Looking for engineering college grants to subsidize your degree expenses? Student enrolment in engineering degree programs is steadily on the increase, and the majority of students enrolling into engineering programs apply for school grants to help fund their college education. As technology progresses the demand for academically qualified and disciplined employees’ increases, which means new grants and college funding opportunities are on the rise from professional organizations in addition to government-funded grants for undergraduate engineering degree students.

Grants for engineering students assist thousands of young people in accessing degree programs each year. Students from a diverse range of backgrounds are supported by these grant programs, including Hispanics and Latinos, African and Native Americans. As traditionally underrepresented in engineering, grants for women are readily accessible too.

Government Funded Programs

Undergraduate engineering students applying for school and college grants should first submit a FAFSA application. This is the government’s standard application process for assessing financial need and determines whether students are eligible for federal and most state grant programs. If engineering students qualify for the federal Pell program, which a need based grants program, they will be considered automatically for the following grant programs:

  • The ACG or Academic Competitiveness Grant, provided to freshmen and sophomore undergraduates with exceptional academic talent.
  • The National SMART grant is available to undergraduate engineering students who demonstrate a need for financial assistance. Students are expected to maintain a minimum GPA to continue to receive this program.
  • Computer Science Engineering Mathematics Scholarship Grant (SCEMS) program supports academically talented, financially needy students at associate, baccalaureate, or graduate level degree in engineering, engineering technology, math and sciences.

Non-government based engineering grants and scholarships

Professional engineering associations and organizations are always investing in promising students as a means to prepare them for employment when they have graduated in their chosen field. A leading source of information about grants, scholarships and fellowships for engineering students is available from the “American Society of Engineering Education”, which maintains a database of student-funding organizations worth researching.

Minority grants and scholarships

Engineering has traditionally been under-represented by minority students. More assistance is been pumped into grant and scholarship programs to encourage minorities and women to pursue engineering related degrees.

  • The Anita Borg Scholarship from Google supports a number of women students at undergraduate, graduate and Ph.D. level
  • IBM Research offer paid internship grants to Native, African and Hispanic Americans as a means of increasing the number of undergraduate students continuing to graduate study programs.
  • The American Indian Science and Engineering Society offer grants to Native American students pursing undergraduate and graduate degrees in engineering.

If you are seeking financial assistance to pay for your college degree in engineering related academic programs such as building and construction, manufacturing, medicine, technology, teaching or science, you could qualify for one or more of the above engineering grants. It is important that undergraduate engineering students first submit their FAFSA application as this could open up several opportunities to receive additional grants from state based and college specific programs.