Inspiring Future Leaders STEM Scholarship Program
San Diego Gas & Electric Company has established a scholarship program to assist students who reside within the San Diego Gas & Electric Company’s service territory and plan to continue their education in college while pursuing a STEM-related course of study.
Inspiring Future Leaders STEM Scholarship Program
The program is administered by Scholarship America®, the nation’s largest designer and manager of scholarships and other education support programs for corporations, foundations, associations, and individuals. Eligibility for individual programs is determined at the sole discretion of the sponsor and eligible applications are reviewed by Scholarship America’s evaluation team.
Eligibility
Applicants to the Inspiring Future Leaders STEM Scholarship Program must:
- Self-identify as either:
- Female (all races/ethnicities are eligible) OR
- Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Hispanic or Latino, Asian, Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander (all genders are eligible)
- Be high school seniors or graduates or current college undergraduates
- Plan to enroll in fulltime undergraduate STEM* (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) area of study at an accredited two- or four-year college, university for the entire upcoming academic year
- Have a permanent address in the Sponsor’s service territories of San Diego County and South Orange County. Service territories in South Orange County include: Dana Point, Ladera Ranch, Laguna Niguel, Rancho Mission Viejo, San Clemente, San Juan Capistrano, Laguna Hills (southern part), Mission Viejo (southern part), Laguna Woods (southern part)**
*Healthcare and educational areas of study at not eligible.
**See full list of eligible ZIP Codes and communities.
Employees and children of employees of Sempra Energy, San Diego Gas & Electric Company, Southern California Gas Company, and any of their affiliates, are ineligible.
Awards
If selected as a recipient, the student will receive a $10,000 award. Up to 10 awards will be granted.
Awards may be renewed for up to three additional years or until a bachelor’s degree is earned, whichever occurs first. Renewal is contingent upon satisfactory academic performance in a full-time course of study.
Awards are for undergraduate study only.
Notification
All applicants will be notified in June.
Notifications are sent via email. When setting up your account, avoid using a school or work email. Instead, use an active, personal email address that you will continue to have access to.
Please make sure to add studentsupport@scholarshipamerica.org as well as the program email address as safe senders in your email contact list.
Payment of Scholarships
Scholarship America processes scholarship payments on behalf of The San Diego Gas & Electric Company. Payment is made in early August.
Selection of Recipients
Scholarship recipients are selected on the basis of:
- Academic performance
- Demonstrated leadership and participation in school and community activities
- Work experience
- A statement of educational and career goals and objectives
- Unusual personal or family circumstances
- An online recommendation
Financial need will be considered. Recipients must demonstrate financial need.
In addition, assuming there are qualified applicants, preference will be given to students who self-identify as first-generation college students.
Selection of recipients is made by Scholarship America. In no instance does any officer or employee of The San Diego Gas & Electric Company play a part in the selection. Not all applicants to the program will be selected as recipients. All applicants agree to accept the decision as final.
Requirements
As part of your application, you must upload the following:
- A current, complete transcript of grades. Grade reports are not accepted. Transcripts must display:
- Student name
- School name
- Grades
- Credit hours for each course and term in which each course was taken.
- Copy of the first two pages of the most recently filed IRS Form 1040 used for the Financial Information section of the application. Please black out all social security numbers and bank account information.
NOTE: If you are providing SAT or ACT test scores, and those scores are not listed on your high school transcript, you will need to upload a copy of your test score report(s) separately. If you are uploading a college transcript, those scores are not required.
One online recommendation form must be submitted on your behalf no later than March 19, 2026 by 3:00 pm Central Time.
Your application is not complete unless all required materials are submitted electronically.
