Financial Aid

Scholarships Can Make It Happen

The Volgenau School of Engineering offers several scholarships for both graduate and undergraduate students. We also offer research assistantships and teaching assistantships, available within specific departments of the school. We want the best talent, and we can help you come here.

Portrait of student

Students interested in studying at the Volgenau School of Engineering can get help through a variety of scholarships. Computer science major Danny Munoz, who served as a Marine rifleman and was a machine gunner and intelligence analyst in two tours in Afghanistan, received financial assistance through a scholarship furnished by Northrup Grumman.

Mason's Office of Financial Aid handles all applications for undergraduate scholarships awarded by the Volgenau School of Engineering. For graduate scholarships please contact your specific department.

AIAA Digital Avionics Technical Committee Endowed Scholarship

Established in 2010 by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics Digital Avionics Technical Committee. The purpose of the fund is to provide scholarships for undergraduate students pursuing a field of study, which benefits the aviation industry. The major fields of study that qualify are electrical engineering, aeronautical/aerospace engineering, mechanical engineering, systems engineering, computer science, mathematics, physical sciences, or other curricula directly related to the field of avionics. 

Criteria: The applicant must be an undergraduate student pursuing a full-time BS in Computer Science or Electrical Engineering, with an interest in Avionics or other qualifying field of student that meets the stated objective of the fund. A cumulative grade point average of 3.0 is required.

Andrew P. Sage Endowed Scholarship

Established in 2005 to honor Dr. Andrew P. Sage, the first Dean of Mason’s School of Information Technology and Engineering (now the Volgenau School of Engineering). Dr. Sage was appointed as Dean in 1985 and served in that capacity until 1996.

Criteria: The applicant must be a graduate student pursuing a degree in Systems Engineering and have a demonstrated financial need. The applicant can be a full time or part time student and may be in-state or out-of-state.

The Anshul Chimaladinne Memorial Endowed Scholarship

The scholarship was established in 2018 to fund scholarships for Volgenau School of Engineering undergraduate students majoring in Cybersecurity Engineering.

Criteria: To provide scholarship support for undergraduate students majoring in Cybersecurity Engineering. Recipients must be full-time, in-state students and will qualify on the basis of greatest financial need. 

Armed Forces Communication Electronics Association (AFCEA) Scholarship 
The Armed Forces Communication Electronics Association (AFCEA) Scholarship was established to fund scholarships for Volgenau School of Engineering undergraduate students.

Criteria: The purpose of the fund is to provide scholarships for undergraduate students studying in the field of electronics, electrical engineering, computer science, or a related field. Applicants must demonstrated financial need, scholastic achievement/capability and be a citizen of the United States.

Association for Federal Info Resources Management Endowed Scholarship (AFFIRM)

Established in 2011 by the Association for Federal Information Resources Management. The purpose of the fund is to provide scholarships for undergraduate students studying Applied Information Technology, Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering or Systems Engineering and Operations Research.

Criteria: The applicant must be an undergraduate student studying Applied Information Technology, Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering or Systems Engineering and Operations Research


Bersoff Undergraduate Endowed Scholarship

Established in 2003 by Edward H. and Marilynn D. Bersoff. The purpose of this fund is to offer competitive four-year scholarships to attract academically gifted high school students to The Volgenau School of Engineering. 

Criteria: Recipient will be ranked in the upper five percent (5%) of the Volgenau School of Engineering applicant pool; enter Mason with approximately a full-semester of college credits; a National Merit Scholar or demonstrated equivalent intellectual maturity, initiative, and independence as conveyed in letter of reference from former teachers of technical courses; demonstrate strong leadership skills and good citizenship; participated in and won technical competitions at the State and National levels, and demonstrated ability to think out-of-the-box.

The Carl M. Harris Memorial Scholarship

Established in 2000 in memory of Carl M. Harris, Ph. D., who was the BDM International Inc. Professor of Information Technology at the Volgenau School of Engineering.

Criteria: Applicant must be a full-time graduate student pursuing an M.S. degree in Operations Research and must qualify on the basis of both academic merit and financial need. The recipient may be an in-state or out-of-state student.

Charles C. Joyce Endowed Scholarship

Established in 2018 in memory of Charles C. Joyce, who was the long-time chairman of the Volgenau School of Engineering Advisory Board.

Criteria: Students may be full time or part-time and may be in-state or out-of-state. Recipients will qualify on the basis of academic merit.

Civil Infrastructure Engineering Institute Endowed Scholarship

To provide scholarship support for full-time graduate or undergraduate students majoring in Urban Systems Engineering.

Criteria: Recipient will be chosen based on scholarly engineering potential, including past scholastic accomplishment, community service, and other factors that represent candidates as well-rounded students. Financial need will be considered but will not necessarily be the major factor in choosing recipients. Minimum GPA eligibility is 2.7.

Dr. H. Gilbert Miller/Noblis Endowed Scholarship

Established in 2016 by Noblis in Falls Church, Virginia, this scholarship honors the service and dedication of Dr. Gilbert Miller, vice-chair of the Volgenau Dean’s Advisory Board. In memory of Dr. Miller, Noblis and its employees as well as family and friends, participated to create this fund for graduate students in data analytics and systems engineering at George Mason University.

Criteria: Applicant must be a graduate student pursuing a master's or PhD in data analytics or systems engineering. Applicant must be in-state and a U.S. citizen. The applicant can be part-time or full-time and will qualify based on academic merit and financial need.

The Dr. Lawrence Cranberg Endowed Scholarship in Science and Engineering                            

This endowment is in honor of Dr. Lawrence Cranberg, who was Dr. Nguyen’s physics professor and faculty advisor at the University of Virginia. Dr. Nguyen seeks to recognize the achievements and guidance of Dr. Cranberg while Dr. Nguyen was a graduate student at the University of Virginia. It was through Dr. Cranberg’s mentoring and leadership that Dr. Nguyen experienced and learned important concepts and theories regarding physics research, work ethics of scientists and visionary thinking. This experience significantly influenced Dr. Nguyen’s professional and personal activities since then.

Criteria: The updated purpose of the Fund will be to provide scholarship support for students in the Volgenau School of Engineering. Recipients may be either in or out of state students. Selected by a committee appointed by the Dean. The scholarship is renewable, subject to the availability of funds at the time of renewal.

E. Bernard White, PhD Memorial Fund Scholarship

This fund was created by family members, Volgenau faculty, staff, students, and alumni in memory of Dr. E Bernard White, Associate Dean of the Volgenau School of Engineering.

Criteria: The purpose of the fund is to provide two $1,000 scholarships per academic year for students majoring in engineering. Preference will be given to one male and one female African American student. Recipients must be undergraduates, may be either full or part-time, and may be either in or out-of-state students. Recipients must maintain a 3.0 GPA to maintain the scholarship. Recipients will qualify on academic merit, financial need or a combination of both.

Ed Hetsko & Laurie McQuillan/ISSA-NOVA Scholarship Endowment

The Information Systems Association, Northern Virginia Chapter established the scholarship to provide scholarships for full-time graduate students pursuing a degree at the Volgenau School of Engineering.

Criteria: The applicant must be a full-time graduate student and preference will be given to a student with an interest in information assurance. Preference will be given to an in-state student. Additionally, the recipient must be U.S. citizen or Resident Alien and must qualify on the basis of academic merit and financial need.

The Edward Ciulis and Ethel J. Ciulis Endowed Scholarship

Established in 2016 by the estate of Edward and Ethel J. Ciulis, the scholarship supports undergraduate students at the Volgenau School of Engineering.

Criteria: Recipient will be an undergraduate student at the Volgenau School of Engineering who has achieved a minimum GPA of 3.0 in high school, maintained a GPA of 2.5 at VSE, has a demonstrated financial need, and is a citizen of the United States.

FreBon International Corporation Endowed Scholarship

Established in 1999 by Bonnie Horner and Fred Mueller of FreBon International Corporation. The purpose of this fund is to provide scholarships for full-time undergraduate students majoring in technology.

Criteria: Applicant must be a full-time undergraduate student in the Volgenau School of Engineering, majoring in technology. Applicant must be in-state, have a minimum high school GPA of 3.3 with four years of math, and maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.0 while attending George Mason University.

H. Randall and Anna W. Edwards Endowed Scholarship

Established in 2010 by Randall and Anna Edwards. The purpose of this fund is to provide scholarships for undergraduate students pursuing a degree within the Volgenau School of Engineering.

Criteria: Applicant will qualify on the basis of academic merit and financial need. The applicant may be a full-time or part-time student as well as in-state or out-of-state.

Harbitter Family Endowed Scholarship

Established in 2003 by Alan Harbitter, PhD and Lisa Harbitter. The purpose of this fund is to provide scholarships for full-time undergraduates in information technology or engineering.

Criteria: Applicant will qualify based on academic merit and financial need, with a strong emphasis on need. The applicant must be a full-time student, a U.S. citizen with a preference given to students who are in-state.

IMC Suneeth Nayak Endowed Scholarship

Established in 2002 by IMC, its employees, and executives in memory of Suneeth Sanjeeva Nayak. The purpose of the fund is to provide scholarships to graduate students.

Criteria: Applicant must be a graduate student with a minimum GPA of 3.2 at the time of application and must be seeking a degree in Information Technology, Engineering, or Computer Science.

James D. Palmer, PhD Endowed Scholarship

Established in 2002 to honor James D. Palmer, PhD, the first BDM International Professor of Information Technology and Associate Dean of the School of Information Technology and Engineering. Dr. Palmer was also chair of the department of systems engineering and upon his retirement in 1995, he was granted the status of Professor Emeritus. The purpose of the fund is to provide scholarships for students in the Volgenau School of Engineering.

Criteria: Applicant must be enrolled in the Volgenau School of Engineering as an undergraduate or graduate student.

Jean Wu Distinguished Undergraduate Endowed Scholarship

Established in 2008 by Jean Wu, MS ’87. Jean Wu has been a member of the Board of Visitors and the Board of Trustees at George Mason University. She is a devoted supporter of George Mason University. The purpose of this fund is to provide a scholarship for an entering freshman pursuing a degree in the Volgenau School of Engineering.

Criteria: Recipient will be an entering freshman, ranked in the upper five percent (5%) of the Volgenau School of Engineering applicant pool; enter Mason with approximately a full-semester of college credits; a National Merit Scholar or demonstrated equivalent intellectual maturity, initiative, and independence as conveyed in a letter of reference from former teachers of technical courses; demonstrate strong leadership skills and good citizenship; participated in and won technical competitions at the State and National levels; and demonstrated ability to think out-of-the-box.

John L. Howard Endowed Scholarship

Established in 2009 by Martha S. Engle and J. Reid Herlihy in memory of John L. Howard. The purpose of this fund is to provide scholarships for undergraduate students pursuing a degree within the Volgenau School of Engineering.

Criteria: Applicant will qualify on the basis of academic merit and financial need and must maintain a 3.0 GPA. The applicant may be a full-time or part-time student and may be an in-state or out-of-state student.

Katona Endowed Scholarship for Excellence in Bioengineering

Established in 2012 by Joseph J. Pancrazio, PhD to honor the Bioengineering department’s first director, Peter G. Katona, PhD. Additional funds for this scholarship were donated from faculty, staff, and friends of Dr. Katona. The purpose of this fund is to provide scholarships for undergraduates pursuing a degree in Bioengineering.

Criteria: Applicant must be a full-time undergraduate student pursuing a degree in Bioengineering, will qualify based on academic merit and financial need, and must maintain a 3.0 GPA. Applicant may be either in-state or out-of-state, and non-U.S. citizens are eligible.

Kelsie R. Troutman Endowed Scholarship

Established in 2014 by Michael and Rhonda Troutman, the scholarship supports women pursuing degrees in Engineering.

Criteria: Recipients will qualify on the basis of financial need, must be a full-time undergraduate, and may be either in-state, out-of-state, or an international student.

Lloyd J. Griffiths Endowed Scholarship

Established in 2009 by multiple donors, and represented by Katherine Clark, MBA ’95, to honor Lloyd J. Griffiths, PhD, dean of the Volgenau School of Engineering from 1997 to 2012. Dr. Griffiths is now a faculty member in the Electrical and Computer Engineering department. The purpose of this fund is to provide scholarships for an undergraduate student within the Volgenau School of Engineering.

Criteria: Applicant must be a full-time or part-time undergraduate student within the Volgenau School of Engineering. The applicant may be either in-state or out-of-state.

Mark H. Houck Endowed Scholarship

Established in 2018 by Dr. Mark H. Houck, a long-time professor at the Volgenau School of Engineering and multiple donors to provide scholarships for students in the Sid and Reva Dewberry Department of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering.

Criteria: Applicants will qualify on the basis of academic merit and will be selected by a committee appointed by the Dean of VSE in coordination with student financial aid.

Michael J. Casey Endowed Scholarship

The purpose of the fund is to establish a scholarship in honor of former Assistant Professor Michael J. Casey, PhD, to recognize his numerous contributions to the Sid and Reva Dewberry Department of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering. The scholarship is for undergraduates majoring in Civil and Infrastructure Engineering.

Criteria: Applicant must be an undergraduate majoring in Civil and Infrastructure Engineering. Applicant must be full-time students and may be either in-state or out-of-state, and will qualify on academic merit.

Michael S. Bronzini CEIE Endowed Scholarship

Established in 2009, the purpose of this fund is to honor Michael Bronzini, PhD. Dr. Bronzini was appointed the first holder of the Dewberry Chair in the School of Information Technology and Engineering at George Mason University. In 2009, Dr. Bronzini retired from his position as Dewberry Professor and Chairman of the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Infrastructure Engineering. He now holds the status in the department as the first Dewberry Chair Professor Emeritus.

Criteria: Applicant must be an undergraduate student pursuing a degree in the Sid and Reva Dewberry Department of Civil, Environmental and Infrastructure Engineering. The applicant will qualify based on merit and financial need and will be either a full-time or part-time student and may be in-state or out-of-state

Millennium Enterprise Corporate Undergraduate Scholarship

Established in 2011, the scholarship supports full or part-time students at the Volgenau School of Engineering

Criteria: Applicant will be a student majoring in Computer Science/IT/Engineering and Graphics Design with a GPA of 3.0 and will qualify on the basis of merit and financial need. The applicant may be part-time or full time and a U.S. citizen and may be either in or out of state.

Northern Virginia Technology Council - Daniel R. Bannister Endowed Scholarship

Established in 1997 by the Northern Virginia Technology Council Foundation (NVTC) to honor Daniel R. Bannister, former NVTC Chairman and founding Chairman of the NVTC Foundation. This endowment was created to support undergraduate juniors and seniors in the Volgenau School of Engineering.

Criteria: Applicant must be junior or senior in the Volgenau School of Engineering with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 and will qualify on the basis of need and merit.

Patton Harris Rust and Associates Endowed Scholarship

Established in 1996 by Patton Harris Rust & Associates, PC in memory of their past president, Mr. Wesley G. Harris, Jr. This fund provides scholarships to deserving students throughout the Commonwealth of Virginia and Washington, DC and select counties in Maryland who have a desire to advance their studies in the field of Urban Systems Engineering, in the Sid and Reva Dewberry Department of Civil, Environmental and Infrastructure Engineering.

Criteria: Students must be residents of Virginia, Washington, DC or Montgomery, Prince Georges, Charles, Frederick, Anne Arundel, or Howard Counties in Maryland. The applicant must have at least a 2.5 GPA and be an undergraduate in the Urban Systems Engineering Program at George Mason University.

Ronald C. Blackmond Endowed Scholarship

Established in 2009 by Mrs. Frances N. Blackmond, in memory of Ronald C. Blackmond, this fund is for undergraduate students in the Volgenau School of Engineering.

Criteria: Applicant must be a full-time undergraduate student pursuing a degree in systems engineering. Applicants will qualify on the basis of merit and financial need and may be an in or out-of-state student.

Society of Satellite Professionals International Mid-Atlantic Regional Chapter Scholarship

Established in 2010 by the Society of Satellite Professionals International Mid Atlantic Regional Chapter to provide scholarships for undergraduate or graduate students.

Criteria: Applicant must have completed or be enrolled in courses focused on satellite, aerospace, or allied technologies. The recipient may be a full-time or part-time student; and may be an in-state or out-of-state student. The recipient will qualify on the basis of academic merit and financial need.

Software Engineering Scholarship Fund

Established in 2008 by Jefferson Offutt and Paul Amman, professors at the Volgenau School of Engineering, the scholarship support students studying software engineering.

Criteria: Recipient will be a student studying software engineering.

SRA Jeffrey B. Westerhoff Endowed Scholars Program

Established in 2008 by SRA International to provide scholarships for undergraduate students pursuing a degree within the Volgenau School of Engineering. This fund was created in memory of SRA’s Senior Vice President, Jeffrey B. Westerhoff.

Criteria: The purpose of the fund is to provide scholarships for undergraduate students pursuing a degree in the Volgenau School of Engineering. Recipients will qualify on the basis of academic merit, and may be either in-state or out-of-state students.

Steven M. Schorling, Ph.D. Endowed Scholarship

Established in 2008 by Steven M. Schorling, PhD. Dr. Schorling was a founding full-time faculty member of the Information Technology program and is currently a term professor in the department. He endowed this scholarship to support undergraduate students in Information Technology. 

Criteria: Applicant must be a full-time freshman, sophomore or junior in Information Technology and will qualify based on academic merit and contribution to the department or school. The applicant must maintain a 3.0 GPA and is open to U.S. citizens.

Sushil Jajodia Distinguished Endowed Scholarship

Established in 2003 by the Center for Secure Information Systems, this fund is to provide scholarship support to students in the Volgenau School of Engineering. The fund was renamed the Sushil Jajodia Distinguished Endowed Scholarship in 2009. Dr. Jajodia seeks to assist the Volgenau School in offering financially competitive four-year scholarships to attracted academically gifted high school students to its programs. The scholarship seeks to provide opportunities for students to excel absent the burden of debt after graduation. Dr. Jajodia is University Professor, BDM International Professor of Information Technology, and Director of the Center for Secure Information Systems at George Mason University.

Criteria: Recipient will be an entering freshman, ranked in the upper five percent (5%) of the Volgenau School of Engineering applicant pool; enter Mason with approximately a full-semester of college credits; a National Merit Scholar or demonstrated equivalent intellectual maturity, initiative, and independence as conveyed in letter of reference from former teachers of technical courses; demonstrate strong leadership skills and good citizenship; participated in and won technical competitions at the State and National levels; and demonstrated ability to think out-of-the-box.

Trudi A. McKimens Endowed Scholarship

Established in 2000 to provide scholarship support for Volgenau School of Engineering students.

Criteria: Recipient will be an undergraduate and graduate student pursuing a degree in the Volgenau School of Engineering.

The Volgenau School of Engineering Alumni Development Board Scholarship

Established in 2017 by the Volgenau Alumni Development Board, the purpose of this scholarship is to help Volgenau School of Engineering students each year. 

Criteria: The purpose of the Fund is to provide scholarship support for undergraduates in the Volgenau School of Engineering. Recipients will qualify on the basis of academic merit and must be full-time students, but may be either in-state or out-of-state.

The Washington Apple Pi Endowed Scholarship

Established in 2016 by Washington Apple Pi, a community of Apple IPad, iPhone, and Mac users, the purpose of the fund is to provide scholarships for computer science students within the Volgenau School of Engineering.  

Criteria: The applicant must be a student pursuing a BS, MS, or PhD in Computer Science in the Volgenau School of Engineering. Recipients will qualify on the basis of academic merit and financial need. Students may be in-state or out-of-state or international and students may be part-time or full-time.

WGL Engineering Scholarship

Established in 2017 by Washington Gas Light, the purpose of the fund is to establish scholarships for undergraduate students in the Mechanical Engineering Department.

Criteria: The applicant would be transfer students wishing to complete their Bachelor of Science in engineering degrees after having completed an Associate of Science in engineering degree at Northern Virginia Community College. Preference will be given to students from under-represented populations. Recipients may be full-time or part-time and may in-state or out-of-state. Additionally, applicants will qualify based on academic merit and financial need.

W. Murray Black Endowed Scholarship

Established in 2006 to honor W. Murray Black, PhD. Dr. Black has worked at George Mason University since 1971, and in 1984 became the founding chair of the newly created Electrical and Computer Engineering Department. He was the first dean of the School of Computational Sciences, and he received a Distinguished Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching and Scholarship from George Mason University. The purpose of the fund is to provide scholarships for undergraduates pursuing a degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering in the Volgenau School of Engineering.

Criteria: Applicant will be an undergraduate pursuing a degree in Electrical and Computer Engineering and will qualify on basis of both academic merit and financial need. The applicant may be a full-time or part-time and either an in-state or an out-of-state student.

 


Please contact the Office of Financial Aid to find out more about Volgenau-specific scholarships.