Ralph W. Shrader Graduate Diversity Scholarship

Scholarships of $3,000 will be awarded to full-time students  (women and minority students), enrolled in at least their second semester and at least two semester-equivalent courses, currently pursuing a graduate degree at any accredited academic institution in the United States and living in the United States in an eligible major that supports the mission of AFCEA Educational Foundation. The expected graduation date cannot be in the year the scholarship is awarded. Undergraduate students should apply for the  AFCEA Undergraduate Diversity Scholarship.

The scholarship funding is restricted to tuition and course-related expenses, such as fees, books, supplies and equipment that are required for the courses at the university.

Eligibility

NOTE: Failure to meet requirements could affect scholarship eligibility.

• U.S. Citizenship is required for all applicants.
• Graduate-level candidates
• Must currently be enrolled in their second semester and at least two semester-equivalent courses per semester at an accredited college or university in the United States at the time of application. A current overall GPA of 3.5 or higher at the time of application. 
• AFCEA's focus is on STEM/hard sciences - information technology, cybersecurity, telecommunications electronics supporting defense, homeland security and intelligence communities.
• Qualifying stem majors related to the mission of AFCEA include:
  • aerospace engineering
  • astronomy
  • biometry/biometrics
  • computer engineering
  • computer forensics science
  • computer programming
  • computer science
  • computer systems
  • cybersecurity
  • electrical engineering
  • electronics engineering
  • geospatial science
  • industrial engineering
  • information science
  • information technology
  • information resource management
  • intelligence
  • mathematics
  • mechanical engineering
  • network engineering
  • network security
  • operations research
  • physics
  • robotics engineering
  • robotics technology
  • statistics
  • strategic intelligence
  • telecommunications engineering

Application Process

In addition to basic information, there is one short-answer question:  

Please provide a brief synopsis of your relevant work experience and a brief personal statement of your future career goals upon graduation. Explain how your academic and career goals align to the mission of AFCEA Educational Foundation

There is also a short-answer section for a brief summary of financial need.

In addition to the online application, other required documents include:

• Current official transcript issued by the school Registrar's Office
• Minimum two letters of recommendation required from faculty in the major of study
  • It is your responsibility to communicate with your recommenders to obtain the required letters when completing the application process.
• Current résumé
• Undergraduate transcript - either official or unofficial