Scholarships for middle school and high school students are generally independently funded, and are designed to reward scholastic ability and /or extracurricular activities. These programs typically take the form of contests, and students are awarded a scholarship according to their performance. These scholarship programs are designed to do more than just provide students with money for college. Their underlying purpose is to instill a love for learning, and to encourage more students to pursue a college education.

The following programs are typical of the scholarship opportunities available to middle school and high school students.

• The Christopher Columbus Awardsis a national science, technology, and mathematics program for middle school students. Participants work in teams to identify a problem in their community and, using the scientific method, devise and implement a workable solution. Each member of the winning team receives a $2000 savings bond which can be put toward their college fund. Winners will also receive a grant of $200 to further refine and develop their idea.

• The Doodle for Google Competitionis open to children in grades K – 12. The competition asks children to design a Google Logo based on a predetermined topic. Awards are given in four grade divisions: K – 3, 4 – 6, 7 – 9, and 10 – 12. The four national finalists in each grade group will receive a $5000 scholarship to be used at the college or university of their choice. One national winner will receive a $30,000 scholarship.

• The Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroesis open to students aged 8 to 18. Each year the Barron Prize is awarded to 25 students who have made a positive difference to the people in their community and the health of the planet. Award criteria focuses on environmental issues as they relate to people and their communities. Winners receive a $2500 scholarship to be used at the college or university of their choice.

• Kohl’s Kids Who Care Scholarship Programis open to students aged 6 to 18 who are involved in community service. Awards are given in two age groups, 6 – 12 and 13 – 18. To be eligible for an award, students must be nominated by an adult aged 21 or older. Ten national winners are chosen each year, each receiving a $5000 scholarship. 194 regional winners each year will receive a $1000 scholarship.

• The National Geographic Geography Beeis an international contest designed to promote the teaching of geography in grade schools around the world. Like a spelling bee, students are quizzed on their knowledge of world geography in a contest setting. The contest is open to 8th graders at participating schools. Grand prize is a $10,000 scholarship.

• Letters About Literatureis a national reading comprehension and essay writing competition sponsored by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. The contest is open to students in grades 4 – 12. Contestants must submit an essay, in the form of a letter to a famous author, discussing how the author’s work has changed or impacted the student’s life. Awards are given in three divisions, grades 4 – 6, 7 – 8, and 9 – 12.

• MATHCOUNTSis a national competition for middle school students in grades 6 – 8. The contest takes the form of a spelling be, with contestants answering increasingly difficult mathematics questions in a competition setting. The national champion will receive an $8000 scholarship to be used at the college of university of their choice. The second place winner receives a $6000 scholarship, and third and fourth place winners will receive a $4000 scholarship each.

These are only a few of the many scholarship competitions designed to benefit younger students who have their sights set on a college education. Students, and their parents, who wish to find scholarship opportunities in their age group should speak to their middle school and high school counselors for information on programs and competitions for which they may be eligible. It is never to early to begin planning for college, and scholarships for middle school and high school students offer the opportunity to begin building an education fund well in advance of graduation.

Scholarships that target students interested in engineering provide an excellent way to help pay for the rising costs of higher education. Since engineering scholarships are plentiful and come from a variety of sources, such as corporations, nonprofit organizations, foundations, institutions, and governmental bodies, future engineers have a host of opportunities available to them.

Below is a list of the engineering scholarships we’ve found for high school students, as well as collections that other websites have compiled. (NOTE: Links go directly to scholarship pages.) Unless otherwise noted, the scholarships are related directly to engineering. You can use the navigational links below to jump to individual sections.

You can also find an additional scholarship list for undergraduate and graduate students here. Those entries are grouped by submission deadline here.

ASEE | Collections | Companies | Government | Non-Profits | Universities

Administered by the American Society for Engineering Education

• NAVAL RESEARCH ENTERPRISE INTERN PROGRAM – Intern research program with Office of Naval Research.

• SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM (SEAP) – Paid summer research program in U.S. Navy laboratories for high school students.

• SMART SCHOLARSHIP – Undergrad and graduate, $25,000 – $41,000, internships, support, and more.

Collections and Lists

• FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION – A collection of scholarships and grants, as well as search websites.

• FINAID.ORG – Solid information on paying for college, including the FastWeb free scholarship search engine.

• FIRST ROBOTICS – Large list of scholarships associated with participation in the FIRST Robotics Competition.

• NATIONAL SOCIETY OF BLACK ENGINEERS – Scholarship repository: corporations, organizations, regional, pre-college, alumni, etc.

• SCHOLARSHIPS.COM – Good list of names and descriptions of engineering scholarships; does not provide application information unless you register and pay.

• UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI – List of of science and engineering scholarships.

Companies and Corporations

• AES ENGINEERING – $500 scholarship, high school seniors and higher.

• BMW – Renewable $1,500 scholarship.

• CATERPILLAR – “Engineers for Tomorrow” scholarship program.

• GENERAL MOTORS – Buick Achievers Scholarship offers up to $25,000 a year to puruse science, technology, engineering, or math degrees. Special consideration is given to female and minority students, first-generation college goers, and veterans.

• NORTHROP GRUMMAN – Engineering Scholars Program, $2,500 per yer for four years.

• RAYTHEON-FIRST ROBOTICS – Scholarships, $1,000.

• STUDYSOUP – Future Innovator scholarship, $2,000 awarded twice a year for outstanding mentoring or humanitarian work.

• XEROX – Minority group scholarships, undergrads, $1,000 – $10,000.

• YANMAR AMERICA CORPORATION – Renewable $1,000 scholarship; partnership with SAE.

Government

• CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION – Scholarships and awards.

• DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE – List of scholarships, including SMART.

• ILLINOIS DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION – Civil engineering scholarship, $7,500.

• INDIANA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION – Scholarship, $3,125 per semester.

• KENTUCKY TRANSPORTATION CABINET – Civil engineering scholarship, $6,200 – $6,600.

• NASA – Aeronautics Scholarship Program, fellowships, and internships.

• NATIONAL SECURITY AGENCY – Stokes Educational Scholarship Program: computer science, electrical or computer engineering.

• OFFICE OF NAVAL RESEARCH – Internship for research, with ASEE administering.

• UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE – Scholarships and internships.

• VIRGINIA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION – Scholarship program, $3,500 per semester.

Non-Profit Organizations and Societies

• AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY – Scholarships for chemistry, biochemistry, and chemical engineering.

• AMERICAN INDIAN SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING SOCIETY – Range of scholarships, $1,000 – $5,000 per year for undergrads; $2,000 – $10,000 for graduates.

• AMERICAN PHYSICAL SOCIETY Internships and fellowships for high school through graduate school students.

• AMERICAN SOCIETY OF AGRICULTURAL AND BIOLOGICAL ENGINEERS – Awards, competitions, scholarships, student info.

• AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL ENGINEERS – Scholarships and fellowships.

• AMERICAN SOCIETY OF HEATING, REFRIGERATION, AND AIR-CONDITIONING ENGINEERS – Scholarships, grants, and aid.

• AMERICAN SOCIETY OF MECHANICAL ENGINEERS – Large list of scholarships, some internationally available.

• AMERICAN SOCIETY OF NAVAL ENGINEERS – Scholarships, undergrads and grads.

• AMERICAN SOCIETY OF SAFETY ENGINEERS – Large amount of scholarships and awards for undergrads and graduates.

• ASSOCIATION OF STATE DAM SAFETY OFFICIALS – Scholarships of up to $10,000, paper competition, internships clearinghouse, and Speakers Bureau.

• ASSOCIATION FOR WOMEN GEOSCIENTISTS – Awards include up to $6,000 for the AWG Minority Scholarship for minority women undergraduates studying earth sciences and hydrology.

• THE ELECTROCHEMICAL SOCIETY – Awards, grants, and fellowships

• GREAT MINDS IN STEM – HENAAC Scholars Program. Goal of more than $200,000 in scholarship funds available.

• ILLUMINATING ENGINEERING SOCIETY – Scholarships and grants.

• INSTITUTE OF ELECTRICAL AND ELECTRONICS ENGINEERS – Scholarships and fellowships. See also: IEEE Computer Society $2,000 scholarship.

• INSTITUTE OF INDUSTRIAL & SYSTEMS ENGINEERS – Large amount of scholarships and fellowships.

• INTERNATIONAL SOCIETY OF EXPLOSIVES ENGINEERS – SEE Education Foundation scholarship for students pursuing technical, undergraduate, or graduate degrees in the field of explosives.

• KOREAN-AMERICAN SCIENTISTS AND ENGINEERS ASSOCIATION – Scholarships, undergrads and grads.

• THE MINERALS, METALS, AND MATERIALS SOCIETY – Range of scholarships, $2,000 – $5,000.

• NATIONAL ACTION COUNCIL FOR MINORITIES IN ENGINEERING – Pre-engineering scholarships, related fields, $1,500.

• NATIONAL ASSOCIATION FOR AMATEUR RADIO – Range of scholarships, $500 – $5,000.

• NATIONAL SOCIETY OF BLACK ENGINEERS – Scholarships; must be paid, active member.

• THE OPTICAL SOCIETY – Fellowships, grants, and two scholarships.

• SOCIETY OF AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERS – Scholarships, high school seniors to Ph.D.

• SOCIETY OF MANUFACTURING ENGINEERS – Scholarships for high school students, undergrads, and graduates.

• SOCIETY OF PETROLEUM ENGINEERS – Scholarships and fellowships.

• SOCIETY OF WOMEN ENGINEERS – Range of scholarships, $1,000 – $10,o00.

• SPIE – Scholarships: optical engineering, available internationally.

• TAU BETA PI – Engineering honor society Maryland scholarships.

Universities and Colleges

The absence of a school on this list does not mean that it has no engineering scholarships. Some schools offer scholarships to students only after they have applied. Contact institutions or engineering departments directly to learn if aid is available and what policies are in place.

TIP: For links to lists that contain different types of scholarships, try using your internet browser’s Find function (ctrl+F in Firefox) and searching for the word “engineering.”

• ALFRED UNIVERSITY – Various scholarships.

• AUBURN UNIVERSITY – Scholarships divided by engineering type (use left-side list of types to navigate).

• BAYLOR UNIVERSITY – Sizable list of scholarships.

• BINGHAMTON UNIVERSITY – Large list of scholarships and awards.

• BUCKNELL UNIVERSITY – Large list of mixed field endowed scholarships with many for engineering.

• CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY – General list of scholarships

• CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY-FULLERTON – Academic Catalyst for Excellence Scholarship: up to $2,000 per semester for seven semesters, other benefits.

• CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY-LONG BEACH – In-house and affiliated scholarships.

• CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY-SACRAMENTO – Table of scholarships.

• CALVIN COLLEGE – Mixed list of engineering scholarships.

• CASE WESTERN RESERVE UNIVERSITY – Blog of scholarships.

• CITY UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK – STEM scholarships; (scroll down to appropriate section).

• CLARKSON UNIVERSITY – Engineering scholarships, including for participation in FIRST Robotics and Project Lead the Way, and awards.

• CLEMSON UNIVERSITY – Science and engineering scholarships; (click “Restricted” circle).

• CLEVELAND STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships.

• COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY – Mixed scholarships, includes engineering.

• DARTMOUTH UNIVERSITY – Scholarships, awards, grants, and programs.

• DREXEL UNIVERSITY – Mix of specific scholarships, providers, and scholarship search engines for prospective students.

• EMBRY-RIDDLE AERONAUTICAL UNIVERSITY-FLORIDA – General information on internal scholarships offered, list requires sign-in.

• FLORIDA A&M UNIVERSITY – College of Engineering scholarships (hit search without entering any fields to see all scholarships).

• FLORIDA ATLANTIC UNIVERSITY – Two scholarships in list: Hicks Scholarship Endowment and Milton and Gladys Meisner Scholarship Fund.

• FLORIDA INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY – Scholarship listing (click departmental links for each list).

• GANNON UNIVERSITY – Engineering-based scholarship range: $500 – $3,000.

• GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY – Scholarship search engine, use keyword: engineering.

• GEORGE WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY – General information about GWU scholarships, includes engineering.

• GEORGIA INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY – Internal and external scholarship information.

• GROVE CITY COLLEGE – Engineering scholarship, $2,500 (scroll down).

• HARVEY MUDD COLLEGE – President’s Scholars Program features engineering component.

• ILLINOIS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY – Mixed list, contains engineering.

• INDIANA UNIVERSITY-PURDUE UNIVERSITY-INDIANAPOLIS – Major-specific scholarships for Indiana residents (scroll down to School of Engineering and Technology). See also: Non-Indiana Residents scholarships.

• IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships, grants, and loans.

• JACKSON STATE UNIVERSITY – Engineering scholarships under separate section and mixed in.

• KANSAS STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships and information.

• LAMAR UNIVERSITY – Scholarship, $15,000 per year.

• LeTOURNEAU UNIVERSITY – Scholarship, computer science and electrical engineering.

• LOUISIANA STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarship information.

• LOUISIANA TECH UNIVERSITY – Scholarship information, organized by departments.

• MARSHALL UNIVERSITY – Scholarships, internal and external.

• MARQUETTE UNIVERSITY – Scholarship, Engineering Dean’s Top Scholar Award.

• McNEESE STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships, engineering.

• MIAMI UNIVERSITY OF OHIO – Scholarship, paper science and engineering.

• MILWAUKEE SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING – Scholarship list, mixed internal and external.

• MISSISSIPPI STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarship list.

• MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships and information.

• NATIONAL UNIVERSITY – Scholarships.

• NEW JERSEY INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY – Two engineering scholarships in mixed list.

• NEW MEXICO STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships and information.

• NORTH CAROLINA A&T STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarship list and information.

• NORTH CAROLINA STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarship information and contacts.

• NORTHERN ARIZONA UNIVERSITY – List of scholarships by department.

• NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY – Large list of scholarships and outside resources.

• OHIO UNIVERSITY – Large mixed list, contains engineering.

• OKLAHOMA STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships.

• OREGON INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY – Mixed list of scholarships, includes engineering.

• OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships and information, multiple levels.

• PORTLAND STATE UNIVERSITY – Search-able database, select “Maseeh College of Engineering and
  Computer Science.”

• POLYTECHNIC INSTITUTE OF NEW YORK UNIVERSITY – Scholarship and grant information.

• PURDUE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships and awards. See also: Purdue Civil Engineering.

• RICE UNIVERSITY – Engineering scholarship (in mixed list), renewable $6,500 – full tuition.

• ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY – Scholarship in mixed table list (scroll), $6,000 per year.

• SAN FRANCISCO STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships, .doc format.

• SAN JOSE STATE UNIVERSITY – List of scholarships by engineering major and information.

• SANTA CLARA UNIVERSITY – Dean’s Scholarship contains engineering.

• SOUTHERN METHODIST UNIVERSITY – Scholarship, engineering.

• STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK – Environmental, paper science and engineering scholarship.

• STEVENS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY – Mixed scholarships, including engineering.

• STONY BROOK UNIVERSITY – Scholarship, Women in Engineering (scroll down).

• SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY – Mixed scholarships, (use right-side list).

• TEMPLE UNIVERSITY – Science and engineering fair-related scholarships (scroll down).

• TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITY – Scholarships information (use links to go to individual lists).

• TEXAS TECH UNIVERSITY – Large list of scholarships.

• TRINITY UNIVERSITY – Several engineering scholarships in mixed list.

• UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA – Scholarship information.

• UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA – Scholarship information.

• UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS – Scholarship information.

• UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA-SANTA BARBARA – Scholarships.

• UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL FLORIDA – Scholarship information.

• UNIVERSITY OF CINCINNATI – Scholarship search engine (select engineering college).

• UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO-BOULDER – Scholarships and information.

• UNIVERSITY OF DETROIT MERCY – Dean’s Scholarship includes engineering, $14,5000 per year.

• UNIVERSITY OF EVANSVILLE – Toyota Scholarship (scroll), minimum $14,000 per year.

• UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI’I – Search engine, large list of scholarships (keyword: engineering).

• UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON – Information on automatic engineering scholarships, interns program.

• UNIVERSITY OF IDAHO – Large list of scholarships.

• UNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS-CHICAGO – Scholarship information.

• UNIVERSITY OF IOWA – Scholarships and information.

• UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS – Scholarship information.

• UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY – Scholarships.

• UNIVERSITY OF LOUISIANA-LAFAYETTE – Scholarships, information, and contacts.

• UNIVERSITY OF LOUISVILLE – Scholarship information (scroll).

• UNIVERSITY OF MARYLAND – Scholarships.

• UNIVERSITY OF MASSACHUSETTS-AMHERST – Scholarships, must be enrolled in engineering college.

• UNIVERSITY OF MEMPHIS – Scholarships and information.

• UNIVERSITY OF MINNESOTA – College of Science and Engineering scholarships.

• UNIVERSITY OF MISSISSIPPI – Scholarships and information.

• UNIVERSITY OF MISSOURI – Scholarships and information.

• UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA-LINCOLN – Scholarships, information, and external list.

• UNIVERSITY OF NEW HAMPSHIRE – Large list of scholarships.

• UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO – Scholarship information.

• UNIVERSITY OF NORTH DAKOTA – Scholarships.

• UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS – Dean’s Scholarship.

• UNIVERSITY OF OKLAHOMA – Scholarships and information.

• UNIVERSITY OF RHODE ISLAND – Scholarship and contact information.

• UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS – Scholarships, endowments, and funds.

• UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA – Scholarships, undergrads and above only.

• UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA – Scholarships, separated by department.

• UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA – Scholarships for currently enrolled students.

• UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE-CHATTANOOGA – Scholarship search (keyword: engineering).

• UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS – Scholarship information.

• UNIVERSITY OF THE PACIFIC – MESA Scholarship, $2,500 – $4,200.

• UNIVERSITY OF TOLEDO – Large list of scholarships.

• UNIVERSITY OF UTAH – Range of scholarships.

• UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON – Scholarship information.

• UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN-MADISON – Scholarships and information.

• UTAH STATE UNIVERSITY – Large list of scholarships.

• VIRGINIA POLYTECHNIC AND STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships.

• WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships.

• WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY-ST. LOUIS – Scholarships and fellowships, including full tuition.

• WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarship information.

• WESTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY – Scholarships, general and by department.

• WESTERN NEW ENGLAND COLLEGE – Scholarships in mixed list.

• WICHITA STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships.

• WIDENER UNIVERSITY – Scholarship information and free laptops program.

• WRIGHT STATE UNIVERSITY – Scholarships.