Electrical Engineering Scholarships

Find Money to Study Math, Science and Electronics

If you find yourself most at home in the areas of math and science and you get a kick out of learning how things work, then an electrical engineering degree might be the right educational path for you. Electrical engineering is a broad field that reaches into the communications industry and even aerospace, manufacturing and information technology. Careers that use electrical engineering as a springboard might include those in electrical systems management, commercial telecommunications, digital computers, signal processing, research and development, or entrepreneurship.

A number of funding opportunities are in place to help you realize your goal of a degree in electrical engineering. Professional organizations like the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers sponsor programs that will put you one step closer towards building a complete financial aid package to fund your education. Additionally, a number of public and private colleges have special programs designed to make education affordable for the next generation of electrical engineers. You will find many of these opportunities below, where you can choose from scholarships from college engineering programs as well as those sponsored by engineering societies.

Scholarships from College Engineering Programs

Virginia Tech

The Virginia Tech Department of Engineering Education has several scholarships aimed at electrical engineering students who are freshman, transferring, or already in the department. Further scholarships are available through the Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. All scholarships emphasize scholastic achievement as the number one requirement for eligibility, and are awarded once annually.

• The Dean’s Scholar and Davenport Scholarships are available to freshmen in the College of Engineering. Applications must be received by February 1 and the winners are announced at a special banquet.
• IDEAS (Increasing Diversity through Engineering Academic Scholarships) is a special program at Virginia Tech that provides scholarship funding to selected freshmen and transfer students who demonstrate significant financial need.
• Another scholarship available is the Leo A. Padis Scholarship, designed specifically for transfer students to the College of Engineering. This merit-based award is $1000 and the deadline is June 1.
• The Joseph W. and Rose V. Belak Memorial Scholarship is open to full-time electrical engineering students who display financial need and academic achievement. The recipient must be a Virginia resident and must have completed a general Engineering scholarship form.
• The Karl Egerer/Kollmorgan Electrical Engineering Scholarship is available to electrical Engineering students who display an inquisitive nature along with a zest for knowledge and excitement. Outstanding and meritorious students who fit into this category are encouraged to apply for this scholarship.
• Other scholarships available include the William Murray Scholarship and the George R. Powley Memorial Scholarship – both specifically for electrical engineering students.

Washington State University

The School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at Washington State University in Pullman, Washington is host to over two dozen scholarships for its students. For example, the Dick Baker Endowed Memorial Scholarship is named after a former alumnus and faculty member of WSU who was famous in the engineering department. Funds from his scholarships are used to provide financial support to students entering the field, with special consideration given to those concentrating in power engineering.

The A.L. and Erma Betts Endowed Scholarship in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science is another award opportunity at WSU. Both academic merit and financial need are considered for this award that will go to an outstanding electrical engineering student. See the WSU department website for the full range of scholarships available for its engineering students.

San Jose State University

San Jose State University in California offers several scholarships to its Department of Electrical Engineering students who are undergraduates or graduates. San Jose State divides its scholarships into two categories: those awarded based on merit, and those awarded based on merit plus financial need. In most cases, you must be a United States citizen or permanent resident to qualify. The awards are aimed toward incoming freshman and their monetary awards vary.

There is an online application through which students can apply for all of the scholarships at one time. The electrical engineering scholarships include:

• The National Semiconductor Scholarship is sponsored by the industry company who manufactures these devices. This award goes to one freshman who displays merit and achievement.
• The Intel Scholarship is hosted by the major corporation, Intel, and is devoted towards one deserving freshman at the school
• The Cadence Scholarship is sponsored by Cadence Design Systems and goes to one incoming freshman who plans to study engineering.
• The Silicon Valley Electrical Engineering Scholarship is provided by Charles W. Davidson College of Engineering and is open to freshmen and transfer students who have at least a 3.0 GPA.

University of Akron

Ohio’s University of Akron awards over 80 scholarships to its engineering students, and over $22 million in general aid to its students. Several of these are specific to electrical engineering students. One main application for all these scholarships can be submitted online. Dollar amounts vary and academic excellence and leadership are important requisite traits:

• The Richard L. Clark Memorial Fund endowment awards scholarships to students majoring in electrical engineering. Funds can be applied towards tuition, class materials and textbooks. Interested students must submit scholarship requests to the Electrical Engineering Department head.
• The Craig Davis Memorial Scholarship in Electrical Engineering is geared toward a full-time student in his or her third year of study. A high grade point average is one of the eligibility requirements as is receiving an honors University scholarship. The department head of electrical engineering and the dean of the college of engineering choose the outstanding recipient.

Illinois Institute of Technology

The Armour College of Engineering at the Illinois Institute of Technology offers its freshmen the merit-based Heald Scholarship for $10,000, while transfer students are eligible for a similar $10,000 Transfer Student Award. International applicants may be qualified for an even larger award package, including both grants and scholarship monies.

The Camras Scholars in the department of engineering get the very best deal as they are offered a full-ride of tuition costs for four years at the college. Engineering majors who have top test scores, outstanding grades, and a well-rounded extracurricular life are eligible to apply for the prestigious Camras Scholars Program.

Professional Engineering Societies and Associations

There are several associations that cater specifically to electrical engineers, while others are more broad and cover a variety of disciplines within the field of engineering. Either way, there are available scholarships for electrical engineering students via these groups.

Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) is the premiere organization in support of electrical engineers at all levels and offers access to engineering program information and scholarships through its many branches across the United States. For instance, the Houston branch offers up to five scholarships each year worth $1,000 each to full-time students and incoming freshmen who are studying an electrical engineering discipline.

To be eligible, students must either be a member of an IEEE student branch or a relative of a Houston IEEE member. In addition, criteria are based on academic achievement like cumulative grade point averages as well as ACT or SAT score. An essay is also required which should include extracurricular activities, achievements, career goals and the reason for applying for the scholarship.

Electrical engineering graduate students will be interested in the IEEE Charles LeGeyt Fortescue Fellowship which provides a whopping $24,000 stipend to an electrical engineering student in the first year of their Master’s program in the US. Another opportunity offered by the organization is the IEEE Standards Education Program which provides $500 grants to students doing university research especially related to an area of industry standards. See the IEEE website for the complete listing of their offerings to engineering majors.

National Society of Black Engineers

The National Society of Black Engineers (NSBE) has a number of strategic partnerships with corporations that sponsor individual scholarships for African-Americans. These awards are only available to members of the NSBE and range from $500-$10,500. Also available to NSBE members are the annual “Best of” awards that the organization gives away to those who have made a significant impact in some area of engineering. The following are designed for electrical engineering students:

• ExxonMobil’s sponsored scholarships require a grade point average of 3.5 and an essay. College sophomores or juniors who are members of NSBE are eligible to apply. Approximately ten scholarships worth $2500 each are given every year.
• Semiconductor Fellowships are promoted by the NSBE, but are also available to a wider audience than just the NSBE. The Semiconductor Research Corporation hosts a graduate fellowship program and a master’s fellowship program that provides funding for those passionate about the semiconductor industry and education within it. A few of the SRC programs support only minorities and women.

More Scholarships for Electrical Engineers

General engineering scholarships are plentiful at most colleges that offer engineer programs, so don’t neglect these valuable possibilities in addition to the more specific ones. A great reference place to start is a mega-database of engineering scholarships like the one that the National Society of Black Engineer’s maintains, the Scholarship Vault. Through a resource like this, you can find opportunities like the GEM Fellowship. This unique award pays for expenses for a year of the recipient’s engineering Master’s training, in addition to providing practical engineering work when out of the classroom and possible career opportunities later down the road.