The American Council of Engineering Companies of New Jersey (ACECNJ) awards up to seven scholarships each year to students, attending an ABET accredited engineering program in New Jersey, who intend to become consulting engineers. The top two scholarship winners are automatically entered into the national ACEC competition for additional scholarship awards.

ACECNJ’s scholarship program includes the ACECNJ George P. Kelley Memorial Scholarship, in the amount of up to $5,000 and memorial scholarships. In addition to ACECNJ scholarships, the organization also awards several memorial scholarships, including: Ronald A. Wiss Memorial Scholarship ($3,000) sponsored by the Jacobs Engineering Group and the Bernard Langan Scholarship ($5,000) sponsored by Langan Engineering.  

Deadline to Apply: February 6, 2026

Guidelines & Eligibility

General Scholarships

Students must be entering their junior, senior, fifth, or master’s degree year, in the fall of 2025 to qualify for the general scholarships. In addition, a student must be a U.S. citizen pursuing a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in engineering or in an accredited land-surveying program to qualify. ABET accreditation of engineering programs for scholarship applicants must conform to the following for the degree the student is pursuing:

– Bachelor’s Degree

Student must be in an ABET-accredited engineering program.

– Master’s Degree

Student must either be in an ABET-accredited Master of Science (MS) engineering program or have a Bachelor of Science (BS) degree from an ABET-accredited engineering program.

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: 20 points

·   Essay: 25 points

Essays must be typed. Points may be lost for poor grammar, incorrect spelling, or lack of neatness. Proofread carefully.

·   Work Experience: 27 points

Work experience will be limited to the last three years prior to the date of the application. 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. List additional experience on a separate sheet and attach if necessary. The more experience you list, the higher your potential score. Resume upload required

·   Recommendation: 15 points

A recommendation is needed from a consulting engineer, land surveyor or engineering professor. Use the attached 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 send the recommendation directly to the state Member Organization.

·   Extracurricular College Activities: 13 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 Checklist

• Completed official 2026 ACECNJ Application Form 
• ABET Accredited Engineering Program under Engineering Accreditation Commission (EAC)
• Properly Signed by Applicant
• Properly Signed by Dean or Professor
• Essay
• ACECNJ Recommendation Form
• Official Transcript mailed to ACECNJ, 310 West State Street, Trenton, NJ 08618  – Including 2024 Fall Semester Grades

Have questions about the scholarship program?
Contact Gabrielle at acecnj@northstarstrategiesllc.com or call 732-606-5755