Help us grow the Academy for Women Scholarship Fund by making a gift! Your gift will help future generations of computer scientists for years to come!
About the Academy
The Academy for Women (formerly First Bytes) is a one-week academy that encourages and empowers aspiring high school girls to discover a passion for computing and problem solving, and aims to dispel myths and stereotypes about computer science. This unique program allows attending young women to see how computers solve real-world problems in medicine and arts, get hands-on programming experience, visit research labs, learn about the newest technologies, and more.
Academy for Women is a critical tool in UT's effort to draw more women into computer science by sparking their interest in tech while they are still in high school. Company sponsors help cover the cost of attendance for the young women, making this academy appreciably accessible and effective in increasing diversity at UT Computer Science.
About the Scholarship Fund
UT Computer Science, ranking among the largest top-10 computer science programs nationally, is poised to meet the challenge of broadening participation in technology. The Academy for Women, established 14 years ago, has successfully served as a pathway for women into UTCS. In 2014, 24% of our incoming freshmen were women, exceeding the national average, and 25% of these women were part of the Academy for Women. While acknowledging this achievement, we aim to enhance our impact.
For individual students, the benefits of a computer science degree are manifest. Starting salaries for computer science graduates are 20% higher than the average college graduate, and this gap is continuing to widen. Yet, women still account for less than one fifth of students pursuing computer science. We want to make these incredible opportunities equally accessible to women.
The Academy for Women Scholarship Endowment will allow us to leverage the academy's success by offering scholarships to students who attended Academy for Women and go on to major in computer science at the University of Texas at Austin. By working together to grow this endowment we can attract the nation's brightest, talented young women who will change the face of the next generation of computer science.
Company Match
Many employers sponsor matching gift programs (Apple, Google, Microsoft, etc.) and will match any charitable contributions made by employees.
Tip: You will need to request the matching gift from your employer.
