ACI Foundation Graduate Scholarships

The ACI Foundation offers scholarships for eligible graduate students whose studies relate to concrete. Unlike ACI Foundation Fellowships, those applying for scholarships do not need to be nominated by ACI-Member Faculty, however, each scholarship applicant must have the endorsement of an ACI-Member Faculty.

Application Requirements and Instructions

1.      At the time of receiving an ACI Foundation Scholarship (not necessarily at the time of application), the applicant shall possess a bachelor's degree from an institution of higher education which is accredited by the responsible regional or national agency.

2.      At the time of acceptance of an ACI Foundation Scholarship (not necessarily at the time of application), the applicant shall have been accepted for graduate study at an accredited college or university in an engineering, architecture, or materials science program. The graduate study program shall be in the area of concrete with an emphasis on structural design, materials, construction, or any combination thereof. Applicants for the Kumar Mehta Scholarship must be pursuing graduate research in sustainable concrete.

3.      Applicants must be full-time first- or second-year (after bachelor’s degree) graduate students during the entire scholarship year. Course work during a summer session will count toward the degree year. Applications will be accepted from anywhere in the world.

4.      Applications, resumes and essays should be sent together in one e-mail package. Hard copies of applications, resumes, and essays will not be accepted. Please be sure that your name is on every piece of material submitted. ACI staff does not contact applicants upon receipt of their application materials or contact applicants if materials are missing from submittals.

Application Package

For your application packet to be considered for this award, each of the following pieces of information must be submitted by the deadline indicated:

1.      Completed application form: The application form must be typed. Handwritten applications will not be accepted.

2.      Resume-Microsoft Word document:  Any resume more than one-page will not be accepted. Only Microsoft Word files will be accepted.

3.      Essay-Microsoft Word document: There is a 500 word maximum for essays. Your name must be on the first page of the essay. Only Microsoft Word files will be accepted.

4.      Endorsement Agreement: To be eligible for these scholarships, the student must be endorsed by a faculty member who is also a member of the American Concrete Institute.  To endorse a student, the faculty member should access the Endorsement Agreement to submit their endorsement.

5.      Two Online Reference Forms: Online Reference Forms are statements of evaluation of the applicant, in terms of potential for growth, character, leadership capacity, and career interest, which are required from two evaluators. It is required that one of the references be from the Endorsing ACI Member/Faculty. We ask that the second form be from an employer, if possible. All Online Reference Forms must be submitted in English. Only the Online Reference Form will be accepted. Mailed, emailed, or faxed letters of recommendation will not be accepted. Do not include more than the required two Online Reference Forms.  Only the first two online reference forms received will be accepted. It is the applicant's responsibility to make sure online reference forms are submitted.

6.      Official Transcripts: The following requirements must be met for all transcript submissions:

§  Transcripts shall be submitted for all undergraduate and graduate programs attended.

§  All transcripts must be original and official documents. Unofficial transcripts or copies of transcripts will not be accepted.

§  Many universities now provide official E-Transcripts. ACI will accept this form of transcript, as long as it comes directly from your University with an official digital signature or stamp. ACI will not accept E-Transcripts sent directly from an applicant’s e-mail address. Review and acceptance of  E-Transcripts will be at the discretion of the Scholarship Coordinator.

§  Transcripts must be in English or accompanied by a version translated in English.

§  Translations must be literal and complete versions of the original transcripts. Translations shall be performed by a university, government official, or official translation service. The translation shall be attested or signed by the translator. Applicants may not submit self-translation. Courses must be described in detail. The general subject name (e.g., "mathematics") is not sufficient; the particular subject (e.g., "differential equations," "algebraic topology") must be identified.

§  Transcripts shall include an explanation of the grading scale if different from the 4.0 scale used in the U.S. Translations shall include grades based on an A, B, C, D scale where A is 90-100, B is 80-89, C is 70-79, D is 60-69, and F is 59 or less.

§  Transcripts should be mailed directly from the university. Transcripts mailed by the student must be sealed in an envelope with a university stamp over the seal.

§  Transcripts shall reach the scholarship coordinator no later than the application deadline.

How to apply

CLICK HERE TO VIEW MORE INFORMATION AND TO APPLY