Engineering Visionary Scholarships
Scholarships bring amazing engineers to Illinois
Five years ago, in partnership with The Grainger Foundation, we launched an ambitious initiative to raise $100 million in endowment support with a special emphasis on unrestricted scholarships. The Engineering Visionary Scholarship Initiative has since paved the way for hundreds of deserving students to make their dreams of becoming an engineer a reality.
The Engineering Visionary Scholarship Initiative attracts the brightest students, ensures a diverse and talented class, and helps reduce debt. We place a particular focus on highly qualified students from the State of Illinois. Your gift is the catalyst for access to education, for nurturing ambition, and for turning passions into possibilities. Your investment changes lives.
55%
increase in the number of women in the freshman class
55%
increase in the number of under-represented minority students in the freshman class
6x
more first-generation college students offered scholarships than in 2012
“It would be an honor if after I graduate I have the ability to give a donation to a student in my current position.”.
Anna Rodriquez, Computer Science, '21
Investing In The Next Generation
So far, we've raised $88.1 Million of our $100 Million EVS campaign goal thanks to the help of more than 2,000 donors like you! Want to stay connected? Sign up for our newsletter.
Double Your Gift to Scholarships
From now until December 31, 2019, all gifts made to the Engineering Visionary Scholarship Initiative will be matched dollar-for-dollar, up to $25 million.
The Grainger Foundation, a longtime supporter of our college, is providing this matching opportunity. So far, The Grainger Foundation has matched more than $10.7 million in gifts. The Grainger Matching Challenge is a tremendous boost to our progress towards the goal of making our top engineering program more affordable for students.
"I knew about The Grainger Matching Challenge and knew I wanted to take advantage of it. What tipped me over the edge was that my employer, Motorola, participated in Giving Tuesday and offered an additional 50 percent matching opportunity. Combining everything tripled what my contribution would have been alone, and that felt so meaningful."
Katherine Coles
Electrical Engineering '09
2019 Impact Report
Through your generosity, we can ensure our doors are open to the most deserving scholars, who will leave us better equipped to solve tomorrow’s grand challenges.
$5 Million in scholarships awarded during the 2018-2019 academic year.
Of the 845 future engineers:
- 32% were first generation college students
- 28% were from under-represented populations
- 34% were women
The percentage of women attending The Grainger College of Engineering increased 47% since the EVS Initiative began in 2013
Nearly 40% more students were from under-represented populations in the 2018 freshman class than in 2013
The Grainger Foundation's Commitment
The Grainger College of Engineering is named in honor of distinguished alumnus William W. Grainger, who founded the industrial supply company W. W. Grainger in 1927. Totaling more than $300 million, our support from The Grainger Foundation is the most ever given to a public university to name a college of engineering. This investment in the college’s bold vision creates opportunities for thousands of our students, faculty, and researchers. It can be seen across our engineering campus—in the Engineering Visionary Scholarship Initiative, the Electrical and Computer Engineering Building, Everitt Laboratory, the Grainger Library and Information Center, the Grainger Chair in Electrical Engineering, and an endowment in support of engineering research.
Eliza Wright
Nuclear, Plasma, and Radiological Engineering, ’20
“Most of my free time is spent giving back to the community to help other underrepresented minorities get interested in engineering. I hope to teach them that engineering is for everyone.”
Sam Dotson
Engineering Physics, ’19
“I worked really hard in my first two years at community college and it was nice to receive recognition for my effort through the Engineering Visionary Scholarship.”