Increased funding for graduate fellowships and undergraduate scholarships will allow the Cockrell School to attract the best and brightest students. Students who will transform our university today and the world tomorrow.
“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” – John Quincy Adams
The real leaders of the Cockrell School of Engineering are the alumni, parents, corporate partners, and friends who provide financial support to our students. Thanks to annual gifts and endowment earnings, the Cockrell School awarded more than $7.1 million in fellowships to graduate students and scholarships to undergraduate students last year.
Our Top Student Funding Priority: Graduate Fellowships
Over the last two decades the role of graduate students has changed from that of “apprentice” to often a co-creator of technology with a supervising professor. As distribution of newly created technology has moved from publication to commercialization of research, graduate-students have taken on a larger role in economic development. In addition, graduate students support undergraduate education by helping faculty in both laboratories and classrooms as tutors, advisors and lab instructors for our undergraduates. You can invest in the future by helping UT recruit the next generation of technology creators, economy builders, society servers, researchers and teachers.
The Cockrell School’s ability to remain preeminent among top engineering programs hinges on the quality of graduate students we recruit. The strength of our undergraduate program and its ranking, as well as our ability to attract the world’s top engineering faculty, stems from our success in recruiting the most talented students into our graduate programs. We want UT Engineering to be the place where the world’s top engineering minds come to work. This only happens when our engineering community makes the commitment to raise the necessary funds to offer competitive graduate student fellowships.
Dean’s Graduate Fellow: Fully Endowed Graduate Fellowship – Minimum $750,000
A Dean’s Graduate Fellow is the Cockrell School’s premier graduate fellowship program, helping to attract the most talented graduate students. An annual distribution from your endowment will provide approximately $30,000 to fully support a graduate student’s work. This critical funding will be part of a multi-year offer of which your fellowship will be part. This caliber of funding will enable us to compete with peer institutions as we work to recruit these exceptional minds. Endowment investments above the $750,000 minimum will help us better leverage additional matching funds.
Foundation Graduate Fellow – Minimum $250,000
An annual distribution from your endowment will provide approximately $10,000 to support graduate students, and the endowment will grow over time supporting graduate students in perpetuity. Your gift will create a solid foundation to attract and recognize the best graduate students.
Endowed Presidential Fellowship (EPF) -- $100,000
An annual distribution from your endowment will provide approximately $4,000 as a partial stipend to support graduate students, and the endowment will grow over time supporting graduate students in perpetuity. Every year, the Cockrell School hosts a dinner to connect EPF donors and their recipients, so our graduate students can personally express their gratitude.
Endowing Undergraduate Scholarships
Establishing an endowed scholarship offers donors the opportunity to create a lasting legacy that supports engineering education for generations to come, and enables the Cockrell School to compete nationally for the best undergraduate students.
The Cockrell School's first Endowed Presidential Scholarship was created in 1956. Since then, more than 100 alumni, corporations and friends of the Cockrell School have created endowments to recognize the most outstanding undergraduate and graduate students in engineering.
Texas Exes 40 Acres Endowed Undergraduate Scholarship -- $500,000
UT's premier scholarship program helps to attract the nation’s most talented undergraduate students. An annual distribution from your endowment will provide approximately $20,000 to fully support an undergraduate student’s tuition, fees, books and living expenses. The endowment will grow over time supporting undergraduate students in perpetuity. Learn more about the 40 Acres Scholars.
Endowed Presidential Scholarship (EPS) -- $50,000 or more
An annual distribution from your endowment will provide approximately $2,500 to support undergraduate students, and the endowment will grow over time supporting undergraduates in perpetuity. Considered one of UT’s most prestigious scholarship programs, Endowed Presidential Scholars have a strong academic record and exhibit a consistent employment history through paid or volunteer work. Every year, the Cockrell School hosts a dinner to connect EPS donors and their scholarship recipients, so our students can personally express their gratitude.
Endowed Undergraduate Scholarship -- $25,000 or more
An annual distribution from your endowment will provide approximately $1,200 to support undergraduate students, and the endowment will grow over time supporting undergraduates in perpetuity.
Making a Difference in the Lives of our Students
Privately funded graduate fellowships and undergraduate scholarships are critical for the Cockrell School to recruit and retain exceptional students who seek admission to nationally prominent programs. The Cockrell School’s merit-based fellowships and scholarships are given in addition to the grant, loan, and student-work packages provided through UT’s Office of Student Financial Services. With the rising cost of education across the U.S., fellowships and scholarships help ease the anxiety our students and their families face about how to pay for school, and allow our students to focus on their coursework and participate more fully in extracurricular programs that will enhance their personal development. A single gift can make an enormous impact on a student’s life.
You may designate your endowment for students within the Cockrell School or for students in a specific department or departments. Your gift is invested and distributions are made from the endowment each year. Annually, you will receive an investment report detailing the growth of your gift over time from The University of Texas Investment Management Company (UTIMCO).
Additionally, you will receive profiles and thank you notes from the students who receive your fellowship and/or scholarship, and also have the opportunity to become acquainted with them. Your gift in support of students will be a gift of lasting power, one with the potential to transform the Cockrell School today and the world tomorrow.
Learn more about establishing an endowment.
Read letters from our students about the impact a single gift has made in their lives, and how they are living their gratitude by making a difference in the world.
