SPS Scholarship Program

Signal Processing Society Scholarship Program

The IEEE Signal Processing Society (SPS) awards scholarships of up to a total of US$7,000 for up to three years of consecutive support to students who have expressed interest and commitment to pursuing signal processing education and real-world career experiences. By generating interest and awareness among students, employers will gain insight about the value of investing in signal processing students as potential employees and assets to their companies, organizations, and institutions.

Students and graduate students from all 10 IEEE Regions are encouraged to apply!

SPS Scholarship Application ›

The application opens on Friday, 1 March 2024. The deadline to submit your application is Sunday, 30 June 2024.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact the SPS Scholarship Program staff team.

Scholarship Program Details

• Prizes
• Eligibility: New Applicants | Renewing Applicants
• Selection
• Funding
• Timeline

Prizes

Each scholarship recipient will receive:

• Up to a total of US$7,000 of financial support for up to three years of consecutive scholarship support. The total grant value will vary per region. The maximum support received each year is:
  
  • Year 1: Up to US$2,000
  • Year 2: Up to US$2,000
  • Year 3: Up to US$3,000
• A certificate of recognition
• Publicity through IEEE SPS channels, including but not limited to, the Society newsletter, magazine, and social media
• Support, as requested, from IEEE Signal Processing Society leaders and mentors

All first-year recipients will receive complimentary IEEE and IEEE SPS Student membership, applicable only to their first year of support in the program. After the first year, awardees are responsible for covering membership renewal costs.

Eligibility

New Applicants

In order to qualify for a scholarship, new applicants must:

• Maintain IEEE Student or Graduate Student membership after first year of complimentary IEEE membership
• Maintain IEEE Signal Processing Society membership after first year of complimentary IEEE SPS membership 
• Express willingness to consider a career in the SPS fields of interest, based on personal essay, classes taken, etc.
• Be pursuing an electrical engineering, information and communication technology, or computer science undergraduate bachelor's degree or graduate degree.
• Be enrolled full-time in a university that offers undergraduate or graduate courses, or a community college that offers undergraduate courses, with curricula that substantively covers the list of typical signal processing engineering fields of interest.
• Provide proof of completion of a minimum of three undergraduate or graduate courses that cover typical signal processing subjects at the time of application
• Have a minimum of a B grade point average or international equivalent, as outlined in the International Grade Conversion System by World Education Services, at their current educational institution.

After the initial year of support, in order to continue receiving funding, renewing applicants must submit a renewal application for each subsequent year following initial acceptance. They must also continue to meet the above criteria for the duration of their participation in the Scholarship Program.

Renewing Applicants

The evaluation for renewal application will be based on the following criteria:

• Recipients continue to meet the eligibility criteria, as noted in the eligibility section.
• Recipients must work in a position or otherwise obtained career experience within the scope of the signal processing fields of interest before renewal. This requirement can be met through a suitable internship, externship, co-op, or equivalent.
• Recipients must demonstrate academic progress in signal processing coursework toward a foundational education toward a signal processing career.
• Recipients must submit transcripts demonstrating that they fulfilled their previously submitted academic plan for completing courses on the list of signal processing engineering subjects and have maintained a minimum of a B overall grade point average or international equivalent across all courses taken at their university or institution.
• Recipients must demonstrate that they have pursued extracurricular opportunities to learn more about signal processing careers by way of mentorships, field trips, attendance of SPS and other signal processing-related events, research projects, attendance of webinars or online courses, participation in an SPS Chapter, etc.

Eligibility and Selection process shall comply with procedures and regulation established in IEEE and Society governing documents, particularly with IEEE Policy 4.4 on Awards Limitations.

Selection

Selection of applicants will be competitive. Applications will be sent to the SPS Scholarship Committee for scoring, ranking and selection and will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

• Academic preparation (GPA or equivalent, reference letter from faculty member or instructor, electrical engineering, information and communication technology or computer science major, planned courses, etc.)
• Extracurricular activities and leadership (volunteer activities, achievements, etc.)
• General interest in engineering and focused interest in signal processing fields of interest (motivation letter, reference letter from faculty member or instructor, etc.)
• Quality of application (clarity, thoroughness, responsiveness, consistency, satisfaction of criteria, etc.)
• Overall assessment of student’s potential for and sustained interest in a successful signal processing career

Funding

The SPS Scholarship Program will be funded through donations to the IEEE Foundation Signal Processing Society Student and Young Professionals Fund (SYP Fund). The SYP Fund receives steady individual and corporate contributions through SPS conferences, our Student Job Fair, as well as other activities and donations.

Scholarship funds will be distributed directly to the recipients’ educational institutions, IEEE Sections, or other. No funds will be directly paid to students. If there is more than one recipient at a single institution, only one transfer of funds will be sent for all recipients and earmarked for each individual student.

Timeline