Engineering Scholarships
The College of Engineering and its academic departments have over 150 funds for undergraduate scholarships. Funds are awarded based on financial need and academic performance and are designed to be integrated into a student's total financial aid package. In the 2009-2010 academic year, the college and its departments awarded over $2 million in undergraduate scholarship support.
Engineering's online application process leads you through applying, being notified, accepting one or more engineering scholarships, and thanking the people who donated the money for the scholarships.
The application window is closed. If you've already applied, you may return to the online application to complete next steps.
Scholarship Overview & Timelines
Scholarship awards are made by each of the ten engineering departments and by a central scholarship office in the College. The online scholarship application provides options to submit an application to a specific engineering department and/or to the central College office. Students already admitted to an engineering department should submit an application to their department. ChemE, CSE, EE, HCDE, ISE, MSE, and ME will also consider applications from students planning to apply to the department.
Students in the following categories should submit a College of Engineering application:
- Entering freshman
- Any student interested in applying for an Emerging Leaders scholarship
- Entering transfer students. Transfer students planning to apply to ChemE, CSE, EE, HCDE, MSE, and ME should also consider submitting a departmental application.
- Students with pre-engineering status
Scholarship applications are accepted during these times:
| Time Period | Applications Accepted By... |
|---|---|
| March 1 – May 1 | Applicants notified by June 15. |
| August 1 – September 1 |
|
| November 15 – December 15 | Applicants notified by February 1. |
Application Process
- Check your department deadlines and initiate the online application. A UW NetID is required. Be prepared to enter your UW email address, proposed major, extracurricular activities, work experience, and a personal statement. Note that all communication about scholarship awards are sent electronically to your UW email address, so be sure to check this regularly.
- Complete the application by the deadline. An email confirming receipt of the scholarship application is sent to the applicant. Within about one month of the application deadline, the scholarship administrator notifies students of their status by email.
- Accept or decline any awards you are offered by returning to the online application.
- Complete a student profile if you accept an award.
- Write a donor thank you letter. Log in to the application page to complete the letter. Note that funds will not be released without submission of the letter (if a letter is required).
- Keep in mind the CoE Scholar-Donor Recognition Luncheon in November. If the donors of your scholarship plan to attend, you will receive an email invitation in October to meet the individuals who are helping to make your education possible.
Tips
- A&A, BioE, CEE: Aeronautics & Astronautics, Bioengineering and Civil & Environmental Engineering accept applications only from students currently in those respective departments.
- You do not need to select a specific scholarship during the application process. Scholarship administrators match recipients to scholarships.
- If you have questions about the process, please email scholarship_admin@engr.washington.edu.
Maintaining and Resubmitting Applications
If you have submitted an application for College of Engineering scholarships (as opposed to department scholarships), your application remains active as long as you are a student. You should update your application periodically, during the application time periods.
For department scholarships, you should resubmit your application each time period that department accepts applications.
Keep in Mind
Financial Need
The majority of scholarships offered by the College of Engineering have a financial need requirement. To be considered for most scholarship opportunities, we recommend that you submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) application to the Financial Aid office. You can pick-up paper FAFSA applications at the Financial Aid Office at 105 Schmitz Hall.
Writing Your Personal Statement
Your personal statement is extremely important. Start working on it early, and use it to tell your story and demonstrate why a scholarship award would be important to you. Show evidence of leadership, community involvement, and/or service. Another important factor could be cultural and educational opportunities (or lack thereof), social and economic disadvantages that you may have had to overcome, and the ways in which these experiences affected you. Include your special interests and abilities, career plans, and future goals.
Letters of Recommendation
The College of Engineering and Human Centered Design and Engineering are the only units requiring letters of recommendation. Choose professors, advisors, or program staff who know you well and can provide a knowledgeable assessment of your skills and aptitudes.
Other Resources
MyUW Financial Aid Tool
All UW students can track their financial aid progress with the UW's Financial Aid Status Self-service. This tool does not track engineering scholarships.
Grad Student Scholarships
For scholarships available to graduate students, visit Graduate Student Resources in MyCoE.
Financial Aid Advice Starring Math Academy Alum David Coven
Scholarship Highlight
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Mechanical engineering grad student Jordan Lee used his UW Scan|Design Fellowship to spend a semester at Aalborg University gaining a better perspective on the social, political and economical aspects of wind energy usage in Denmark. Jordan is interested in the similarities between the offshore wind farms of Denmark with the Cape Wind project off of Cape Cod.
The UW Scan|Design Fellowship sponsors UW graduate and advanced undergraduate students to study at distinguished Danish educational institutions. Read more »
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