IndustryWeek’s Big List of Manufacturing Scholarships (Updated)
List updated 02/28/2025
Maybe you’re a high-school or undergraduate student interested in working in a manufacturing or manufacturing-adjacent field that requires a college degree or technical training. Or perhaps, you’re an adult thinking about going back to school for a trade certification or bachelor’s degree in a STEM field related to manufacturing.
Well, there is money out there to help pay for your schooling; you just need to know where to find it. It can be tough to know where to start looking, so the IndustryWeek staff has begun tracking these opportunities for our readers and their friends, neighbors and families.
Below is a running list of the scholarships we’re aware of, which you’ll find below this introduction. At this point, we’re primarily listing United States scholarships that are fairly wide-ranging, rather than scholarships narrowly restricted to a certain group or location or limited to relatives of company employees.
Realizing that there are probably important scholarships we’ve missed, we would like to add to the list in the future. Email your scholarship information to IndustryWeek senior editor Laura Putre at [email protected]
Manufacturing Scholarships
American Welding Society national scholarships
Who is eligible: Students pursuing a bachelor’s or associate degree in welding or a related discipline. There are more than 130 AWS national scholarships funded by companies and other donors, and some have additional eligibility requirements.
Amount: $2,500 to $7,000+
Deadline: March 1, 2025
Where to apply: https://www.aws.org/Career-Resources/Students/Scholarships/National-Scholarships/
Dematic First Scholarship
Who is eligible: High school seniors and current college and trade school students who have participated in a FIRST Robotics Competition or a FIRST Tech Challenge team during high school. Preference to students pursuing STEM degrees/certifications. Students must be pursuing a post-secondary degree or certification at a North American institution.
Amount: Two $5,000 awards and 10 $1,000 awards will be given
Deadline: The most recent application deadline was May 18, 2024. Check the website for the 2025 deadline.
Where to apply: https://dematic.info/first-scholarship/#apply
DEWALT Trades Scholarship
Who is eligible: Those pursuing a trade degree or certificate at a two-year college or vocational-technical school in the U.S. and Canada.
Amount: A total of $200,000 in scholarships to up to 40 students.
Deadline: Last year’s application window was September through mid-January. Check the website for 2025 details.
Where to apply: https://learnmore.scholarsapply.org/dewalttrade/
Fabricators and Manufacturers Association Foundation scholarships
Who is eligible: Students majoring in programs that lead to careers in manufacturing. Must be currently enrolled in or entering a certificate or degree program of 12 or more credit hours, with at least a 2.5 GPA for trade, community or technical colleges and a 3.0 GPA for universities. Recommended fields of study are listed here: https://www.fmamfg.org/foundation/scholarships/eligibility-fields-of-study-nbt-scholarships
Amount: Depends on the scholarship.
Deadline: Scholarships are award in spring and fall. The next round of applications will be accepted through March 31, 2025.
Where to apply: https://www.fmamfg.org/foundation/scholarships
Emerson Discrete Automation Scholarship
Who is eligible: U.S. college students who are “ambitious problem-solvers” pursuing degrees in STEM fields including engineering, instrumentation, systems and automation that are critical to discrete automation applications. Entrants must be U.S. citizens or legal U.S. residents and completed at least the first year of their bachelor’s degree program. Graduate students are eligible as well.
Amount: Two scholarships of $5,000 each will be awarded.
Deadline: April 18, 2025
Where to apply: https://www.emerson.com/en-us/automation/industrial-factory-automation/the-emerson-discrete-automation-scholarship-program
Non-Ferrous Founders' Society (NFFS) Scholarship
Who is eligible: Undergraduate students currently enrolled in a college or university and taking at least one class or lab related to cast metal technology. Will also consider candidates not enrolled in such classes but showing tangible efforts toward the pursuit of an education or career in metalcasting (e.g. foundry visits, related extracurricular activities). Must be a North American citizen or permanent resident.
Amount: $2,500
Deadline: Applications are accepted beginning on Sept. 1 with a deadline of Jan. 15th.
Where to apply: https://www.nffs.org/scholarship-program
Plastics Hall of Fame Scholarship/SPE Foundation
Who is eligible: Full-time undergraduate, technical, or graduate students pursuing coursework that supports a career in plastics or polymers. Eligible fields of study include business, environmental studies, history, political science, mold-making, and plastic technology.
Amount: Four scholarships of $5,000 each.
Deadline: April 1
Where to Apply: www.4spe.org/scholarships
SME Education Foundation Scholarships
Who is eligible: Graduating high school seniors pursuing manufacturing and engineering related courses at two- or four-year technical schools, community colleges and universities within the United States or Canada. SME also offers scholarships for undergraduate and graduate students.
Amount: Scholarship amounts vary; there are a wide range of awards.
Deadline: Applications accepted Nov. 1 through Feb. 1.
Where to Apply: https://www.smeef.org/sme-education-foundation-scholarships/scholarship-opportunities/graduating-hs-seniors1
