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PSE Merle T. Lebakken Scholarship
Deadline to apply: March 24, 2025 3:00 pm CT

Power System Engineering (PSE) established a scholarship program to assist students pursuing a degree within the electrical power or industrial industries.

The program is administered by Scholarship America®, the nation’s largest designer and manager of scholarship and other education support programs for corporations, foundations, associations, and individuals. Eligibility is determined at the sole discretion of the sponsor, and eligible applications are reviewed by Scholarship America’s evaluation team.

Applicants to the PSE Merle T. Lebakken Scholarship must meet the following eligibility requirements:

  • Be high school seniors or graduates, or current college undergraduates
  • Plan to enroll in a fulltime undergraduate study at an accredited two-year or four-year college or university for the entire upcoming academic year
  • Plan to pursue a degree within the Electrical Power or Industrial Industries (including but not limited to Business, Engineering, Electric, and Management)
  • A recommendation from a PSE employee or an individual who works for one of PSE’s active clients

Dependents of PSE employees are encouraged to apply if they meet the eligibility requirements listed above.

Full-time PSE employees are not eligible to apply.

Awards

Selected recipients will receive an award of either $2,500 for students attending a two-year college or $5,000 for students attending a four-year college or university. Up to two (2) awards will be granted.

Awards are not renewable. Students who continue to meet the eligibility requirements in following years, are welcome to apply again, regardless if they’ve been awarded the scholarship in prior years or not.

Application Deadline

Student application packages must be submitted no later than March 24, 2025 3:00 pm Central Time. The individual providing an online recommendation has until March 27, 2025 3:00 pm Central Time.

Applicants will be notified in May if they are a selected recipient or not.

Payment of Scholarships

Scholarship America processes scholarship payments on behalf of PSE. Payment is made in early August. Checks are made out to the institution of study and are sent to the student.

Selection of Recipients

Scholarship recipients are selected based on:

  • Academic record
  • Demonstrated leadership and participation in school and community activities
  • Work experience
  • A written statement describing why the applicant chose to pursue a degree in this field and the applicant’s stated career goals within the utility industry (1,000 characters)
  • Unusual personal or family circumstances
  • An online recommendation. The recommender must be a PSE employee or work for one of PSE’s active clients.

Financial need is not considered.

Recipient selection is made by Scholarship America. In no instance does any officer or employee of PSE 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.

Applications must include the following via the online application:

  • 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.

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.

  • Written statement describing why the applicant chose to pursue a degree in this field and stating the applicant’s career goals within the utility industry (1,000 characters).
  • Written statement describing any relevant leadership and participation in school and community activities, as well as work experience. Please include any unusual family or personal circumstances that may be relevant to your application; however, keep in mind that financial need is not considered in the selection.
  • An online recommendation from a PSE employee or an individual who works for one of PSE’s active clients.

One online recommendation form must be submitted on your behalf no later than March 27, 2025 3:00 pm Central Time. An online recommendation from a PSE employee or an individual who works for one of PSE’s active clients.

Your application is not complete unless all required materials are submitted electronically.

PSE has partnered with Scholarship America. Selecting the button below will redirect you to the Scholarship America Student Hub!

Please make sure to add studentsupport@scholarshipamerica.org as well as the program email address provided below in the footer as safe senders in your email contact list.