Skip to main content

FAQs: Undergraduate Scholarship Applications for Current UC San Diego Students

General Application Questions

What's the difference between Academic Year Continuing Undergraduate Scholarships and Summer Research Scholarships?

Academic Year Continuing Undergraduate Scholarships are awarded on the basis of academic merit plus additional criteria such as demonstrated financial need, field of interest, and leadership. To apply, you may need to provide answers to one or more supplemental questions. Awards range from $1,000 to $10,000.

Summer Undergraduate Research Scholarships recognize and encourage undergraduate research by helping cover project costs and summer living expenses. All UC San Diego undergraduates in any major who will be enrolled the entire subsequent year are eligible to apply. During the application process you'll be asked to provide the name and contact information of at least one faculty member willing to submit a letter of recommendation on your behalf.

What are the scholarship award amounts?

Academic Year Continuing Undergraduate Scholarship awards range from $1,000 to $10,000.

Summer Undergraduate Research Scholarship awards range from $3,500 to $4,000.

Are there citizenship restrictions for some or all of the scholarship offerings?

Some opportunities are limited to U.S. citizens and permanent residents, others are not. All UC San Diego undergraduates interested in obtaining a scholarship are encouraged to submit applications.

May I apply for more than one scholarship, and more than one type of scholarship?

Yes. You encouraged to apply for all scholarship opportunities for which you are eligible.

Are there scholarship opportunities for students, regardless of major?

Yes! While some opportunities are reserved for those with specific majors, many other opportunities welcome applicants regardless of major.

What information is required to complete my application?

Scholarship applicants must complete:

  • General Application (basic demographic information)
  • An uploaded PDF of your Academic History after fall grades are posted (General Application)
  • Supplemental Questions on any recommended opportunities you wish to apply to

In addition to the items above, all Summer Undergraduate Research Scholarship opportunities require:

  • A research proposal
  • A letter of recommendation from a faculty member
Do I need to return to my application after fall quarter grades have posted?

Yes, you will need to return to your General Application after fall quarter grades have posted in order to upload a copy of your Academic History. Instructions for doing so are provided on the General Application itself.

What's the difference between the 'Save and Keep Editing' and 'Finish and Continue' buttons?

Both buttons allow you to return and make changes to your general application any time prior to the deadline.

As its name suggests, Save and Keep Editing saves a copy of your application to the server, enabling you to either resume working on your application right away or resume working at a later date.

Press the Finish and Continue button after filling in all of the required questions on your General Application. This verifies that you have completed all questions marked with an asterisk on the General Application. As with the Save and Keep Editing button, you'll be able to make changes to your application, even though your General Application will be marked "complete."

The major difference between the two buttons is that upon completing your General Application and pressing Finish and Continue, you'll be able to see your list of Recommended Opportunities, many of which have additional questions that must be answered before you can be considered for those scholarships.

Remember: If you complete your General Application during Fall Quarter, you'll still need to return to the application to upload a PDF of your Academic History, even though your General Application is marked "complete." See above for more information about the academic history / grades requirement.

What's the difference between the list of All Scholarship Opportunities and my list of Recommended Opportunities?

Viewing All Opportunities presents you with a multipage list of all UC San Diego scholarship offerings, some of which will be appropriate to your interests, major, and class standing. Others will not.

Recommended Opportunities, on the other hand, removes any scholarship opportunities that you are ineligible for based on your answers to questions in the General Application, thus providing you with an individualized list of scholarship opportunities that you may be qualified for.

Feel free to peruse the list of All Opportunities and apply to any for which you're otherwise eligible and interested in.

Summer Undergraduate Research Scholarship Questions

Where do I apply/ learn about summer undergraduate research scholarships?
Should I apply for a summer research opportunity even though I don't meet all of the eligibility criteria?

No. If you know you don't qualify for an opportunity, don't apply.

Can the same faculty member serve as my reference for all of the summer research opportunities that I'm applying for? How?

Yes. After providing your faculty recommender's name and e-mail address when applying to your first Summer Undergraduate Research Scholarship opportunity, a drop-down list containing that faculty member's name will appear on the second and all subsequent summer research opportunities that you apply to.

Just select his or her name from the drop-down menu, and that same letter of recommendation will be applied to any additional research scholarship opportunities that you select.

Warning: Be sure to choose the drop-down selection for your second and subsequent opportunity. Re-entering the same faculty member's name on all opportunities will result in the program sending duplicate recommendation requests.

If you prefer to have different mentors for different proposals you're submitting, just enter the name of another faculty mentor, and they will automatically receive a request for a letter of recommendation.

What if I don't have a research mentor already?

Don't worry! Contact a research mentor as soon as you can, and discuss your interest in pursuing a research project in his/her lab.If the mentor accepts you, you can then work together on your proposal to do research over the summer in their lab.

If you need help contacting a mentor for the first time, reach out to aep@ucsd.edu. We would be happy to help you find a mentor for your research interests.

Can I re-use the same proposal for multiple summer research opportunities? How?

Yes. After uploading your proposal to your first Summer Undergraduate Research Scholarship opportunity, a drop-down list containing your proposal's filename will appear on the second and all subsequent summer research opportunities that you apply to. Just select the name of your previously uploaded file and you're all set.

How can I view my list of recommended summer research scholarship opportunities?

After completing your General Application and pressing Finish and Continue, select Recommended from the Opportunities tab on the main menu.

Your scholarship list will be presented in alphabetic order and may span multiple pages.

Be sure to follow through by pressing the Apply button for those opportunities you are interested in, and to supply any and all requested information.

If you wish to see only research-specific scholarship opportunities, select All from the Opportunities tab, and search for the word "research."

How do I view which scholarships I've applied to, and their current status?

In the upper right-hand corner, click on Applications. You will then see all of your applications, and whether or not you have completed all required questions.

Don't forget: Once Winter Quarter starts, you must return to the General Application to upload a PDF copy of your Academic History. Even if the General Application indicates that it is complete, your application will not be reviewed without your Academic History.

Help! I didn't find an answer to my question about the undergraduate summer research scholarship application process.

E-mail questions about Undergraduate Research Scholarships to aep@ucsd.edu.

Continuing Undergraduate Scholarship Questions

How do I apply/ learn about continuing undergraduate scholarships?
Should I apply for a continuing scholarship opportunity even though I don't meet all of the eligibility criteria?

No. If you know you don't qualify for an opportunity, don't apply.

How can I view my list of recommended continuing scholarship opportunities?

After completing your General Application and pressing Finish and Continue, select Recommended from the Opportunities tab on the main menu.

Your scholarship list will be presented in alphabetic order and may span multiple pages.

Be sure to follow through by pressing the Apply button for those opportunities you are interested in, and to supply any and all requested information.

Help! I didn't find an answer to my question about the continuing undergrad scholarship application process.

E-mail questions about Continuing Undergraduate Scholarships to scholarships@ucsd.edu.

Application Navigation Questions (AcademicWorks)

How can I remove the "Help" box in the essay boxes?

Just click on Preview or Edit, and the "Help" box will go away.

In the essay boxes, what do all the strange symbols mean?

The symbols are just a way for the system to understand what you are indicating as bold or italic text.

In order to see how these answers may look to a reviewer, click on Preview and the symbols should disappear, making your text bold or italic, according to your preferences.