Under the auspices of ACEC’s College of Fellows, the ACEC Research Institute will award a specialty scholarship provided by the Coalition of Professional Land Surveyors (COPS). The ACEC Land Surveyors True North Scholarship was created to assist in the continued growth of young Surveyors / Geospatial technicians and Professionals, and to ensure advancement of future Professionals.

All scholarship applications must submit applications though their resepective state Member Organizations. 

Check with state Member Organization for application deadline.

Guidelines & Qualifications

U.S. Citizenship is required to qualify for ACEC National Scholarships. 

General Scholarship Guidelines:

• Will be enrolled in a technical program, community college, or as a freshman, sophomore, junior, senior, fifth, or master’s degree year, in the fall of 2023.
• Pursuing an ABET accredited Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in land surveying or a geospatial related program. To view a list of ABET, Inc.'s EAC accredited engineering programs, click here . 

A student can receive only one ACEC National scholarship during the student’s academic career.

Payments will be made to the academic institution beginning July 1 for the 2023-2024 academic year.
Applications should be as complete as possible. Each portion of the application has a specific point value. Judges will score each section separately. Incomplete applications will not be considered. 

Scoring
• Cumulative Grade Point Average: 30 points
• Essay: 40 points
• Work Experience: 5 points
Work experience will be limited to 2020-2022. List your most recent work experience first and include any jobs held during high school if within the three-year period. Indicate the year in school during which you held a particular position. Indicate if your work experience was in the form of work-study, co-op, or practicum. Clearly identify the nature of the business of the listed employers; in particular, note consulting engineering or land surveying firms. Be complete and accurate. The more experience you list, the higher your potential score.
• Recommendation: 10 points
A recommendation is needed from a consulting engineer, land surveyor or engineering professor. Use the official form—a letter is not sufficient. Letters sent in addition to forms will not be read. Greater weight will be given for a recommendation from a consulting engineer or land surveyor. The evaluator must use the official recommendation form found here. 
• Extracurricular College Activities: 15 points
List all college activities under the indicated categories and years. Include offices held and other leadership roles in any organizations. Be as complete as possible. If there are no activities, write “none”. The more activities you list, the higher your potential score.

Application Judging
Incoming, current, and past Coalition of Professional Surveyors, Board of Director Chairs. 

Application Checklist for Submission:

• ABET Accredited Engineering Program under Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC)
• Essay
• ACEC Research Institute Recommendation Form
• ACEC Research Institute Scholarship Payment Activation Information 
• Official Transcript – Including 2022 Fall Semester Grades

Questions
For questions, or further information, please contact Heather Talbert at htalbert@acec.org, or 202.682.4377

The American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) represents thousands of companies comprised of more than 600,000 engineers, architects, land surveyors and other specialists. Our member firms contribute engineering solutions to present and future challenges happening around the world. ACEC Research Institute is the leading source of knowledge and thought leadership for creating a more sustainable, safe, secure and technically advanced built environment. We aim to inspire future generations to solve the world’s most challenging problems through engineering.

Describe how consulting engineering firms provide value to their clients and long-term benefits to their community. Your personal interest in and understanding of the engineer’s role in all aspects of the built environment are important and should be reflected in your essay.

Upon submission, your scholarship application will be forwarded to the appropriate ACEC State Membership Organization for consideration in their local program as well as the national program. 

Click here for State Member Organization contact information.

Your application into the 2023-2024 Scholarship Program is NOT complete without a recommendation from a consulting engineer, land surveyor or engineering professor. 

The evaluator must use the official recommendation form found here. All recommendation forms will be sent to the ACEC State Member Organization directly.