Doctoral Scholars Forgivable Loan Program

Application Deadline: February 15

• Program Outline
  The purpose of the SAE Doctoral Scholars Program, now in its 16th year, is to provide funding to assist and encourage promising engineering graduate students to pursue careers in teaching at the college level. The program is designed to help alleviate the increasing shortage of engineering college faculty by attracting qualified citizens of North America (United States, Canada, and Mexico) who are interested in pursuing teaching careers, through the promise of financial assistance during their doctoral study program.

• Financial Support
  One or two new loans will be available each year. Loans are available in amounts up to $5,000 per year for three years, for a total of $15,000. The number of loans available will depend on the funding levels at the time of selection.

• Eligibility & Selection
  Eligible candidates will be citizens of North America (U.S., Canada, Mexico), and must hold an undergraduate degree from an engineering program at a school having the undergraduate program accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, the Canadian Accreditation Board, or its equivalent in Mexico. At the time of application, applicants must have been admitted to a doctoral program with the avowed purpose of teaching engineering at the college level upon graduation. Where one exists, applications must also be supported by the SAE Collegiate Chapter Faculty Advisor at the applicant's school.

  Selection will be administered by the Scholarship Committee. The committee will review the completed application, transcripts, a minimum of four professional references, and appropriate supporting material. Selection of applicants will be based on scholastic achievement, desire to teach engineering upon graduation, interest in the mobility technology field, and support of the SAE Collegiate Chapter Faculty Advisor where one exists.

• Qualifications for Loan Forgiveness
  Upon completion of the doctoral requirements, one year's loan will be forgiven for each year the recipient teaches engineering on the faculty of an engineering school accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), the Canadian Accreditation Board or its equivalent in Mexico, or a school approved by SAE's Education Board.

  If the individual does not go into teaching or does not remain in a good qualifying teaching position for the requisite three years, the candidate is required to pay back the remaining portion of the loan in equal installments over a five-year period. In such a case, the interest will be charged at the rate of 6% from the date the loan is made.

  In the event of a recipient having to discontinue school for reasons of hardship or illness, the time for amortizing or repaying the loan will be extended accordingly. The loan will automatically be cancelled upon death of the recipient. In the case of physical disability, each case will be handled individually on its merits.

• Application
  Eligible candidates should complete the application form, and return it to SAE along with the appropriate supporting material. A minimum of four references are required. All material must be received at SAE by February 15.

• References
  A minimum of four references are required. The reference form should be completed by professors who are able to comment on your qualifications for graduate study. You should not request a recommendation from a non-academic person unless you have been away from academic institutions for some time. One of the forms should come from your past or present principal graduate school advisor. If you attended an institution with an SAE collegiate chapter, one reference should come from the SAE faculty advisor on campus. Each reference is required to compete the online reference form by February 15.

• Recipients