Colleges

Three students silhouetted against sunset sitting on Porter Squiggle sculpture

Student Scholarships & Awards

UC Santa Cruz’s colleges offer a variety of scholarships, awards, and project funding to support students in their academic, creative, and leadership pursuits. These opportunities recognize academic excellence, community service, research, artistic achievements, and leadership within each college. Many scholarships are only open to students affiliated with a specific college, while some are available to students from any UCSC college.

Many applications are accepted each quarter, with major annual deadlines in the fall, winter, and spring. Check with your college for exact dates and eligibility.

College Nine & John R. Lewis College

College Nine and John R. Lewis College offer student project funding and leadership-focused internships. Awards are open only to affiliated students, with applications typically due by the third week of each quarter.

  • Student Project Funds
    • Supports academic research, creative work, artistic projects, and public events (awarded quarterly)
  • Internships & Leadership
    • Calabasas After-School Program
    • PRAXIS Club
    • Alternative Spring Break
    • Garden Club

Cowell College

Cowell College awards are open only to Cowell-affiliated students unless otherwise noted. The college offers annual scholarships, leadership awards, and creative writing prizes. Deadlines are typically in May.

  • Service & Leadership Awards
    • Carol Freeman Leadership Award
    • John Lynch Multicultural Service Award
    • Cassius Ellis Memorial Award
  • Academic & Creative Prizes
    • Provost’s Undergraduate Scholarship
    • John Dizikes Writing Prize
    • Cowell Poetry Prize
    • Cowell Illustration Prize
  • Scholarships
    • Mark Glenn Cary Scholarship for science majors
    • David Wayne Christenson Scholarship (open to Cowell and Kresge students)

Crown College

Crown College offers student project funding to Crown-affiliated students to cover material fees for academic research, creative initiatives, and artistic endeavors. Applications are typically due in the winter and spring quarters.

  • Student Project Funds
    • Up to $300 for academic research, creative, and artistic projects
  • Terence Freitas Crown College Service Award
    • The Terence Freitas College Service award is presented to those Crown graduating seniors whose service has made significant positive contributions to the Crown College Community.
  • Community Service Awards
    • Is given to those Crown Graduating seniors who have made significant contributions to the UC Santa Cruz campus and beyond.
  • Priscilla Parkin Memorial Award
    • Crown College bestows an annual award on one graduating senior who has shown meritorious achievement in one of the exact sciences.

Kresge College

Kresge College offers scholarships and project funding for Kresge students, with select awards open to all UCSC students. Deadlines vary, with applications typically accepted in the fall, winter, and spring quarters.

  • Scholarships
    • Reyna Grande Scholarship (for Latinx culture projects, one award for a Kresge student, one for any UCSC student)
    • David Wayne Christenson Scholarship ($1,500 for public service & academic merit, open to Kresge and Cowell students)
    • Carol H. Bennett Scholarship (financial need-based, Kresge students only)
  • Student Project Funding
    • Supports research, creative projects, and community events (up to $1,000)

Merrill College

Merrill College scholarships and project funding are open only to Merrill-affiliated students. The college offers funding for academic projects, faculty-mentored research, and contributes to studying abroad in a Latin American country. Deadlines vary, with project funding awarded quarterly.

  • Student Special Project Funds
    • Supports student’s academic research or projects, artistic endeavors, and events that benefit primarily Merrill’s community
  • Merrill Undergraduate Research Mentorship Program
    • Mentors are paid to work alongside faculty on the faculty’s research
  • Sandra Frausto Study Abroad Scholarship
    • The Sandra Frausto Student Award seeks to reward the achievements of University of California, Santa Cruz students who in their undergraduate years have combined academic excellence with a commitment to increasing the understanding or improving the welfare of Chicanx/Latinx people in the United States. The award particularly seeks to recognize those whose UC Santa Cruz education will provide a foundation for a career in Education or in teaching.

Oakes College

Oakes College awards are open only to Oakes students and include student project grants and leadership-based scholarships. Deadlines vary, with some funding available quarterly or annually.

  • Oakes Student Project Grants: Supports academic research, creative work, artistic projects, and public events (awarded quarterly)
  • Scholarships & Grants
    • Rigoberta Menchú Scholarship (via Oakes Senate)
    • Atharva Chinchwadkar Scholarship: The Chinchwadkar family established a $1,500 scholarship for an Oakes College student who demonstrates academic excellence and a commitment to athletics and community.

Porter College

Porter College offers a variety of funding opportunities to support undergraduate students in research, creative work, public events, and travel. Most grants are available exclusively to Porter students, while some are open to all UCSC undergraduates.

  • Porter Undergraduate Mini-Grants:
    • Porter Undergraduate Fellowships ($200 to $500 to support undergraduate Porter students in all fields of study with funding for reasonable and necessary expenses associated with original research, scholarly work, and/or creative projects). Porter Only.
    • Porter Student Project Funds ($200 to $500 to support public events organized by undergraduate Porter students that benefit the college, campus, or off-campus communities). Porter Only.
  • Porter College Major Grants:
    • Porter Research Fellowships (paid faculty research assistantships). Porter Only.
    • Foley-Mendelssohn Travel Scholarship ($1,500-$2,500 for study or research abroad). All Students.
    • Hitchcock Modern Poetry Fund ($20,000 total funds annually, awarded various amounts, open to all UCSC students with faculty sponsorship). All Students.
  • Other Opportunities:
    • Porter Student Senate Grants (for Porter student projects of all kinds). Porter Only.
    • Creative and Innovative (C&I) Grants (support for creative and innovative Porter student projects). Porter Only.

Rachel Carson College

Rachel Carson College offers project funding and research-based internships for its students. Deadlines vary by program.

  • Niebanck Founder’s Prize ($2,500): Open to all UCSC undergraduates for exceptional work in environmental analysis and planning.
  • Student Project Funds
    • Supports academic research, creative work, artistic projects, and public events (awarded quarterly)
  • Internships & Research Funding
    • Supports sustainability and environmental projects

Stevenson College

Stevenson College awards are open only to Stevenson students and focus on leadership, academic excellence, and financial need. Deadlines vary by quarter, with major applications due in October, January, and April.

  • Scholarships
    • Matthew Graviano Memorial Scholarship (Psychology/Legal Studies majors)
    • Michele Guard Memorial Scholarship (first-years from single-parent households)
    • John Halverson Scholarship
  • Student Research & Project Funding
    • Up to $500 per project in research, creative, artistic, or public events
  • Leadership & Service Awards
    • Robert Dodge Student Service Award (community service)
    • Stevenson College Leadership Award (student contributions)
Last modified: May 15, 2025