College of Engineering

The College of Engineering at Tennessee Tech relies on scholarships as one of the tools to help its students succeed and accomplish their career dreams. Last year, the college awarded almost $2.4 million in scholarships that were primarily funded by generous alumni donors and friends of the college. At least 150 individual scholarships are available to College of Engineering students at Tech. Many of these provide scholarships to multiple students each term, some as many as six or eight each semester. In the past, these have been celebrated at an annual scholarship banquet.

“Scholarships are extremely critical to our students' success,” said Joseph C. Slater, dean of the College of Engineering. “Without them, it would be more difficult, and sometimes impossible, for the students to attend Tech. Almost 50 percent of our graduates enter the workforce debt-free. Anything we can do to assist students to alleviate financial stress helps them to focus on their goals and ultimately succeed.”

Recently, the college announced to its external Advisory Council for Engineering that it has established three new scholarships to support students – a merit-based scholarship with a focus on diversity, one to help retain exceptional out of state students, and an emergency grant to assist with temporary needs.

The Non-Residential Merit-Based Scholarship was created to help students continue their engineering education and graduate timely. Eligible students must be in good academic standing. Financial need may be considered, and preference will be given to under-represented students of racial and ethnic minorities and women.

The Aspiring Engineer, Computing, and Technology Scholarship is a merit-based award for students who have completed at least one year of course work in College of Engineering at Tech. Eligible students must have a GPA of 3.0, or higher. Priority will be given to students who have not received other scholarships. Students may apply for both the Non-Residential Merit-Based and the Aspiring scholarships online through the university’s ScholarWeb site.

The Engineering, Computing, and Technology Assistance Grant is an emergency allowance that provides limited, one-time financial assistance to students enrolled in the College of Engineering. Eligible students will be considered who cannot meet immediate, essential expenses, due to a temporary hardship related to an emergency. Eligible emergency expenses may be tuition or student fees, emergency housing and utility expenses, safety and security needs, replacement of personal belongings, medical or mental health care, or other financial needs resulting from an emergency, accident, or other unexpected incident. Recipients will be selected on a case-by-case basis and are not required to pay back the grant. To apply for the Assistance Grant, interested students may contact Harry Ingle, director of Diversity, Recruitment and Student Success at engineeringssc@tntech.edu.

I hear stories from students and parents often about how having access to scholarship money has made the difference in whether they were able to attend college,” said Ingle. “It is great to watch these students thrive in their studies, in part because they do not have to worry about money.”

The Non-Residential Merit-Based scholarship is currently available to students. The remaining two scholarships are available for the 2021/22 academic year.

For the past six years, Tennessee Tech students have graduate with the least debt for students from any public universities in Tennessee, as reported by U.S. News & World Report ranking of universities. Scholarships contribute to making that a reality for students. For the past four years, PayScale has listed Tech graduates as earning the highest early career salaries of any public university in Tennessee. It has ranked Tech as providing the highest return on investment based on total cost and alumni earnings since 2017, of any public university in the state.

The College of Engineering at Tennessee Tech offers ABET-accredited undergraduate programs in chemical engineering, civil engineering, electrical and computer engineering, computer science, engineering technology, and mechanical engineering. Tech also offers both master’s degrees and a doctorate specializing in these disciplines, as well as a Master of Science in Engineering Management. 

Founded in 1915, Tech offers more than 200 academic programs, including liberal arts, education, engineering and nursing, alongside programs in cybersecurity, environmental studies, business and design. Money Magazine has ranked Tech the top public university in Tennessee. Bachelor’s, Master’s, Doctorate, and Education Specialists degrees are offered on its 285-acre central campus in Cookeville, Tennessee.