Scholarships for Continuing Students
Eligibility and Qualifications
If you are in an undergraduate engineering program of study, including Agricultural and Biological Engineering in ACES as well as Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering in LAS, with at least one semester of grades received at the University of Illinois, you are encouraged to apply for Scholarships for Continuing Students.
Please note that non-engineering CS+X majors and Engineering Technology & Management for Agricultural Systems are not eligible for engineering scholarships. Please explore scholarship opportunities in your home college.
This scholarship application will inquire about your activities, both academic achievements as well as personal and professional growth. Successful candidates are typically connected with the engineering community in some way. For example, they may be performing research, contributing to RSOs, or volunteering. While a strong GPA may be a qualifying factor for many specific scholarships, relevant activities are also important. Well-rounded applicants have a better chance of becoming Grainger Engineering scholars.
2025-2026 Scholarships for Continuing Students
Application Opens February 1, 2025
Application Process
This one unique application is for consideration for scholarships managed by the Grainger College of Engineering. The Grainger Engineering scholarship selection committee will evaluate and assess all applications. The committee considers all aspects and elements of the application, including your resume and your recommendations. Based upon the strength of the evaluation, applicants will be assigned to a tier system. Each tier is designated a scholarship amount whereas everyone in that tier will be granted the same scholarship total. Applicants will then be matched with available scholarships where the sum of the scholarships will satisfy the tier total.
Many tiers will not be allocated a scholarship amount early in this process. However, all applications will remain active for the entire academic year. As scholarship funding becomes available, the scholarship committee will update tier totals. Applicants may not receive scholarship notification until the Fall term begins.
Notification
The Grainger College of Engineering will notify you via email to keep you informed of the progress or if you are awarded a scholarship. If awarded a scholarship, the scholarship notification will include the scholarship amount, name of the scholarship, and any eligibility factors. You may receive multiple scholarships and each scholarship will have its own scholarship notification email. First round of scholarship notifications should be emailed by the first week of May.
Please check for important email notifications for additional scholarship opportunities from the Grainger College of Engineering and your department throughout the academic year.
Evaluation Process
Scholarship application evaluation process is based on a complete review of your application, including:
Academics
Honors and achievements
Campus and community activities
Leadership roles
Resume
Recommendations
Your short answers are an important part of the evaluation process. Your answers help to determine factors and experiences that may make you uniquely eligible for scholarships with specific criteria requested by the scholarship donor(s) who provided the funding.
Recommendations
Each applicant can have two recommendations from professional/academic references; i.e., Illinois or other college faculty members, advisors to organizations/activities in which you participated, or supervisors during internships or other employment. At least one of the recommenders must be from a University of Illinois faculty, staff, or graduate student.
The scholarship selection committee is looking for specific information from your recommenders and requests recommenders fill out a simple webform. Additional instructions to the applicant will be provided on your scholarship application.
General Scholarships
The Grainger College of Engineering awarded over 400 applicants scholarships for the academic year 2024-2025 through Scholarships for Continuing Students. Grainger Engineering scholars earned scholarships from $1,000 to $12,000 based upon the strength of their application. There are 4 types of scholarships which include named scholarships, corporate scholarships, unrestricted scholarships, and scholarships set up for specific student organizations. Scholarships are for one academic year, unless otherwise noted on your scholarship notification.
For a student to receive a scholarship through the Grainger College of Engineering, the student must:
- Maintain satisfactory academic progress in an engineering undergraduate program of study
- Maintain good academic standing
- Maintain full-time status
Any additional qualifications to retain eligibility, such as specific major or GPA, will be communicated on the scholarship notification.
Please note that the total amount available to you is limited to cost of attendance, so scholarship amounts may be reduced if the aggregate of your financial assistance is greater than your cost of attendance.
Registered Student Organization Membership Scholarships
Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers
All undergraduate members of Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers who apply for Scholarships for Continuing Students are automatically considered for the SHPE UIUC Chapter scholarship. Scholarship consideration is based upon your ranking in the overall applicant pool and endorsement from the faculty advisor. SHPE scholarship is roughly $1,000, but the final total may vary based on available funding.
Society of Women Engineers Scholarships
All undergraduate members of the Society of Women Engineers @ UIUC who apply for Scholarships for Continuing Students are automatically considered for SWE @ UIUC scholarships. These vary in amounts and numbers, depending on corporate donations, but they typically range from $500 to $2,000. SWE @ UIUC scholarship consideration starts with your activity points and the strength of your application.
Tau Beta Pi Scholarships
All undergraduate members of Tau Beta Pi who apply for Scholarships for Continuing Students are automatically considered for TBP scholarships. Scholarship consideration is based upon your ranking in the overall applicant pool. TBP scholarships are $3,000 but the number of scholarships available are based on available funding.