Microsoft Undergraduate Scholarships – USA, Canada & Mexico

A Microsoft scholarship provides a leg up so you can pursue undergraduate studies in computer science and related technical disciplines. You’ll join a community of scholarship recipients from the United States, Canada and Mexico who share your passion for technology and academic excellence. It all adds up to achieving your primary goal—making a real difference in the software industry.

Microsoft is offering four different types of technical scholarships for the 2013-2014 academic year to current undergraduate students: General Scholarships, Women’s Scholarships, Minority Scholarships, and Scholarships for Students with Disabilities.

Requirements
If you’re interested in applying for the 2013-2014 academic year scholarships, please see the Application Process tab for more information. Microsoft selects final candidates based on the following criteria:

    Eligibility
    Quality of application

    Displayed interest in the software industry
    Commitment to leadership
    Financial need


Diversity at Microsoft
We encourage student populations currently underrepresented in the field of computer science to pursue technical degrees. All candidates who meet the criteria for eligibility described below may certainly apply, while we do award a large majority of our student scholarships to women, minorities, and the disabled. Minority applicants must belong to one of the following groups underrepresented in the software field: African-American, Hispanic, or Native American.

Provisions
As a recipient of one of our scholarships, you’ll enjoy the benefits for one academic year. You may receive either a full or partial scholarship for the academic year. Full tuition scholarships will cover tuition for the academic year as posted by the financial aid office at your college or university. Microsoft will make payments to the designated school, and they’re not transferable to other academic institutions. You may use the funds for tuition only—not for other costs listed on your bursar bill, such as room and board.

You’ll also need to apply for a summer internship and if offered an internship, you must complete the salaried summer internship of 12 weeks or more at Microsoft Corporation in Redmond, Washington. (Microsoft reserves the right not to offer an internship position to the scholarship winner if an appropriate match cannot be found.)

Eligibility
To be eligible, you must be enrolled full time in a Bachelor’s degree program at a 4-year college or university in the United States, Canada, or Mexico at the time you submit the application. Plus, we’ll need to see that you’re making satisfactory progress toward an undergraduate degree in computer science, computer engineering, or a related technical discipline such as electrical engineering, math, or physics—and that you demonstrate an interest in computer science. Because the scholarship is merit based, you must maintain a 3.0 cumulative grade point average out of a possible 4.0, or a 4.0 cumulative grade point average out of a possible 5.0. For more detailed information regarding eligibility, please read our FAQ.

Application Process
Thank you for looking into our scholarship opportunities! We are now accepting Microsoft Scholarship applications for the 2013-2014 academic year. All application items must be emailed or postmarked no later than February 1st, 2013 for you to be considered for a 2013-2014 Microsoft Scholarship.

You must include the following six items in your application:

    Resume
    Academic transcript
    Application details
    Answers to essay questions
    Letter of referral
    Confirmation page from online application to the Microsoft Internship Program

That’s really all there is, and no extra forms to fill out. Don’t forget to include your name on each page of your application packet.

Be sure your resume includes:

    Your contact information
    Academic major
    Expected graduation date

Application Details
Use one page (total) to answer the following questions:

    What is your estimated tuition cost for the 2013-2014 academic year (base cost; not including room and board or books)?
    Is your tuition in state, out of state, private, or international?
    Would receiving a Microsoft scholarship adversely impact any other financial aid you will receive for the 2013-2014 academic year?

Essay Questions
Use one page total (not one page per question) to answer all four of the following questions:

    Describe how you demonstrate your passion for technology outside the classroom.
    Describe the toughest technical problem you’ve worked on, how you addressed the problem, your role in reaching the outcome if it was team-based, and the final outcome.
    Describe a situation that demonstrates initiative and your willingness to go above and beyond.
    Describe how you are currently funding your college education.

Letter of Referral
Enclose a letter of referral from a faculty member (professor or teaching assistant) or an academic adviser. Soft-copy letters of referral must come directly from the faculty member’s email address.

Printed Confirmation Page
You must have applied to a Microsoft Summer Internship. Please include a screenshot or a printed copy of the Application Confirmation page, which can be accessed during the online application process. If you have already applied for a Microsoft Internship, please indicate this below your essay answers so we can verify your application status.

How to Submit Your Completed Application
You have the option to submit your completed application items through two methods.

You can mail your hard-copy application to the following address:

Microsoft Scholarship Program
Microsoft Corporation
One Microsoft Way
Redmond, WA 98052-8303

You can email your soft-copy application items to scholars@microsoft.com

Again, all application items must be postmarked or emailed no later than February 1st, 2013 to be considered.

For specific questions not answered on this page or in the FAQ section, please email scholars@microsoft.com.

FAQ
The following are questions most often asked by our scholarship applicants. If you don’t find an answer to your question here or in the other Scholarships pages, please e-mail scholars@microsoft.com.

Where can I find an application?
A complete application includes five items: your resume, transcript, answers to essay questions, letter of referral, and a printed confirmation page from the online application to the Microsoft Internship program. If you have already applied for a Microsoft Internship, please indicate this below your essay answers so we can verify your application status. There is not a separate application form to submit in addition to the above materials. Your name should be included on each page of your application.

Can high school, community college or graduate students apply for these scholarships?
No. Scholarships are available for students who are currently enrolled in a four-year undergraduate degree program.

I am studying at a school outside of the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Am I eligible to apply?
No. You must be attending a school in North America in order to be eligible for our scholarship program.

Can international students apply for scholarships?
Yes. If you are currently studying in North America and meet our criteria for scholarship eligibility, you can apply regardless of your citizenship.

If I want to apply for a women’s or minority scholarship, where do I indicate that in my application?
Please indicate which scholarship you are applying for in either your cover letter or the page where you answer the essay questions.

Do I need to send an official transcript or is an unofficial transcript acceptable?
If you cannot obtain an official transcript from your school, you can send an unofficial transcript for now. However, we will ask for an official transcript if you are one of the finalists for the scholarship.

What should be included in the letter of recommendation?
We do not have a template for the letter of recommendation. Your professor should write a letter that endorses you as the best candidate to receive a scholarship. The letter should address why your professor has this opinion.