At-Large Scholarships
Spring applications will open April 1, 2025
The DFI Educational Trust is proud to offer at-large scholarships to students of civil or geotechnical engineering, construction management, or other related programs at accredited US institutions.
The Trust’s at-large scholarship program helps alleviate the burden of rising tuition costs and encourages students to pursue their educational goals without the added stress of financial constraints. Through these scholarships, the Trust aims to not only support individual students but also contribute to the advancement of the deep foundations industry as a whole by investing in young talent and fostering innovation.
The Trust’s at-large scholarships use a single shared application. This application covers all schools in the at-large program. Specific schools within the at-large program cannot be applied to directly.
Award
Several scholarships, ranging from $2,000 to $5,000 each will be awarded in 2025. Awards may be used for funding tuition, fees, books, and/or educational living expenses.
Scholarship check, payable to the student, will be sent in August 2025 after proof of enrollment and other required information is received by the DFI Educational Trust.
Eligibility & Requirements
At-Large scholarships are open to all eligible full-time students attending any accredited US institution and enrolled in an eligible graduate or undergraduate program. Only one at-large application is required – submitting an application for any at-large scholarship will grant eligibility to the applicant for all at-large scholarships. Applicants cannot pick any single at-large scholarship and exclude the rest. Please direct all inquiries and questions by email to scholarships@dfi.org.
*Scholarships are awarded based on standards that do not discriminate relative to the applicant’s race, color, religion, age, gender, sexual orientation, nationality or ethnic origin.
Eligibility
- Applicants must be currently enrolled full-time (as defined by the applicant’s school) and pursuing a graduate or undergraduate degree in civil or geotechnical engineering, an undergraduate degree in construction management, or other related deep foundations program, in any accredited college or university in the United States.
- The minimum GPA required is 3.0/4.0.
- Students may be considered for subsequent awards if they provide evidence of continued advancement in studies of deep foundations technologies in accordance with the application requirements. Scholarships are not automatically renewed; a new application must be submitted annually by the scholarship deadline.
Required Documents
- Personal essay, no more than 500 words, highlighting why the applicant chose to pursue a deep foundations- related career, extra-curricular activities, leadership capabilities, long term plans and goals, and any special financial need.
- One-page resume, including work experience, honors, activities and organizations.
- One official transcript.
- Two letters of recommendation, one of which must be completed by a faculty member at the applicant’s school.
Submission Requirements
Only one application is required. Applicant will be considered for all available At-Large scholarships.
- All items on the scholarship application must be completed. Applications missing any of the required items will not be considered.
- The application and all supporting documentation must be submitted no later than May 15, 2025.
- The DFI Educational Trust will notify all applicants of the result of their applications on or about July 18, 2025.
- Applicants, as a condition of eligibility for being considered for a scholarship, must consent to their resume being posted on the DFI website for review by DFI members as potential employers.
- Applicants may be required to participate in a personal telephone interview with a Trust Board member.
- If selected as a recipient, as a condition of funding, applicant agrees to participate in a follow-up career survey that will be sent by the Trust at some point after the applicant’s graduation.