Top UB Engineering Students Won't Pay a Dime From Freshman Year Through the PhD

BUFFALO, N.Y. – To attract and retain the most intellectually gifted students, the University at Buffalo's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and the UB Honors College have announced the Presidential Scholarship/Doctoral Fellowship, which will provide full scholarships for qualified UB engineering students from freshman year through completion of their doctoral degrees.

Starting fall 2011, the top ten Presidential Scholars graduating with a bachelor's degree from UB Engineering and committed to attaining a PhD degree will be granted automatic admission to graduate school in UB Engineering with guaranteed funding throughout their graduate studies.

The purpose of the program is to encourage some of the best and brightest high school seniors who are interested in engineering to choose UB for all of their undergraduate and graduate education.

"It's one thing for a university to tell prospective students that they really want them to attend," says Harvey G. Stenger, Jr. dean of UB Engineering, "but it's far more compelling to say, 'Not only do we want you to come, we want you to stay at UB right through the PhD and we'll cover all your costs if you do.'"

To be considered, entering freshmen need to have a combined critical reading and math SAT score of at least 1470 (or 33 on the ACT) and a high school average of 95 or better. Once at UB, undergraduate students must be able to retain a grade-point average of at least 3.5 and graduate students must be seen by their thesis advisors as making satisfactory progress toward completion of their degrees.

The new Presidential Scholarship/Doctoral Fellowship program was developed by UB Engineering in conjunction with the UB's Honors College, which administers the Presidential Scholarship program. The Presidential Scholarship, a highly competitive and prestigious award funded by the university, covers all expenses – tuition, fees, housing, board and books -- for the top entering freshmen in any field for four years of undergraduate study. UB's Presidential Scholars represent the top 1% of students in the nation.

"This new engineering scholarship provides an additional sweetener for the very motivated, focused high school students interested in engineering who are being recruited by Harvard, Yale and Cornell as well as UB," says Krista Hanypsiak, administrative director of the UB Honors College.

Prospective UB engineering students can apply now to be considered for enrollment in September. Current Presidential Scholars in UB Engineering who are in good standing may apply now to be considered for the graduate-level scholarship.

"The goal with the new Presidential Scholarship/Doctoral Fellowship in UB Engineering is to find ways to encourage more vigorously some of our fantastic undergraduate students to stay on at UB for graduate school," says John E. VanBenschoten, PhD, associate dean for undergraduate education in UB Engineering and professor of civil, structural and environmental engineering.

For both parents and students, the prospect of a full scholarship while completely avoiding the financial aid application process is a big plus, adds Stenger.

He acknowledges that some students with Presidential Scholarships may opt to pursue graduate studies elsewhere, but, he notes, the benefits for those who stay will be substantial.

"Students who find that UB is the right place for them will be able to start research on their PhD in the junior year," says Stenger. "They can start publishing papers in the senior year. The program will allow them to accelerate their studies, so that they can finish their doctorate in, say, three years instead of five."

He added that since all funds for the graduate portion of the scholarship are being redirected from existing UB Engineering scholarship programs, no new funds needed to be allocated.

For more information about the Presidential Scholarships/Doctoral Fellowships in UB Engineering, please go to http://tinyurl.com/2f732t3.

The University at Buffalo is a premier research-intensive public university, a flagship institution in the State University of New York system and its largest and most comprehensive campus. UB's more than 28,000 students pursue their academic interests through more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and professional degree programs. Founded in 1846, the University at Buffalo is a member of the Association of American Universities.