Engineering Scholarships: The Ultimate Guide for College Students

There is a significant shortage of engineering talent in the United States. As repeated studies have shown, there’s an engineering shortage across the entire field. This shortage is driven by many factors, including the expense of getting the necessary engineering educational requirements, which can drive students into debt. 

Fortunately, there are ways for students to reduce these expenses, including engineering scholarships. Even better news: There are many different engineering scholarships available, including engineering scholarships for different types of engineering fields and students. 

General Engineering Scholarships

ASHRAE Scholarship

The American Society of Heating, Refrigerating, and Air-Conditioning Engineers offers this scholarship. It awards one-time grants of $3,000 to students who are currently in their freshman year of college. Students must be studying a field that will lead to a career in HVAC at any level. The criteria must meet ASHRAE’s various qualifications, including being an accredited school and hosting an ASHRAE student branch.

Astronaut Scholarship

As the name implies, this scholarship is eligible for students who may be interested in pursuing a career in space. There are fifteen scholarships of up to $15,000. Students must be a sophomore or a junior, and they have to be attending school at one of the participating universities within the program. In addition, students must be STEM majors and must have completed “considerable” work outside of the classroom, including lab research or internships.

Women in Engineering Scholarships

Auxiliary Legacy Scholarship

This scholarship is given by the National Society of Professional Engineers and is exclusively available to women. Amounts are up to $5,000 and are open to women entering their junior year at an ABET-accredited college. Students must have a high grade-point average, complete an essay, and be recommended by two professors. 

Science Ambassador Scholarship

This scholarship is funded by the same group that produces the “Cards Against Humanity” game and is a major one: It covers engineering-related expenses for women for all four years of their undergraduate school. As you can imagine, this engineering scholarship is highly selective and expensive. Students have to make a mini-lecture and upload that video to YouTube. It must be a less than three-minute video. 

Engineering Scholarships for Hispanic Students

Gates Millenium Scholarship Program

This scholarship program is funded by the Gates Foundation and offers scholarships of varying amounts to 20,000 students of color interested in pursuing a career in the STEM field. 

HACU Scholarship Program

This scholarship program is run by the Hispanic Association of Colleges and Universities and actually offers numerous different scholarships of varying amounts. Students must at least be college freshmen, meet specific scholarship criteria, and have a demonstrated need for funds. They must also be pursuing a STEM career.

Mechanical Engineering Scholarships

Donald and Barbara Mozley Scholarship

This scholarship is for $15,000 and is available to students who want to pursue a mechanical engineering degree and career. Students must provide two letters of recommendation and have a strong academic portfolio. Students may be in any year of their academic career to qualify for this scholarship. 

American Society of Mechanical Engineers

ASME offers this scholarship to students who are at least going into their sophomore year and interested in pursuing a career in mechanical engineering. There is one application for various scholarships, which range from $1,000 to $13,000.  

Civil Engineering Scholarships

Lawrence W. & Francis W. Cox Scholarship

This scholarship is offered to students who are done with their Freshman year of school and interested in a career in civil engineering. Additionally, students interested in this engineering scholarship must attend an ABET-accredited school and complete an essay that lays out their academic and potential career plans. The amount varies based on available funds.

Y.C. Yang Civil Engineering Scholarship

This scholarship is available for two students who are interested in civil engineering. It is thus highly competitive. Students must have high GPAs and complete an essay. The scholarship amount will alter every year, based on available funds. 

Computer Engineering Scholarships 

Calculated Genius Scholarships

This scholarship is up to $10,000 and is available exclusively to women interested in pursuing a field in computer science or computer engineering. Students must be graduating high school and have at least a 3.0 GPA. They must also be located within the Chicago area.

Davidson Fellow Scholarship

This scholarship is awarded to high school students who are 18 or younger and interested in computer science. The amounts vary between $5,000 and $50,000, this making this one of the more lucrative engineering scholarships currently available. However, it is not just a scholarship: It’s also a fellowship, so there are more intense academic requirements for this scholarship than for many others. 

Biomedical Engineering Scholarships 

Siebel Scholarship Program

This program and scholarship is offered via Johns Hopkins University and is an engineering scholarship that is exclusively available to students interested in biomedical engineering. It is highly selective and requires excellent academics and a track record of leadership in school. In addition, students must be in graduate school and in the top 10% of their class.

TowerCares Foundation Scholarship

This scholarship is a scholarship of up to $15,000 for undergraduate students interested in a career in biomedical engineering. Students must live in the mid-Atlantic region of the country and attend an accredited undergraduate school. 

Material Science and Engineering Scholarships 

Acta Materialia Undergraduate Scholarship

The Acta Materialia organization offers this scholarship. There are two scholarships awarded, each for $5,000, and it is given to undergraduate students who are interested in student material sciences. Students must be a member of Material advantage to qualify for this award. 

Henry DeWitt Smith Memorial Scholarship

This scholarship is an engineering scholarship available to any student studying material science. The total amount is $5,000. It is eligible only to students pursuing a graduate degree and to students who are members of the Society of Petroleum Engineers.

Electrical Engineering Scholarships 

APRL Foundation Scholarship

This engineering scholarship is offered by the National Association for Amateur Radio and is up to $2,000 for scholarship expenses. In addition to having an interest in electrical engineering, a prospective applicant must be interested in amateur radio and have completed an amateur radio license class. 

IEEE Scholarship

This engineering scholarship is for students interested in pursuing a career in electrical engineering or a closely related field. It is for students who will be trying to get their undergraduate degrees. Students must at least have a 3.0 GPA and attend an accredited school. Amounts are $2,000 or $3,000, but the scholarship can be renewed if students continue to meet the necessary eligibility requirements. 

Engineering Scholarships for High School Seniors 

Amazon Future Engineer

Amazon offers this scholarship to a graduating high school senior interested in pursuing a career in engineering. Students must be attending an accredited four-year school. Winners will get not only a $10,000 scholarship but an Amazon internship after the completion of their freshman year of college. 

BMW/SAE Scholarship

This scholarship is available to high school seniors who will be attending college next year. Students must have at least a 3.75 GPA and attend an ABET-accredited school. They must also participate in STEM-related activities outside of school. The amount is $1,500. 

Environmental Engineering Scholarships 

Edison International

This scholarship is awarded to high school seniors interested in an array of STEM fields, including environmental engineering. Students must be high school seniors with a 3.0 or higher GPA. They must also live in southern California. The amount is very high: $40,000.

Environmental, Engineering & Science Foundation Scholarship

This engineering scholarship is six different scholarships available to graduate students interested in pursuing a career in environmental engineering. There are also specific scholarships available to numerous under-represented minority groups. However, all scholarships are the same: They are designed for students pursuing their Master’s degrees and for $2,500.

Software Engineering Scholarships 

Google Lime Scholarship

This engineering scholarship is a $10,000 scholarship for American students and $5,000 for Canadian students. Individuals awarded this scholarship are also invited to a Google Lime banquet. It is an option for undergraduate or graduate students studying computer science or computer/software engineering. Students must have a high GPA and a record of student leadership within their field.  

Northrop Grumman Scholarship

Northrop Grumman offers this engineering scholarship for students interested in pursuing a career in software engineering. It is provided in partnership with the Society of Women Engineers and is geared to students interested in an array of engineering careers, including software engineering. Students must already be in undergraduate or graduate school. There are no minimum requirements for GPA, and the scholarship amount varies. Students must identify as female. 

Engineering Scholarships for Undergraduates 

American Society for Nondestructive Testing

This engineering scholarship is for undergraduate students that are already enrolled in school. It provides a one-time, $3,000 grant. Students must be interested in both engineering and non-destructive testing. 

William Carrier Scholarship

This engineering scholarship is offered in conjunction with ASHRAE. It is up to $10,000 for undergraduate students interested in a career in a wide array of engineering studies. It is named after William Carrier, who invented the first air conditioning system in 1902. Students must attend a school with an ASHRAE branch on its campus. 

Engineering Graduate Scholarships 

George P. Hightower Scholarship

This scholarship is highly flexible in that it is an engineering scholarship that is offered to undergraduate or graduate-degree students. Individuals interested in this scholarship must have a high GPA and complete an essay on their future career plans. The scholarships are one-time awards of $3,000. 

SME Education Foundation

There are actually dozens of engineering scholarships available to graduate students under the SME Education Foundation umbrella. The qualifications for these scholarships vary based on what an individual is interested in and where they are attending school, but students must complete an essay and have a competitive GPA. They also must be interested in an engineering career. 

As you can see, there is no shortage of outstanding engineering scholarships available for many different types of students. By putting in the time and work, you can likely find a scholarship that meets your needs and will allow you to get your engineering degree for less money. 

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