The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) California Scholarship

The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) California Scholarship Foundation awards yearly scholarships from $1,000 to $10,000 to college students studying engineering and land surveying in California. We will be awarding over $80,000 in scholarships for the 25-26 academic year.

Some applicants from Riverside/San Bernardino, Orange County, Los Angeles, and San Diego regions may be eligible for up to $50,000 in additional awards from local ACEC California Chapters based on their school location, residency, and hometown.

By completing the ACEC California scholarship application you will also have access to over $1,000,000 of engineering and land surveying scholarship available nationwide on the ACEC Research Insitute Scholarship Portal.

Student Eligibility

Student Eligibility
To qualify as an applicant for the ACEC California Scholarship Program, a student must:

Be entering their junior, senior, fifth or master’s degree year in the Fall of 2025. Students graduating in December 2024 or Spring 2025 are not eligible.
Be enrolled as follows:
Upper division undergraduate students must be enrolled full-time and working toward a degree in an engineering or land-surveying curriculum approved by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) during the 25-26 academic year.
Master’s degree students must be enrolled at least half time, and either be in an ABET-accredited Master of Science (MS) engineering program or have a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree from an ABET-accredited engineering program during the 25-26 academic year.
Meet the following minimum grade point average requirements:
For ACEC California’s State Competition: Applicants must have a minimum grade point average of 3.2 in completed engineering and land surveying courses and a minimum overall grade point average of 3.0 on a scale of 4.0
Be interested in the possibility of pursuing a career in consulting engineering or land surveying.
Citizenship: You do not have to be a U.S. citizen to be eligible for an ACEC California scholarship. However, U.S. citizenship is required for some chapter scholarships and ACEC National scholarships
Additional Conditions
Payment of the award will be made at the start of the 2025 fall semester, after submitting proof of enrollment.
No student may receive more than two awards from ACEC California’s scholarship fund. Students who have previously received one award must reapply to be eligible for a second award.
All recipients must remain full-time students in good standing at a California university or college during the year in which the award is received.
To qualify as an application the student must complete the entire application, which includes providing their transcripts with their fall 2024 grade and completed recomendation form.

Scoring Guidlelines

Scoring Guidelines
Students’ interest and commitment to the business and management of the profession are important. Students are encouraged to reflect that throughout their applications. The ACEC College of Fellows is especially interested in supporting students who are potential future consulting engineers or land surveyors.

Applications should be as complete as possible. Each portion of the application has a specific point value. Judges will score each section separately. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Scoring — 100 Points Total
Cumulative Grade Point Average: 20 points
Essay Questions: 25 points The 2 essay questions (250 word-limit). Points may be lost for poor grammar, incorrect spelling,illegibility, or lack of neatness. Proofread carefully.
Work Experience: 27 points Work experience will be limited to the last three years prior to the date of the application. List your mostrecent work experience first and include any jobs held during high school if within the three-year period.Indicate the year in school during which you held a particular position. Indicate if your work experiencewas in the form of work-study, co-op, or practicum. Clearly identify the nature of the business of thelisted employers; in particular, note consulting engineering or land surveying firms. Be complete andaccurate. The more experience you list, the higher your potential score.
Recommendation: 15 points A recommendation is needed from a consulting engineer, land surveyor, engineering professor, mentoror supervisor. Applicants must utilize the request form in the application portal —a PDF/letter is notsufficient and will not be considered. Letters sent in addition to this form will not be considered.Students should notify their recommender/form recipient in advance as recommendation letters arerequired. Greater weight will be given for recommendations from a consulting engineer or landsurveyor.
Extracurricular College Activities: 13 pointsList all college activities including offices held and other leadership roles in any organizations. Be as complete as possible. The more activities you list, the higher your potential score.
Student organizations (4 points)
Community activities (4 points)
Organized athletics and/or musical activities (2 points)
Other (3 points)

Scholarship Application Checklist
Before starting your online application:

Check to see if you are eligible for an ACEC California Scholarship.
Prepare two 250-word limit essays on the following topics:
How would receiving a scholarship help you achieve your education and career goals? What financial impediments do you face that the scholarship would ease?
In what specific industry or type of firm are you interested in putting your Engineering Degree to use?
Gather your unofficial transcripts (with Fall 2024 grades).
Gather your FASFA Student Aid Report (only required if applying for needs-based scholarships).
Online Application:

Create an ACEC Research Institute account.
Complete the General Application.
*Send the recommendation form to a consulting engineer, consulting land surveyor, engineering professor, mentor, or supervisor. (Additional points are awarded if your recommendation is from a consulting engineer or land surveyor.)
Apply for the ACEC California Scholarship.
Apply for any additional scholarships you may be eligible for.
Before 8pm PST, Friday, March 14, 2025: Check to see if your recommendation form has been completed. (Your application is NOT COMPLETE until the recommendation form has been submitted.)

• The recommendation form will be sent to your recommender through the ACEC Research Institute. Please tell your recommender to check their junk mail or safelist the email address: ACEC Research Institute, noreply@mail.awardspring.com.

Acknowledgements
Official Transcripts:

You may upload your unofficial transcript to the Online Scholarship Platform, but you must send in your Official Transcript to receive a Scholarship. Payments will not be made until ACEC California receives your official transcript.
All official transcripts must be submitted by the university via standard mail or emailed (preferred) to Janae Breslin through the electronic transcript process.
If you have transferred universities or you are a master’s degree student, please submit all of your transcripts, including undergraduate transcripts.
Official Transcripts must also include Fall 2024 Semester/Quarter grades.
Payment:

ACEC California State scholarships will be paid directly to the recipient in the fall after they provide their 2025 fall proof of enrollment.
ACEC National and Chapter scholarship payment may vary.
Additional Scholarships:

Any eligible students may also be entered in local chapter scholarship programs.
By applying for an ACEC California Scholarship you will also have access to over $1,000,000 of engineering and land surveying scholarship available nationwide on in the ACEC Research Institute Scholarship Portal.
The ACEC Research Institute offers merit-based, needs-based and diversity, equity and inclusion-based scholarships.
If you have questions about the Scholarship program, please contact Janae Breslin at (916)441-7991.