The McKelvey School of Engineering was the first school at Washington University to create a named scholarship program. Since its founding in 1974, the Scholars in Engineering Program has given thousands of engineering students the chance to attain an extraordinary education. The program's success is a testament to the generosity of the alumni and friends of McKelvey Engineering.

Support for scholarships is one of the most significant ways to invest in current and future engineering students at Washington University. A scholarship is a gift that touches not only the lives of the student recipients, but also the communities in which they live, learn, work, and serve.

Support our students

Scholarships are a key factor in many students' college decisions. Scholarship support allows some of the best students to attend WashU. The school's goal is to ensure that every admitted student can take advantage of a life-changing Washington University education, no matter their financial circumstances.

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Scholarships by the numbers

173 
Endowed Scholarships
115 
Annual Fund Scholarships
134 
Legacy Endowed Scholarships

Scholars in Engineering Program 2022

Watch the Scholars in Engineering virtual celebration

Ways to support the Scholars in Engineering Program

The Scholars in Engineering program offers the opportunity to sponsor a named scholarship and be connected with one or more engineering students. An enduring bond often develops between scholarship sponsors and their students over the years. Sponsors have opportunities to meet their scholarship recipients at the annual Scholars in Engineering Dinner in the fall and other events during the year. Many former scholarship recipients now sponsor scholarships to help future generations of students.

Endowed Scholarships

An endowed scholarship is a powerful investment in the future. A gift of $100,000 or more establishes an endowed scholarship that may be named to honor the donor or someone else of their choosing. The endowment principal is invested, and every year a portion of the endowment's annual investment income is used to provide a scholarship. In this way, the scholarship endowment lasts for as long as the university endures while also providing scholarship support for talented students each year. An endowed scholarship is an investment that will benefit society for generations to come.

Your gift may be pledged in advance, payable over a period of five years. Alternately, many endowed scholarships are funded through wills or other planned gift vehicles.

Scholarships Endowment Levels

Benefactor's Scholarship

$1,000,000

Founder's Scholarship

$500,000

Sustaining Scholarship

$250,000

Scholarship or Graduate Fellowship

$100,000

Annual Scholarships

The Scholars in Engineering program offers the opportunity to sponsor a named scholarship on an annual basis. Scholarships may be named in honor of the donor or someone else of their choosing. While the donor may choose to renew their annual scholarship each year, the university encourages donors to make multi-year commitments.

An annual fund gift of $5,000 or more may support a named scholarship. Named annual scholarship sponsors qualify for membership in the William Greenleaf Eliot Society.

Scholarships & Fellowships (minimum annual gift)

Danforth Circle: Chancellor’s Level*

$50,000

Danforth Circle: Dean's Level*

$25,000

Eliot Society Patron*

$10,000

Eliot Society Benefactor*

$5,000

Term-Endowed Scholarship — Eliot Society Benefactor
A one-time payment provides a four-year annual scholarship.

$17,000

Young Alumni Scholarship Gift — Eliot Society Fellow
Available for undergraduate alumni who have graduated in the past five years, and for graduate and professional alumni ages 35 or younger who have graduated in the past five years.

$2,500

Provides scholarship support for one or more students each academic year.