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College of Natural Resources

Student and Scholarship Information

Through the NC State Pulp and Paper Advisory Committee, the paper industry provides significant funding for undergraduate academic scholarships and general program enhancement. At the present time, there are over 135 individual endowed scholarships available to the students in the Paper Science and Engineering program. Approximately 80% of the program’s students are supported by one of these scholarships.

Students must meet several requirements to be eligible for a merit scholarship, but the two most important are:

  1. The student must be enrolled in the Paper Science and Engineering program or the Paper Science and Engineering Intended program. They must take courses shown on the corresponding program’s curriculum display sheet.
  2. The student must maintain a total cumulative grade point average (TGPA) of 3.0 or higher. If the student does not maintain a TGPA of 3.0, they will be placed on probation for one semester. If the student does not improve their TGPA to a 3.0 or higher by the next semester, their scholarship will be withdrawn.

Awards

Awards for incoming freshmen are currently valued at $3,000 per year continuing for the following 3 years. The award is valid for a maximum of four years over the course of eight semesters. If a student leaves NC State for a semester to participate in a co-op experience, the award is temporarily suspended for that semester. Upon the student’s return, the award will be restored and pushed forward one semester.

Prospective students who are considering the Paper Science and Engineering program are encouraged to take advantage of the early admissions process and submit their application to NC State by November 1. Students interested in receiving a merit scholarship should complete two steps:

  1. Select “Engineering First Year: Paper Science and Engineering Intended” or “Engineering First Year: Paper Science and Engineering/Chemical Engineering Dual Intended” as their first choice on the admissions application.
  2. Fill out and return the scholarship application.

The Pulp and Paper Advisory Committee usually determines scholarship recipients in the third week of March. Students who have been designated as award recipients will be notified by mail.

Please note that all scholarship applications must be complete via Pack ASSIST. The priority deadline is February 15. For more information about the application process, please contact Academic and Student Services at 919-515-7709.

Our History

In 1954, the paper industry established a Pulp and Paper Technology program at NC State to supplement its booming operations in the southern United States. Students who enrolled in the program earned a bachelor’s degree in pulp and paper technology, and if they stayed for an additional semester, they earned another degree in chemical engineering — a feature that wasn’t offered by other schools at the time.

With its dual-degree offering, along with strong regional support and a robust scholarship endowment, the Pulp and Paper Technology program established itself as one of the most dominant of its kind in the U.S. In 2004, the College of Natural Resources and the College of Engineering partnered to jointly administer the Paper Science and Engineering program. The program was accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology a year later.

Our Success Story

Students enrolled in the Paper Science and Engineering program are highly valued by industry. Many companies recruit our students — ranging from freshmen to seniors — for summer internships and semester co-op experiences.

Because of the outstanding reputation of the program, 80-100% of our graduates receive one or more job offers at the time of graduation, regardless of the state of the economy or the industry. Their starting salaries and signing bonuses are among the highest for any graduates from NC State.

Our graduates have gone on to make significant contributions to industry since the program’s inception. Alumni include vice-presidents, mill managers, technical managers, research directors, consultants, sales personnel, business owners, professors, teachers, lawyers, doctors and clergymen.

With a long history of providing outstanding student services and a thorough engineering education, the Paper Science and Engineering program takes pride in its accomplishments and looks forward to continuing to foster career-ready graduates. If you want to learn more about what our students have to say about the program, click here.

Paper Science and Engineering Career Fair

The Paper Science and Engineering Career Fair was a success this fall, with 250 students attending the event to learn more about internship opportunities from over 36 companies.

The event was hosted by the Department of Forest Biomaterials, the Paper Pulp Advisory Committee, sustaining member companies and participating companies.

We thank everyone for your continued support of this event.

View our video about the event.