DEADLINE: April 12th, 2026
ABOUT:
The Antelope Valley Section of the Society of Women Engineers (SWE-AV) administers one (1) $1,000 and two (2) $500 scholarships to encourage women to study Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and to help alleviate the financial burden of secondary education.
ELIGIBILITY:
A successful applicant must demonstrate academic ability and show a keen interest in their professional development in a STEM field. This could be exhibited by participation in activities such as technical organizations, holding leadership positions, or pursuing engineering or non-engineering related work opportunities. The applicant should be a problem solver, a committed doer, and an effective communicator who is an example to other students as a future leader. Special consideration will be given to those with unique circumstances and financial need.
Each scholarship will be allocated to a student identifying as a female who has been accepted as a student by a college into a Science, Technology, Engineering or Mathematics (STEM) curriculum (e.g. Engineering, Materials Science, Computer Science, etc.). Eligible applicants
include current high school seniors, students at 2-year colleges, and students at 4-year colleges who will be enrolled in an undergraduate ABET or ACCJC accredited STEM program during the 2025-2026 school year.
Additionally, applicants need to meet the following criteria:
- Applicant must be currently living within zip codes that begin with 935**.
- Applicant must apply for the scholarship toward undergraduate STEM studies at an
ABET or ACCJC accredited college during the 2026-2027 school year. - Supply all the information required for a complete application, including a school
administered unofficial transcript, by the application deadline.
TIMELINE:
Please complete the application according to the instructions on the following pages. The
timeline of the application process is as follows:
- April 12th, 2026 at 11 PM – Applications due
- April 13th through May 7th – Applications will be reviewed and scored
- May 8th, 2026 – Recipients notified
AWARD DISPERSEMENT:
The award will be presented to the recipients through a mailed check. Each scholarship will be distributed after SWE-AV receives a copy of the award recipient’s acceptance letter into a STEM curriculum from the ABET or ACCJC accredited college they will be attending.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR APPLICANTS
APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS:
To be accepted for judging, the applicant must submit all required items electronically no later than March 29th, 2026. Applicants shall submit all application contents as outlined below. Each person serving as a reference needs to submit their own letter directly to SWE-AV at
swe.av.scholarship@gmail.com. Applicants who have won scholarships and/or previous Society of Women Engineers scholarships are eligible to apply.
The applicant is responsible for ensuring that all required application contents are submitted by the deadline. The applicant will be disqualified from judging if these instructions are not followed.
APPLICATION CONTENTS:
- Google Form Application: The application includes providing a resume, a transcript (an unofficial copy of the applicant’s transcript from their current school), and answering the following four (4) essay questions:
a. Why has the applicant decided to study in a STEM field?
b. Why did the applicant choose their particular major?
c. What does the applicant hope to achieve in that field?
d. Does the applicant have any unique circumstances or financial need that you would like to share for special consideration? (Optional) - Reference Letter: Minimum of 1, Maximum of 2.
a. Reference Letter No. 1: Letter of reference from a faculty member detailing your academic performance. Letter must be dated in the application year.
b. Reference Letter No. 2: Letter of reference from another faculty member or an employer (present or former), or someone closely associated with any extra-curricular activities (such as a coach or sponsor) who is not a family relative. Applicant’s employment need not be connected with STEM. Letter must be dated in the application year.
NOTE: Copies of recommendation letters submitted for other scholarships are acceptable, as long as they are up-to-date and reflect the student’s current academic achievement and/or professional development.
APPLICATION FORM:
The official scholarship Google Form Application is available electronically via the QR code below or by visiting the application website. Any
questions can be sent directly to SWE-AV by sending an email with subject “Scholarship Application Questions” to swe.av.scholarship@gmail.com.
REFERENCE LETTER SUBMISSIONS:
Each person serving as a reference needs to submit their own letter directly to SWE-AV at swe.av.scholarship@gmail.com. Please send the required document(s) with the following subject line “SWE-AV Scholarship App Ref ’26 (LastName, FirstName)”, where the Last Name and First
Name are the information of the applicant being supported.
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES: