Scholarship Program

The establishment of the Scholarship Trust by the National Capital Section of ASCE in 1988 has delivered a significant impact in our local civil engineering community. Each year ASCE student members from five universities that are located in the region served by the Section have access to funds allocated by the Section to be awarded as scholarships. In addition to discovering the background of how the scholarships got started, are funded, and those they serve and memorialize, you will find the forms needed by civil engineering students to begin the process of applying for them through their university's ASCE Faculty Advisor. 

There are five Universities within the NCS boundaries:  The Catholic University of America, George Mason University, The George Washington University, Howard University, and The University of the District of Columbia.  The Scholarship Trust committee awards scholarships on merit to Sophomore and Junior students from these universities who are endorsed by their faculty advisor/dean, and submit an application along with their transcripts for review.  Application packets are mailed to the Faculty Advisor in November.  Each university is allowed to submit up to 3 applications annually for consideration by the Scholarship Trust.  Completed applications must be submitted and reviewed by the ASCE/NCS Scholarship Trust Board of Trustees in February.  Scholarships are awarded at the Section’s annual Awards Banquet in March or April.

Eligibility & Application Process

Full-time undergraduate students in Sophomore or Junior levels of Civil Engineering programs at the time of submitting an application for scholarship are eligible.  Awards are for use during the following academic year at a four-year university in the National Capital Section assigned area.  Recipient must be a member of the ASCE Student Chapter or Club at one of the five four-year university programs in the National Capital Section territory. 

Recipient must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 based on a 4.0 system.  Their application must include a written 500 word essay outlining their participation in the ASCE Student Chapter, extracurricular activities, and a personal statement of their professional goals.  In addition, they provide a copy of their transcript and a one or two page professional resume.  They must also include written recommendations from the ASCE Student Chapter Faculty Advisor and the Civil Engineering Department Chair or Dean.

Applications are completed by the student and submitted to their ASCE Faculty Advisor, who screens applicants and selects a maximum of three (3) students from their university.  Final applications are submitted to The NCS Engineering Education Committee (EEC) Chair for assembly and transmittal to the NCS Scholarship Trust.

The Scholarship Board of Trustees convenes to review all applications received.  The Board may establish, at its option, a Scholarship Review Panel selected from the EEC and the Scholarship Board. If it is felt advantageous, the most qualified applicants may be interviewed.

Selection criteria used by the Scholarship Board of Trustees, as well as by the ASCE Faculty Advisor include:

  1. Academic achievement and potential
  2. Interest in Civil Engineering as a profession
  3. Participation and demonstrated leadership in extracurricular activities, indicating the candidate’s diversity of interest and good citizenship

Responsibilities of Recipients

The scholarships are awarded in the form of a check directly to the students at the Annual ASCE/NCS Awards Banquet.  The money is intended to provide direct support to the student’s academic pursuits in civil engineering, as contribution to tuition or living expenses. Recipients are expected not to use the funds for anything other than these types of expense.  Students are not limited to a one-time award.