CEAS Alumni Scholarship
College of Engineering and Applied Science Alumni Scholarship
The College of Engineering and Applied Science (CEAS) Alumni Board awards scholarships each year to graduating seniors who demonstrate well-rounded abilities in Leadership, Community Service, and Professional Practice (Co-op) Experience.
Important: All examples and experiences submitted must come from your time at UC and/or CEAS. High school experiences will not be considered.
Application deadline is Tuesday, April 21, 2026 at 11:59 p.m.
Award and Eligibility
- Recipients will receive a minimum award of $2,000, administered as a tuition grant.
- Students who already receive a full tuition scholarship are not eligible.
- Applicants must:
- Be graduating seniors in the College of Engineering and Applied Science
- Be enrolled full-time and in good academic standing
Selection Criteria
The scholarship committee evaluates applicants based on demonstrated achievement and growth in the following three areas. The examples below illustrate the types of college-level experiences the committee considers.
Leadership:
Leadership may be demonstrated through formal roles or informal influence within organizations, teams, or initiatives during your time in college.
- Initiative and a commitment to seeing projects through to completion
- Leadership roles in student organizations, project teams, research groups, or other college-based activities
- Increasing levels of responsibility over time
- The ability to lead without formal authority
- Recognition or awards for leadership (when applicable)
Community Service:
Community service includes meaningful engagement with campus, local, or broader communities during your college years.
- Active participation in community groups or service organizations
- Sustained involvement rather than one-time participation
- Service addressing social, political, religious, or community-identified needs
- A clear understanding of the purpose and impact of their service
Professional Practice Service:
Professional practice refers to co-op or related professional experiences completed as part of your academic program.
- Completion of projects of increasing significance during co-op work terms
- Positive evaluations or feedback from supervisors
- The ability to apply academic knowledge in a professional, non-academic environment
- Growth in responsibility, problem-solving, and professional skills
Application Materials
Applicants must submit the following as part of their application:
- Current résumé (please do not include GPA)
- Three personal essays (see below for prompts and additional guidance)
- Two letters of recommendation
- One letter must be from a professional practice (co-op) supervisor
- Neither letter may be from a peer
- Letters may address leadership, community service, and/or professional practice experiences
- Recommenders may contact Ann Terry for prompts, additional information, or to submit their recommendation directly
Personal Essays
Applicants must submit three separate essays—one for each category below: Leadership, Community Service, and Professional Practice.
- For each category, choose one prompt from the list provided.
- Each essay must be no more than 250 words.
- Essays must draw exclusively from experiences during your time at UC and/or CEAS. High school examples will not be considered.
Leadership (choose one):
- Discuss the hardest decision you’ve made as a leader. How did you decide which course of action was best?
- Describe a time you took on a leadership role without holding a formal title.
- What is the most significant change you brought to an organization?
Community Service (choose one):
- What have you learned from your community service experiences?
- Why is your community service involvement important to you?
- How did your involvement contribute to a community service organization’s purpose?
Professional Practice (choose one):
- Discuss a challenge you faced at work and how you overcame it.
- Describe the co-op or professional practice experience you are most proud of.
- What did you learn about engineering through a co-op or professional practice experience?
Frequently Asked Questions
You may reference the same organization or role, but each essay should address the specific category and prompt clearly and from a distinct perspective.
No. Leadership can be demonstrated through initiative, influence, responsibility, and impact—even without a formal title.
Community service includes unpaid or volunteer activities that serve a community or cause, whether on campus or off campus, during your college years.
The second letter should come from a non-peer who can speak meaningfully about your leadership, community service, academic, or professional experiences (e.g. faculty member, academic or co-op advisor, community leader, a different co-op supervisor, etc.)
Strong applications clearly demonstrate impact, growth, and reflection across leadership, community service, and professional practice during the applicant’s time in college.
Successful applicants typically:
- Provide specific, concrete examples rather than general descriptions
- Show initiative and responsibility, not just participation or membership
- Reflect on challenges, decisions, and learning, including what they would do differently
- Demonstrate growth over time in leadership roles, service involvement, or professional responsibilities
- Connect their experiences to their development as an engineer and community member
Applicants are encouraged to focus on quality over quantity and to explain why their experiences mattered—not just what they did.
Ann Terry
Senior Director, Alumni Engagement, College of Engineering and Applied Science