Source: Telangana Today (originally published May 2020)
Overview
Udacity and Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced a partnership in May 2020 to offer a two-phase scholarship program designed to help prepare the global workforce for growing demand in machine learning (ML) roles. The initiative was structured to lower the barrier to entry for ML education, offering free foundational training to all applicants and a full Nanodegree scholarship to the highest performers.
How the Two-Phase Scholarship Worked
The scholarship was delivered in two sequential phases:
Phase 1 — AWS Machine Learning Foundations Course
Every applicant received a scholarship to the AWS Machine Learning Foundations Course. This foundational course covered:
- Core software engineering principles relevant to ML workflows
- AWS machine learning concepts and services
- Production-level coding practices
- Object-oriented programming techniques
All students who completed the foundation course received a special certificate of completion. Enrollment for this phase was scheduled to open on May 19, 2020, with an option to sign up in advance for launch notifications.
Phase 2 — Machine Learning Engineer Nanodegree
The top 325 performers from the foundation course — determined by successful course completion and high scores on a subsequent assessment — were awarded a full scholarship to Udacity’s Machine Learning Engineer Nanodegree program. This advanced program offered:
- Hands-on experience with AWS machine learning tools and services
- Project-based learning with result-oriented assignments
- A deeper engineering focus on deploying and scaling ML models
The Nanodegree scholarship was scheduled to begin on August 19, 2020.
Why This Program Mattered
The partnership reflected a broader industry trend of cloud providers and online learning platforms collaborating to address skills gaps in data science and machine learning. By covering the foundational course for all applicants — not just a select few — the program removed the initial financial obstacle that often discourages early-career professionals from exploring ML. The competitive path to the Nanodegree also gave motivated learners a clear, merit-based incentive to perform well in the foundational stage.
Who Should Have Applied
The program was aimed at a broad audience, including:
- Software engineers looking to transition into ML engineering roles
- DevOps practitioners wanting to understand ML model deployment on AWS
- Developers with basic programming experience seeking structured ML training
- Students and professionals exploring cloud-based AI/ML services
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Note on Current Availability
This scholarship program was announced in May 2020. Enrollment windows and program availability described above reflect the original announcement dates and may no longer be active. Readers interested in current Udacity–AWS scholarship offerings should check the Udacity website and AWS Training and Certification pages for up-to-date programs.