Scholarships for Women Engineers in 2022 – Even though women are making up an increasingly large portion of the college-educated workforce, they’re still vastly underrepresented in certain fields, including engineering. In fact, women make up just 13% of engineering majors in the United States, according to data from the U.S. Department of Education – and that percentage has barely changed since 1982! If you want to be part of that statistic shift, though, it may help to know about the scholarships available to you as a woman engineer in 2022.
Key things to know about the future
For now, you’re a student and probably your sole priority is graduating with a degree in your field. But after that, things get tough: You’ll need to find a job or develop some other stream of income while also finding time to travel, pursue hobbies and hang out with friends and family. So what’s an enterprising young woman who wants to become an engineer to do? Here are four things you should know about scholarships specifically designed for women engineers if you want to stay on top of your game through high school, college and beyond.
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Scholarship Overview
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) Foundation is a charitable organization focused on advancing technological innovation, leadership, and education. As part of its Corporate Scholarship Program, IEEE offers partial scholarships to qualified female undergraduate students interested in studying engineering who are committed to working in careers involving engineering or technology after graduation.
Scholarships for women engineers were first awarded by IEEE more than 60 years ago, making it one of the oldest corporate scholarship programs aimed at empowering women in STEM. One award per year is available to a graduating female student from an accredited four-year university with demonstrated involvement within her community and excellent academic achievement (3.0 GPA or higher). Past recipients include many successful women engineers working today at companies like Apple, Google, Microsoft, Boeing and General Electric.
Things you should know about applying for this scholarship
• It’s being offered by an electrical manufacturing company (EB)
• The company was established in 1978 and has more than 2000 employees. They make products for large electrical companies, such as Siemens and General Electric.
• The scholarship is $2,500 per year and is renewable up to three years of college if you maintain a GPA of 3.0 or higher throughout high school. After graduating from college, you must work at EB for one year before receiving full payment of your scholarship.
• This isn’t an essay competition; instead you will be asked to answer questions through two sides to your application: a narrative piece about yourself and a resume detailing your education history up until high school graduation.
How do I apply?
Applying to college is a process, not an event. So start early and apply to multiple schools so you have options later on. Once you start applying, take all opportunities to build your application; be involved in clubs, join committees, and pursue community service projects. Fill out your FAFSA as soon as possible.
It’s worth noting that it’s not just grades and test scores that matter when applying to college; admissions officers are interested in how well-rounded you are beyond academics—be sure to highlight work experience, awards, internships/research/service learning projects on your resume. Schools like to see applicants who don’t just go with the flow but actively seek out new opportunities and challenges through hands-on activities or leadership roles.
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What are the benefits of winning this scholarship?
Winning a scholarship can provide a fantastic financial boost, but it can also lead to job opportunities and give your career a huge leg up. After all, you’ll have access to training and professional development opportunities, as well as alumni networks that could help you start your own business or land that dream job down the road. Plus, who doesn’t want to feel good about themselves? Showcasing your success is sure to make you feel empowered and valued, which makes winning a scholarship even more worthwhile.
What makes you eligible?
If you want to pursue a career as an engineer, but maybe aren’t sure you can afford it, don’t worry—there are plenty of scholarships available to you. If you’re looking to get ahead and gain experience while supporting yourself through school, consider applying for fellowships or grant programs geared towards women in STEM.
The National Society of Hispanic MBAs offers a $5,000 scholarship exclusively awarded to female engineers and engineering students who identify as Hispanic or Latino. Another option is to take out an additional student loan or even an unsubsidized government loan; use these funds specifically towards your degree program and work hard during your school years so that your degree will lead to a lucrative career down the road.
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Why should I apply?
This scholarship is open to women who have or will be accepted into an engineering program by August 1, 2022. Scholarships are $8,000 (in 2019 USD) and are renewable up to four years, contingent on maintaining satisfactory academic progress. The scholarship amount may increase up to $15,000 total over four years pending additional funding; we will let you know if and when that happens.
There’s no GPA requirement, but you need to be enrolled full-time at a US institution accredited by a regional accrediting agency. The application process is pretty easy—just two short essays: one about your future plans after school and one about why you think being a woman should help/not hurt your chances of getting selected as a recipient of one of these scholarships.