Engineering Scholarships for Incoming Freshmen

New incoming freshmen engineering students may be considered for competitive scholarship opportunities offered through the College of Engineering. Previously, for the 2018–2019 academic year, the College of Engineering and individual engineering departments awarded over 2,600 engineering scholarships worth approximately $4 million to our undergraduate students. If you are not offered a recruitment award your freshman year, don’t worry! At Ohio State's College of Engineering, your opportunities for funding actually increase as you progress through the curriculum.

2021-2022 ACADEMIC YEAR UPDATE

ScholarshipUniverse houses the College of Engineering Scholarship Application. The application filing priority deadline is February 1, 2020. Students who receive a scholarship will be notified via the “Award Summary” tab on buckeyelink.osu.edu.

Scholarship Timeline

Engineering Specialty Recruitment Awards

Engineering Dean’s Scholarship
The number of awards will vary annually with this scholarship. This $1,000 award is selected on the basis of academic merit or financial need (as determined by the FAFSA).

For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) Award
Students that self-identify as participants on any FIRST team through the College of Engineering Scholarship Application on ScholarshipUniverse are reviewed for this competitive, merit-based $1,000 award. Up to 20 awards issued annually.

Honda - Ohio State Scholarship
If you received a Honda STEM award during your senior year in high school, you can receive consideration for the $3,000 renewable Honda Scholarship, which is awarded to eligible STEM award recipients ranked in the top 10% of their high school class, with a minimum 26 ACT or 1180 SAT score, and at least a 3.2 cumulative grade point average. Up to 30 scholarships awarded to either Pre-Engineer, Business, or Arts and Sciences STEM majors (click here for a list of eligible majors). To apply, complete the College of Engineering Scholarship Application on ScholarshipUniverse and FAFSA.

Choose Ohio First Scholarship: Engineering and Science Innovators (ESI)
A $5,200 renewable scholarship awarded to incoming Ohio residents pursuing one of five engineering majors: Biomedical; Chemical; Environmental; Materials Science; or Mechanical Engineering. Students must complete the College of Engineering Scholarship Application on ScholarshipUniverse and FAFSA for consideration. Approximately 20 awards annually.

Engineering Departmental Recruitment Awards

Most engineering departments provide scholarships to new freshmen! Completing both the College of Engineering Scholarship Application on ScholarshipUniverse and FAFSA puts you into consideration for both merit and need-based scholarship opportunities offered based on your declared engineering major. Amounts and terms will vary and additional eligibility may be used in selection.  

Also, the Food, Agricultural, and Biological Engineering (FABE) and Engineering Physics departments offer additional opportunities for students that have declared that specific pre-major. As a prospective student, you should check with these departments to inquire about supplemental scholarship applications and applicable due dates. 

Helpful Hints

• The College of Engineering Scholarship Application on ScholarshipUniverse and FAFSA are open by October 1 every year.

• Although you can submit the scholarship application as soon as you have an Ohio State Username (details to activate your username at my.osu.edu are provided after you submit your admission application), the application is not first come, first served.

• A personal statement (300 words max.) is required. It may be beneficial to compose in MS Word and copy and paste to your application. The essay should be well organized, concise, and provide relevant information not already included in your application or provide further explanation of information elsewhere on the application.

• Think about how you can make your application unique. Most applicants will highlight why they started to pursue a career in engineering (love of LEGOs^® from a young age, engineers within their family that have inspired them, their performance in and enjoyment of challenging math and science classes, etc.), however, students with outstanding applications should also provide detailed and specific examples from recent experiences that show their preparation to be successful in the College of Engineering at Ohio State.

• Ensure that you certify your application for consideration. Upon successful certification and submission of the application, you can expect to receive an email confirmation. Extensions of the application deadline are not available.