Leaders in Engineering Excellence and Diversity (LEED) Scholarship

The Leaders in Engineering Excellence and Diversity (LEED) Scholars Program provides undergraduate students directly admitted to the College of Engineering with an annually-renewable financial scholarship of at least $1500, as well as social and academic support through the Inclusion, Equity and Diversity in Engineering Student Center. Incoming engineering undergraduate students who identify as one or more of the following will be automatically considered for a LEED Scholarship:

• low income, or
• underrepresented in engineering by gender, race, ethnicity, or
• first generation college students

How to Apply
Selection is based on students’ UW admissions application materials. Evaluation criteria include academic merit, extracurricular activities, essay responses, and letters of recommendation. No additional application or action in WiSH is required in order to be considered for a LEED Scholarship.

To be considered for the LEED Scholars Program, you MUST 1) complete a UW-Madison admissions application and 2) submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA®) to UW-Madison. We strongly encourage applicants to submit their FAFSA no later than the UW-Madison priority deadline of December 1, 2022. Submitting the FAFSA by December 1 ensures consideration for all types of financial aid. Please note, however, that Early Action and Regular Decision applicants who submit a FAFSA after the priority deadline can still be considered for a LEED Scholarship. For more information on the FAFSA submission process and deadlines, refer to the Office of Student Financial Aid website.

The FAFSA must be submitted to the Office of Student Financial Aid prior to awarding decisions and must be verified by OSFA prior to scholarship payment. LEED Scholarship awards will be communicated to admitted students by no later than early-March (for Early Action applicants) or early-April (for Regular Decision applicants).

Program Details
LEED Scholars receive support through specialized advising and academic resources coordinated by the the Inclusion, Equity and Diversity in Engineering Student Center and participate in monthly student development programming over dinner. To learn more about the LEED Scholars Program, visit our website. LEED Scholars participation also can be combined with participation in other campus scholarship programs, such as the Mercile J. Lee Scholars Program, POSSE, and PEOPLE programs.

Award Information
Approximately 40 incoming students are selected for a LEED Scholarship each Fall. Scholarship awards are at least $1,500 per academic year. LEED Scholarships are renewable annually provided that recipients meet program continuation criteria. Continuation criteria include regular attendance at LEED monthly meetings and math study table sessions; term and cumulative GPA of 2.8 or greater; and completion of at least one appointment with the LEED Scholars advisor during each semester of students’ first academic year in the College of Engineering.

The LEED Scholars Program is comprised of scholarship funds supported by the generosity of several individual and corporate donors, including: Gary Wendt Engineering STAR Scholarship fund, Harold (Hal) E. Mennes Scholarship fund, Rod Hassett Engineering Scholarship fund, and Trane Technologies Scholarship fund. The donors for these scholarship funds are dedicated to providing financial support to high-achieving students majoring in an engineering program who are also underrepresented in the field.