian
• 1998 -  Scarlett Bellamy and Stephen Lake
• Fall 1997 -  Jonathan French and Aaron Foster
• Spring 1997 -  Tianxi Cai and Stevan Horvath
• 1996 -  Jason Fine
• 1995 -  Qian Li and Hongwei Zhao