Computer Science Scholarships

If you dream in binary, count electric sheep, can't sleep without the hum of at least a dozen cooling fans and regularly grapple with the urge to overclock everything in sight, computer science might be the right major for you. With a lot of work and a bit of luck, who knows, maybe you’ll be responsible for the next big leap in computer technology. Whether you plan to work for or compete with the giants of the computer industry, you’re going to need to take some steps to build your skills, not to mention an impressive resume.

To be a professional computer genius, you will need training and have at least some amount of formal education. Those who plan to embark on a career in technology should seriously consider a degree in computer science. While a college dropout succeeded in founding Microsoft in 1975, that doesn't necessarily mean that a college dropout will succeed in getting a job coding for Microsoft today. A college education, and likely some additional certification, is necessary to succeed in the computer industry today.

Of course the need to go to school brings about the problem of finding a way to pay for school. And in order to pay for school, chances are, you will need to find scholarships or other financial aid. Luckily, computer science majors are highly desirable, and as a result, have many scholarship opportunities available to them. To encourage the popularity and growth of the field, numerous scholarship providers have created computer science scholarships for students with an interest in technology. Major companies like Google, Microsoft, and Intel offer scholarships for the technology-minded student. Many smaller providers and individual colleges have also created funds that award computer science scholarships to students working towards a postsecondary degree.

In addition to major-specific scholarships, the savvy computer student might also want to search for available scholarships based on his or her other diverse skills, interests, and experiences. Internet debates can be great practice for essay scholarships and early adopters of webcam technology might have an advantage in video-based and video gaming scholarship contests. Our lists of wacky and unusual college scholarships might also be a good place to start, especially if your interest in geek culture extends beyond programming jokes.

Below are just a few examples of computer science scholarships. To find more computer science scholarships, students can conduct a free college scholarship search at Scholarships.com. At Scholarships.com, students will have access to information about more than 2.7 million scholarships and grants. By using their major as a search criterion, students can find awards created to help those interested in computer science and computer engineering obtain a postsecondary education.