Engineering Scholarships for Undergraduate and Graduate Students

NSPE Education Foundation

The National Society of Professional Engineers runs the NSPE Education Foundation , which funds several named scholarships for students in ABET-accredited engineering programs. The Steinman Scholarship pays $5,000 to undergraduates entering or continuing their junior year in a four-year ABET-accredited engineering program. General NSPE Education Foundation scholarships range from $1,000 to $5,000 and weigh academic performance and demonstrated leadership commitment to the engineering profession.

NSPE also runs the George B. Hightower, P.E. Fellowship for current undergraduate or graduate engineering students at ABET-accredited programs, and individual state societies run their own add-on scholarships, such as the NSPE-NH state program covering civil, structural, mechanical, and electrical engineering students. Check both the national NSPE Foundation and your state's engineering society, since state-level awards get far fewer applicants.

IEEE Foundation

The IEEE Foundation funds a wide range of scholarships across engineering disciplines, with individual awards from about $1,000 up to $10,000 depending on the specific program. The IEEE AESS Engineering Scholarship pays two $10,000 undergraduate awards and one $10,000 graduate award each year, with funds sent directly to your school rather than to you personally.

The IEEE Power & Energy Society Scholarship Plus program combines scholarship money with real-world experience for undergraduates interested in power and energy careers. The IEEE Women in Engineering (WIE) International Scholarship goes to a full-time undergraduate who has completed at least two years of an engineering curriculum at an accredited university and has been an IEEE WIE student member for at least two consecutive years. IEEE's individual technical societies, including the Computer Society and Power & Energy Society, run additional scholarships on top of these, so check your specific specialty society once you know your concentration.

ASEE and Federally Funded Fellowships

The American Society for Engineering Education (ASEE) administers fellowship programs funded by federal agencies including the Department of Defense and the National Science Foundation, mainly aimed at graduate and doctoral engineering students rather than undergraduates. The National Defense Science and Engineering Graduate (NDSEG) Fellowship is a competitive, portable 36-month fellowship for US citizens and nationals pursuing a doctoral degree in a STEM discipline, including engineering, and covers tuition and a stipend for the fellowship term.

ASEE-administered programs also place graduate students and postdoctoral researchers at government labs, such as the Air Force Research Laboratory and the Naval Research Laboratory, through paid research fellowships. These are worth checking if you plan to pursue a research-focused graduate degree rather than heading straight into industry after your bachelor's.

Building Your Application List

• Confirm your program carries ABET accreditation before you apply to NSPE-funded scholarships, since most require it explicitly.

• Join IEEE as a student member early if you plan to pursue IEEE Foundation or society-specific scholarships, since several require a minimum membership period before you can apply.

• If you plan to pursue a PhD, research NDSEG and other federally funded fellowships during your junior or senior year, since application cycles typically open a year or more before the fellowship term starts.

• Check your specific engineering discipline's professional society beyond NSPE and IEEE. Civil, mechanical, chemical, and aerospace engineering each have their own societies that run smaller, discipline-specific scholarships.