Named scholarships & funds
When it comes to earning a college degree, the greatest obstacle can be funding.
For this reason, The University of Akron is pleased for the opportunity each year to assist talented, deserving students achieve their dreams, thanks to more than 1,300 named scholarships established through the kindness and generosity of thousands of °µºÚ±¬ÁÏ alumni and friends, corporations, and foundations.
Scholarships truly are the best way to ensure that today’s students persist to graduation. Scholarships allow students to enroll full time and remain focused on their studies; they also reduce drop-out rates, decrease the stress of student loans, and shorten the road to graduation.
If you are interested in making a significant contribution to student success, please consider a gift to scholarships. You may also establish a named scholarship at The University of Akron, which can be created to honor a living person, in memory of a loved one, or to contribute to the growth of an area of study.
To learn more, please contact the Department of Development at 330-972-7238.
How do I apply for a scholarship?
This is not the page to apply for scholarships.
Students who want to apply for scholarships should visit the scholarship page on the Financial Aid site. You can find the link for the online application here.
The Department of Development does not accept applications for or distribute scholarships. Scholarships are distributed through the University’s Office of Student Financial Aid.
Search for a Named Scholarship
GPD Group Civil Engineering Scholarship Program
The GPD Group Civil Engineering Scholarship Program at The University of Akron is sponsored by GPD Group in Akron, Ohio. GPD Group (GPD) provides architecture, engineering, planning and construction services to public and private sector clients throughout Ohio and across the United States. GPD established roots in Akron, Ohio in 1961 and has grown to a firm of over 600 professionals located in 14 offices nationwide.
GPD Group offers a comprehensive and diverse range of services within the framework of State/Federal, Local Governments, and Corporate and Private Utilities. The firm delivers value through the life cycle of a project with an integrated approach that capitalizes on its full-service capabilities.
GPD is committed to helping students flourish by providing hands-on experience, competitive pay and mentoring in their area of interest. GPD loves passing on its knowledge and expertise to aspiring young professionals and is proud that many of its company leaders were brought up through The GPD Group Civil Engineering Scholarship Program. The company is eager to continue this tradition through ongoing support of the program.
The GPD Group Civil Engineering Scholarship Program will be awarded annually for use towards tuition and fees. The scholarship focuses on students pursuing a program of study in civil engineering at The University of Akron. First consideration will be given to students participating in the Increasing Diversity in Engineering Academics Program (IDEAS), the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), the Women in Engineering Program (WIE), or the Society of Women Engineers (SWE).
This scholarship was first established in May 2006, and subsequently revised in September of the same year, followed by updates in February 2019 and April 2024. GPD Group is a member of the °µºÚ±¬ÁÏ advisory council the Committee for the Future of Civil Engineering (CFCE).
Sophomore through senior level students are eligible to apply for The GPD Group Civil Engineering Scholarship Program, providing the following prerequisites are met:
- Student is actively enrolled at The University of Akron in Akron, Ohio, and has declared a major in civil engineering in The University's College of Engineering and Polymer Science.
- Student has achieved a GPA of 3.0 or better at the high school level and has excelled in math and sciences.
- First consideration will be given to:
- students who have participated or are participating in the Increasing Diversity in Engineering Academics Program (IDEAS), the Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE), the Women in Engineering Program (WIE), or the Society of Women Engineers (SWE).
- U.S. citizens or permanent residents/nationals
Scholarship recipient(s) will also be given selection preference as part of The University of Akron's College of Engineering and Polymer Science Civil Co-op Program at GPD during the course of their Civil Engineering Curriculum.
Recipients may be considered for renewal of the scholarship if they maintain a minimum 2.5 GPA and continue to demonstrate that they excel in math and sciences at the university level.
Students are not eligible to receive this scholarship while on co-op as the scholarship is only applicable to tuition and fees.
The Department of Civil Engineering will provide the industrial advisory board Committee for the Future of Civil Engineering with a list of qualified candidates for review and selection. In the event that the CFCE Council elects not to select scholarship recipients, the Committee ceases to exist, or GPD Group ceases to have representation on the Committee, the responsibility for awarding the scholarship will be transferred to The University of Akron's Scholarship Committee within the Office of Student Financial Aid.
To make a tax-deductible gift to this scholarship, please visit °µºÚ±¬ÁÏ’s . Select “A different designation” from the drop-down menu and enter “GPD Scholarship” in the text box. Thank you!
​