The University of Texas at Austin
Cockrell School of Engineering

Engineering Home > Scholarship Program > General Information > Helpful Hints

Helpful Hints

  1. Avoid Scholarship Scams!  Never pay money to get money.  

  2. Use FREE on-line scholarship searches.  Many of them are updated frequently and will notify you when a scholarship matches the criteria you input regarding your qualifications. 

  3. Do you know what you're going to major in or specialize in?  Find all the organizations and professional societies for that major and check out their web sites.  Find the local chapter or section in your area.  Many of these professional organizations have nationwide and local scholarship programs.

  4. Are you a minority student or a female planning to major in Engineering?  Women and minorities still only make up a small fraction of the total number of engineers and many scholarships are designated for them.

  5. Find the local organizations and foundations in your area that support students going to college.  Many local Texas Ex chapters have scholarships, as do local companies, local organizations, and local service groups.  Watch your local paper, talk to your high school counselor, and check out your local library for more information.

  6. Check out what financial aid you are eligible for by visiting the Office of Student Financial Services web site or talking to a financial services counselor.  Aid may be available if you take the time to complete the required paperwork and take the time to look.

  7. Scholarship searches take time.  It takes time to figure out what you are eligible for and when you can apply for everything.  It takes a lot of time to fill out a scholarship application completely, neatly, and accurately.  Do not cut corners when filling out your scholarship applications.  The scholarship committee should think that the application they are looking at is the best effort the student could put forth.  You have just the time it takes for a person to skim the application to make an impression.  Carefully think out your words and phrases, be brief where possible, and make yourself stand out!