Scholarship Opportunities for Undergraduates

Scholarship Application Link

The Department of Computer Science & Engineering, through the generosity of our many donors, offers scholarships for students in our B.A. and B.S. programs.

Each spring, the department awards scholarships that recognize merit amongst its undergraduates and are also intended to enable them to participate more fully in its research and academic activities. Undergraduate students with a computer science, data science, or computer engineering major are encouraged to apply.

The 2024-2025 cycle application will open on March 15, 2024, and will be open until the application deadline of April 15, 2024 for 2024-2025 scholarship awards. Please note that letters of recommendation are not part of the application process and will not be accepted or reviewed as part of your application.  Applicants typically receive their results via email in late July at the latest. Scholarship award winners will have the funds disbursed into their student accounts split evenly between fall and spring for the following academic year.

Department of Computer Science & Engineering Scholarships

Expand all

Bhimani Family Scholarship

2024-2025 funding:TBD; 2023-2024 funding: $6,000 split between three students

Recipients shall be:

  1. Full-time (defined as registered for 12 or more credits)
  2. Undergraduate students
  3. In junior or senior year of study
  4. Enrolled in the College of Science & Engineering
  5. Studying computer science (Data Science BS students not eligible)
  6. Demonstrate financial need
  7. Demonstrate academic merit (3.0 GPA minimum)
  8. Preference will be given to students who will contribute to student body diversity.

Computer Science & Engineering Scholarship

2024-2025 funding:TBD; 2023-2024 funding: $10,000 split between four students

Recipients shall be:

  1. Full-time or approved for a 13 credit exemption by their college
  2. Undergraduate students
  3. Admitted to the Computer Science B.A. or the Computer Science B.S. or the Data Science B.S. (pre-majors are not eligible)
  4. Demonstrate financial need
  5. Demonstrate academic merit (3.0 GPA minimum)

Hopper-Dean Scholarship honoring Dr. Vipin Kumar

2024-2025 funding:TBD; 2023-2024 funding: $25,000 split between four students

Recipients shall be:

  1. Full-time (defined as registered for 12 or more credits)
  2. Undergraduate students
  3. Enrolled in the College of Science and Engineering
  4. Studying or planning to study computer science or computer engineering (Data Science BS students not eligible)
  5. Demonstrate financial need
  6. Demonstrate academic merit
  7. Ideally, are involved in undergraduate research
  8. Preference will be given to students who will contribute to student body diversity

Additional information about this scholarship

Recipients of this scholarship will be referred to as the Hopper-Dean Scholars.

Jeffrey Dean and Heidi Hopper both attended the University of Minnesota as undergraduates and graduated in 1990. Heidi graduated summa cum laude with a B.A. in Psychology. Jeff graduated summa cum laude with a B.S. in Computer Science and Economics. They both thoroughly enjoyed their time at the University of Minnesota and are grateful to the many great professors who taught and advised them.

This scholarship is intended to honor Dr. Vipin Kumar, who was Jeff’s undergraduate thesis advisor and introduced him to the wonders of parallel computation and large-scale computing, topics that have served Jeff well in his career. This scholarship is intended to support other students to find their own wonders in the paths of their undergraduate education and research.

Computer Science & Engineering Access Scholarship

2024-2025 funding:TBD; 2023-2024 funding: $16,000 split between eight students

Recipients shall be:

  1. Undergraduate students
  2. Admitted to the Computer Science B.A. or the Computer Science B.S. or the Data Science B.S. (pre-majors are not eligible)
  3. Demonstrate financial need

Recipients of this scholarship will be referred to as the CS&E Access Scholars.

James Parker Memorial Scholarship

2024-2025 funding:TBD; 2023-2024 funding: $10,000 for one student

Recipients shall be:

  1. Undergraduate students
  2. Full-time (defined as registered for 12 or more credits)
  3. Enrolled in the College of Science and Engineering
  4. Studying towards a degree in the area of computer science and engineering
  5. Demonstrate financial need
  6. Display integrity in their academic pursuits (requires additional answer on the application)
    1. Applicants must answer the following questions in 150 words or less: What does academic integrity look like to you and how have you demonstrated integrity in your own academic pursuits?

Additional information about this scholarship

The fund was established in honor of James Edward Parker, who taught Computer Science at the University from 2015 to 2021. James graduated from the University in 2007 with Bachelor of Science degrees in Mathematics and Computer Science (summa cum laude), in 2015 with a Master of Science and in 2017 with a Doctor of Philosophy. James’ teaching and mentoring career at the University was tragically cut short by his sudden and unexpected death in January 2022. This scholarship continues James’ legacy by providing financial support for students with limited resources and a demonstrated commitment to achieving academic excellence to take undergraduate courses in Computer Science. As both a student and instructor, mentoring students was central to James’ time at the University and this gift continues that legacy in his name.

John Feigal Scholarship

2024-2025 funding:TBD; 2023-2024 funding: $1,000 for one student

Recipients shall be:

  1. Full-time
  2. Undergraduate students
  3. Enrolled in the College of Science and Engineering
  4. Studying towards a degree in the areas of computer science or computer engineering
  5. Demonstrate financial need
  6. Demonstrate academic merit
  7. Preference will be given to students who graduated from a high school in MN.

Recipient of this scholarship will be referred to as the John Feigal Scholar.

Matt Gray Memorial Scholarship

2024-2025 funding:TBD; 2023-2024 funding: $1,000 for one student

Recipients shall be:

  1. Full-time
  2. Undergraduate students
  3. Studying computer science (Computer Science and Data Science students are eligible)
  4. Demonstrate financial need
  5. With a documented commitment to volunteering and helping others learn coding skills. In consideration of this criterium, preference will be given to a student who has previously volunteered at or will commit to volunteering at Code Dojo / Code Savvy during their time as a student

Recipient of this scholarship will be referred to as the Matt Gray Scholar.

Additional information about this scholarship

The Matthew Gray Memorial Scholarship in Computer Science & Engineering celebrates the life of Computer Science alumnus Matthew Gray (BS, 2004).  Matt founded Coder Dojo Twin Cities with the late Rebecca Schatz. Together, with support from Code Savvy, they inspired thousands of students to explore coding, robotics, and technology – for free. Matt's commitment to volunteering and inspiring future generations of computer scientists lives on through this scholarship.

Maximillian Lando Scholarship

2024-2025 funding: $19,000 split between five to ten students

Recipients shall be:

  1. Full-time or part-time
  2. Undergraduate students
  3. Enrolled in the College of Science and Engineering
  4. Admitted to the Computer Science B.S. (pre-majors are not eligible)
  5. Have not won a Lando scholarship previously

Recipients of this scholarship will be referred to as the Lando Scholars.

Optum Computer Science & Engineering Scholarship

2024-2025 funding:TBD; 2023-2024 funding: $24,500 split between seven students (preference for five sophomores and two juniors)

Recipients shall be:

  1. Full-time or approved for a 13 credit exemption by their college
  2. Undergraduate students
  3. Admitted to the Computer Science B.A. or the Computer Science B.S. or the Data Science B.S. (pre-majors are not eligible)
  4. Will be Juniors in our curriculum in the next fall semester
  5. Demonstrate financial need
  6. Demonstrate academic merit (3.0 GPA minimum)

Recipients of this scholarship will be referred to as the Optum Scholars.

Phui Tran/Quang Tran Co-Scholarship

2024-2025 funding:TBD; 2023-2024 funding: $3,000 for one student

Recipients shall be:

  1. Full-time or part-time
  2. Undergraduate students
  3. Enrolled in the College of Science and Engineering
  4. Studying computer science (Data Science BS students not eligible)
  5. Demonstrate financial need
  6. Preference will be given to students who are first-generation college students.

Recipients of this scholarship will be referred to as the Tran Scholars.

Additional information on this scholarship

Mr. Phui Tran was born in the southern part of Vietnam. His parents migrated to Vietnam from Canton, China. They worked very hard to start a small sausage shop to support their family of nine.

When Mr. Phui Tran was only a teenager, his father passed away. Because the family was very poor, he had to quit school to help his elder brother run the shop and take care of his mother and younger brothers and sister. When his brothers completed school, they worked together to successfully build their sausage business until the end of the Vietnam civil war in 1975. The communist government took away everything from them at this time.

His children escaped the country on a small boat and arrived in a Malaysian refugee camp in 1978. The family settled in Minnesota in 1979. Mr. Phui Tran and his wife reunited with their children in 1985. They moved to California in 1990 until Mr. Tran passed away in 2012.

Mr. Phui Tran and his wife selflessly worked very hard all of their life for their family and others. His son, Luong B. Tran opened the Chinese sausage shop, Quang Tran, in Rosemead, California in 2001.

Three of his seven children received their Bachelor of Science degrees from the University of Minnesota. The Tran family values secondary education and would like others to have the opportunity to receive a degree from the University of Minnesota through their support.

Steven G. Anderson Scholarship for Computer Science & Engineering

2024-2025 funding:TBD; 2023-2024 funding: $1,000 for one student

Recipients shall be:

  1. Full-time (defined as registered for 12 or more credits)
  2. Undergraduate students
  3. Enrolled in the College of Science & Engineering
  4. studying towards a degree in the area of computer science  (Computer Science B.S. or Data Science B.S.)
  5. Demonstrate financial need
  6. Demonstrate academic merit
  7. Preference will be given to students who graduated from a Minneapolis public school
  8. Preference will be given to students who will contribute to student body diversity. An additional consideration (plus factor) will be given for female students.

The recipient of this scholarship will be referred to as the Steven G. Anderson Scholar.


CS&E Scholarship Personal Statement

The application requires you to provide a personal statement, of approximately 500 words, addressing ALL FOUR of the following questions:

1) Describe your work and research experiences, including internships, on and off-campus employment, and paid and unpaid research. Work experiences do not have to be related to computer science.

2) Describe your engagement and community involvement (does not have to be connected to the University of Minnesota). Examples of involvement may include study abroad, student groups, volunteering, community-based projects, and social justice work; please also note if you have served in a leadership role in any community involvement work.

3) Describe how receiving a scholarship would address your significant and immediate financial needs; please also describe how a scholarship would assist with academic success and overcoming barriers to earning your degree or achieving your goals.

4) Describe how you contribute to equity, inclusion, and justice within our student body, taking care to address the action and/or learning you’re taking toward those values. Be sure to expand beyond your personal identities to address marginalization and inclusion within the student experience and how you are working to make computer science more equitable (i.e. your future goals in CS, your current student experiences, or beyond).

Please pay special attention to preparing this statement: it will play a crucial role in the selection process.

College and University scholarships

Students can view other scholarships outside of the department they may be eligible for on this Scholarship search page. The University’s financial aid websitecontains a wealth of scholarship information and more general financial aid information. Some scholarships are also available through the College of Science and Engineering.

For more information, contact the Office of National and International Scholarships.

Additional scholarship resources and links

Questions?

Goldy Gopher on a gold background

Undergraduate Advising Team