The National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering, Inc. is one of the nation’s largest private providers of scholarships to underrepresented minorities in engineering. Here are answers to FAQs about the NACME Scholarship program:

Why does NACME support underrepresented minorities (URMs) in engineering?

• NACME was founded in 1974 by a group of visionary corporate executives to provide leadership and support to the national effort to increase the representation of successful African American, American Indian and Latino women and men in engineering and technology, as well as in math- and science based careers. NACME’s vision is an engineering workforce that looks like America and meets the nation’s demand for highly skilled technology workers.

• One of the most compelling factors affecting the supply of minority STEM graduates has involved financial incentives. Recent studies indicate there are big gaps found by family income in completion rates and in the time it takes to earn a four-year college degree. Because of the importance of financial aid to college attendance and completion, NACME Scholarship Programs are intended to support underrepresented minority engineering students who have demonstrated financial need as determined by their institution.
  

• The graphs below represent the distribution of NACME Scholars by ethnicity, gender, and academic discipline:

 

NACME’s Partner Universities demonstrate their institutional leadership by:

• Recruiting high-achieving students from high schools and community colleges in underserved communities.
  
  
• Implementing admissions policies and procedures that reflect a broad approach that goes beyond SAT/ACT scores and GPAs in evaluating student potential to succeed.
  
  
• Providing programs that engage students in the engineering culture and expose them to opportunities to transform their college life into an enriching experience.
  
  
• Striving to improve the retention to graduation of underrepresented minority engineering students.
  
  
• NACME partner schools produce 30 percent of all minority engineering graduates.

• These schools serve as models of best practices in developing an environment that supports diversity and recognizes the academic achievement of all students. We encourage you to consider them when making your college selection.

• The NACME Scholar Online Resume Directory allows NACME Scholars to upload their resumes for matching with NACME donor companies’ internships and full-time positions. The objective is to provide NACME Scholars with hands-on exposure to an engineering work environment in an effort to support their transition from academic environments to the engineering workforce.