Amazon Future Engineer Scholarship
So much more than a scholarship! Amazon Future Engineer awards high school seniors with a scholarship of up to $40,000, plus paid internship opportunities at Amazon, mentorship, emergency grants, and mental health support.
Calling all future engineers!
The AFE Scholarship is so much more than a scholarship. It covers up to $10,000 per year (for 4 years) toward the cost of a degree. But the support doesn’t end there. AFE scholars receive access to a network of professionals to help grow their careers — plus mentorship, mental health resources, and a chance at an opportunity to intern with Amazon.
| Automation Engineering | Software Development Engineering |
| You’re curious about conveyor systems, robotics, packaging, machines, and automated sortation systems that keep our factories running efficiently! | You’re inspired to build the code and systems that run the Amazon ecosystem: Amazon.com, Alexa, AWS, and more. |
| You like hands-on work that keeps you moving and tinkering. | You prefer mostly desk-based work that involves meetings and collaboration. |
| You like the flexibility that comes with shift work. | You appreciate the consistency of standard business hours. |
| A typical day: you might diagnose an electrical issue in the morning and calibrate a robotic arm in the afternoon. You’ll often work independently across fulfillment centers, sortation centers, delivery stations, and air hubs. | A typical day: you might design a new feature in the morning, review a teammate’s code around midday, and debug a production issue in the afternoon. You’ll work in small teams that own the full cycle of product development. |
Ready to apply? You’ll need:
Eligibility
To apply for the Amazon Future Engineer program, you must:
Important Dates
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1
November 3 – Application opens
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2
January 5 – Application closes
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January 8 – Final deadline for teacher recommendations
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Mid-January – Finalists announced (assessment instructions sent)
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End of January – Assessment Deadline
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Mid-April – Winners notified
Questions you might still be wondering.
Amazon will award up to $10,000 each year of your 4-year degree program (up to $40,000 total). If you have a funding gap that is less than $10,000 each year, the AFE scholarship will completely cover it. For example, if you have a funding gap of $8,000 annually, the Amazon Future Engineer scholarship will pay out $8,000 each year for a total of $32,000. If you have a funding gap of $14,000 annually, the Amazon Future Engineer scholarship will pay out $10,000 each year for a total of $40,000.
Click the “Apply” button above and follow the instructions. You will need your high school transcripts, your parents’/guardians most recent 1040 tax forms, and proof that you have completed a high school or college dual degree course where computer science is the subject. If you have not already taken this course, you can take a test to prove your skills here.
If you are selected as a finalist, you will be asked to take an assessment specific to your selected track (Software Development Engineer or Automation Engineer). Your scores will be considered alongside the rest of your application. Finalists will receive more information in late January and you will have one week to complete the assessment.
Automation Engineering
You can study Electrical Engineering, Automation Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering or Related Field
Software Development Engineering
You can study Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Data Science, Information Systems or Related field
We will first select finalists. Once the finalists are notified, they will be asked to take an assessment (this is not to be confused with the assessment to test out of the CS course mentioned above). After all finalist assessments are evaluated, we will select and notify the winners.
The two AFE tracks are Automation Engineering and Software Development Engineering. To choose the plan that’s best for you, review the program-specific FAQs below. Each track leads to a different kind of engineering and different potential careers.
No, you must select the track that best matches your degree program and career goals.
Scholars who meet eligibility requirements have a chance for a 3-month, paid internship at Amazon, based on available positions. Every internship is different because every day at Amazon is different. Depending on which track you choose (Automation Engineering or Software Development Engineering), you will either be working on the floor, maintaining and calibrating our robotics and conveyor systems, or you’ll be working in an office designing and building the code that runs all of our systems and programs. No matter which track you choose, you will get hands-on experience in your chosen field and ownership over your internship project.
Software Development Engineers (SDEs) are responsible for designing, building, and maintaining the software and systems that power everything from the Amazon.com shopping
experience and Alexa to the automation running inside Amazon’s fulfillment and sortation centers, AWS, and more. They spend their days writing, reviewing, and debugging the code that runs everything. SDEs are problem solvers who love a challenge!
SDEs write, test, and ship code that solves real problems for customers. Every day is different. In the morning, you may write code for a new system. In the afternoon, you might debug a teammate’s code or troubleshoot a production issue. You’ll work in close collaboration with other SDEs, designers, and product managers.
Yes! Amazon encourages career growth. You can advance from an entry-level engineer to a senior engineer, team lead, principal engineer, or engineering manager. Amazon also offers tuition assistance and learning programs to help you continue your education and build on your skills.
You’ll work with programming languages like Java, Python, and JavaScript, along with cloud services (AWS), databases, APIs, distributed systems, machine learning tools, and version control. As an SDE, you’ll always be learning something new and staying on top of the latest tech.
SDEs typically work standard business hours, with flexibility depending on the team. Some teams rotate on-call responsibilities to keep critical systems running, but most of your week is focused, collaborative project work.
The role is primarily desk-based and mentally engaging rather than physical. You’ll spend most of your time problem-solving, writing code, and collaborating with your team. It’s rewarding work that keeps your mind active and challenged.
An Automation Engineer at Amazon is responsible for designing, programming, and optimizing the automated systems that power Amazon’s fulfillment and sortation centers. This includes working with robotics, conveyor systems, and other cutting-edge technology to keep operations running efficiently.
Automation Engineers program and troubleshoot automated systems like robotic drive units, conveyor networks, packaging machines, and sortation systems. Every day is different – you might be writing PLC code in the morning and testing a new robotic workflow in the afternoon.
Yes! Amazon encourages career growth. You can advance from a junior Automation Engineer to a senior engineer, controls engineer, systems architect, or engineering manager. Amazon also offers tuition assistance programs to help you continue your education.
You’ll work with industrial robotics, programmable logic controllers (PLCs), conveyor systems, automated guided vehicles, vision systems, pneumatics, hydraulics, and more. You’ll also use programming languages and software tools to design and optimize automation solutions. It’s a high-tech, hands-on engineering environment.
Automation Engineers work across many types of Amazon facilities, including fulfillment centers, sortation centers, delivery stations, and air hubs. Wherever Amazon uses automated systems, there are engineers supporting and improving them.
Automation Engineers may work in shifts, which can include days, nights, and weekends. Amazon facilities operate around the clock, so there’s flexibility in scheduling.
The role can be physical at times – you may need to work on equipment, test systems on the floor, and move between different areas of a facility. But much of the work also involves programming, design, and problem-solving, so it’s a great mix of hands-on and analytical work.
Safety is Amazon’s top priority. Automation Engineers follow strict safety protocols and receive thorough safety training. You’ll also play a key role in designing systems that make the facility safer for everyone.
