Apply to Undergraduate Scholarships/Awards

Below you find information about some of the more relevant award and scholarship opportunities for Sociology students, including a few through the Sociology Department and the Social Sciences Division. Students should also work with the financial aid office for grants and scholarships.

Popular Award & Scholarship Opportunities:

1. The Sociology of Race, Class, and Gender Senior Thesis Award - Due: May 12, 2025
2. The Fanny Carruthers Award in Sociology - Due: May 6, 2025
3. Walsh Family Scholarship - Rotates Departments. Sociology available in 2027
4. Deans', Chancellor's, and Steck Award - Due: TBD
5. The Gabriel Zimmerman Memorial Scholarship - Due: March 3, 2025
6. Benjamin Quaye Memorial Endowment for Social Justice - Due: TBD
7. Transforming Futures: Summer Internship Scholarship Program - Due: May 1, 2025
   
8. The Rick Hooper Scholarship - Due: Paused for academic year
9. Koret Undergraduate Research Scholarship - Due: October 20, 2024 (complete for 2024-25)
10. Blum Scholar Grant Award - Due: TBD
11. Judy Yung Memorial Fellowship in Asian American/Pacific Islander Studies - Due: February 20, 2025
    
12. Joel Frankel Memorial Scholarship - Open throughout academic year
13. Nancy Pascal Field Study Scholarship - Due: TBD
14. Cynthia Mathews Scholarship - Due: TBD
15. The Steiner Prize - Due: TBD
    
16. The Keeley Coastal Scholars Program - Due: March 3, 2025
17. Daniel Briggs Memorial Award - Due: March 3, 2025
18. Donald A. Strauss Scholarship - Due: January 27, 2025

Looking for additional funding opportunities?

Check out this extensive guide that includes both UCSC and non-UCSC awards and scholarships:

The Sociology of Race, Class, and Gender Senior Thesis Award

Deadline to Apply: Monday, May 12th, 2025

Award Amount: up to $2,000 to one or more students

This award is given to a Sociology major who has completed the best senior thesis on race, class, and gender during the academic year. The award amount varies yearly. Students who are currently working on their thesis but are not yet ready to apply, are eligible to apply in Spring of the following academic year, even if the student has graduated. This means students who are working on their senior thesis for the 2024-25 academic year but are not ready to apply, may apply in Spring of the 2025-26 academic year. Similarly, students who completed a senior thesis for the 2023-24 academic year, may apply this Spring for the 2024-25 award.

Application Materials Required:

1) A letter by the senior thesis faculty advisor to the Sociology Department’s Undergraduate Education Chair (Jenny Reardon reardon1@ucsc.edu), with a copy to the Department’s Undergraduate Advisor (Tina Cossaboom, socyadvising@ucsc.edu), nominating the senior thesis; specifying how it examines issues of race, class, and gender, and describing the merits of the thesis.

2) A letter by the nominee stating that a) they are submitting their senior thesis for consideration for the Sociology of Race, Class, and Gender Senior Thesis Award, and b) that, should they receive the award, they are willing to have their name and the title of their senior thesis announced as the recipient of the award.

3) The nominee submits a PDF version of the senior thesis, and the letter as described in #2, as email attachments to the Sociology Undergraduate Advisor, Tina Cossaboom, socyadvising@ucsc.edu.

The Fanny Carruthers Award in Sociology

Sociology Award 

Deadline to Apply: Tuesday, May 6, 2025

Award Amount: $500

 
Anne Jane "Fanny" Carruthers Howard died on February 15, 1972, leaving a portion of her estate in a trust to be used to fund scholarships for undergraduate or graduate students attending the University of California, Santa Cruz, who have need of financial assistance. This award is specific to undergraduate and graduate students who graduated from a High School in Santa Clara County and have chosen Sociology as their major. This award is based on financial need and academic merit. The award amount varies each year.

Eligibility:

• Current undergraduate or graduate student of UCSC.

• Graduated from a high school in Santa Clara County.

• Majoring in Sociology.

• Have financial need. (Currently receiving financial aid through UCSC.)

• Have high academic merit.

Application Materials Required:

1. A one page letter, in PDF format, explaining why you are a good candidate for this scholarship. Indicate whether you are an undergraduate or graduate student, your student ID number, the high school you graduated from, and contact information including address and phone number.
2. Unofficial transcript(s).
3. A faculty letter of recommendation. Sociology faculty are preferred, but not required.

 Please email your materials to the Undergraduate Advisor, Tina Cossaboom, at socyadvising@ucsc.edu.

Walsh Family Scholarship

Rotating Divisional Award 

Sociology received this award in 2020. The next time Sociology will be eligible for this award is in 2027.

The Walsh Family Scholarship is an award to one or more undergraduate students in any of the majors within the Division of Social Sciences. This award rotates annually among the departments in the division. Selection is based on academic merit and financial need.

Campus Awards

The Gabriel Zimmerman Memorial Scholarship

Social Science Division Award

Deadline to Apply: Monday, March 3, 2025 to the Sociology Department

NOTE: Departments in the Social Sciences Division set their own internal deadlines. If you are majoring in another department, please check their deadline to apply.

The Gabriel Zimmerman Memorial Scholarship Fund was established to support undergraduate students in the Division of Social Sciences who are passionate about social issues and committed to public service. Gabriel “Gabe” Zimmerman graduated from UC Santa Cruz (Sociology) and was working for Arizona Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords as her Director of Community Outreach when he was tragically shot and killed. Generous donations from more than 520 alumni, faculty, community members, and the general public funded this endowment.

The Gabriel Zimmerman Scholarship is awarded based on a meritorious, ongoing, and demonstrated commitment to public service combined with academic excellence. More information about the award, and about the past recipients of this award, is available on the Social Sciences website.

Undergraduate majors in the social sciences are invited to apply for this scholarship through their department by submitting a short essay (2-3 pages maximum) about their passion for social issues and commitment to public service as well as a copy of their resume. Candidates must be in excellent academic standing and submit an unofficial copy of their transcripts with their essay and resume. Each department may select up to two ranked candidates for this award and submit their application packet for review along with a nomination letter detailing why these candidates were chosen. The selection committee, appointed by the Dean, includes a faculty chair and
three community members, including one past recipient of the award. 

Application Materials Required (ideally in one attachment):

• A 2-3 page essay about your passion for social issues and commitment to public service, in PDF format.
  

  • Essay Tip!: When writing your essay be sure to include demonstrated commitment to public service and social justice. The committee wants to see a proven history of commitment, not only a future-looking intention (for example: volunteering, internships, or other experiences you've done around public service and social justice).

• Resume, in PDF format

• Unofficial transcript(s), in PDF format

How to Submit Application:

Please email your application materials to the Sociology Undergraduate Advisor: Tina Cossaboom socyadvising@ucsc.edu

Each Department in the Social Sciences Division may nominate two students for this award. To be considered for the nomination, sociology students must submit the application materials to socyadvising@ucsc.edu.

Benjamin Quaye Memorial Endowment for Social Justice

Deadline to Apply to the Sociology Department: TBD for 2025

NOTE: Departments in the Social Sciences Division set their own internal deadlines or may have a completely different nomination process. If you are majoring in another department within the division, please check their nomination process with the department advisor.

Inclusive scholarships range up to $7,500, depending on financial need!

If you have any questions, please reach out to Evin Knight at eck@ucsc.edu.

The Rick Hooper Scholarship

Koret Undergraduate Research Scholarship

Campus Award

Blum Scholar Grant Program

Campus Award

Judy Yung Memorial Fellowship in Asian American/Pacific Islander Studies

Deadline to Apply: February 20, 2025

The Critical Race and Ethnic Studies Department is proud to announce the Judy Yung Memorial Fellowship in Asian American/Pacific Islander Studies. CRES invites students from all levels (undergraduate and graduate) to apply for funding to support Asian-, Asian diasporic-, Pacific Islander-, and Pacific Islander diasporic-related research geared towards the preservation of oral histories and engagement of local community archives. Two awardees will be selected for fellowships up to $1500 this academic year. For questions regarding this process, please reach out to CRES Assistant Manager Dejon Barber at DejonB@ucsc.edu

For details of the fellowship see the CRES Website.

To Apply:

To apply, please submit the following PDF format via GOOGLE FORM:

• 750-word project proposal
• timeline of completion (Must indicate completion by end of 2025-2026 Academic Year)
• resume/CV
• itemized budget
• Selected applicants will be expected to complete a final write up of their project that may be used on the CRES website and/or in the CRES Newsletters. Pictures to document the project will be encouraged.

Joel Frankel Memorial Scholarship

Latin American Latino/a Studies Award

The Joel Frankel Memorial Fund awards grants to support undergraduate field study projects in Latin America or in Spanish speaking communities within the United States. While any UCSC undergraduate may apply, priority is given to Merrill College students, Latin American & Latino Studies majors and Politics majors focusing on Latin American and Latina/o issues, whose proposals reflect the founding spirit and vision that established the fund.

Application materials will be reviewed as they are received during the academic year. Decisions within 4-6 weeks of submission and sooner whenever possible. Email lalsadvising@ucsc.edu with any questions.

Past Joel Frankel Awardees (get ideas!)

Joel Frankel Application Guidelines

Joel Frankel Application Form

Nancy Pascal Field Study Scholarship Application 

Cynthia Mathews Scholarship

The Steiner Prize

The Keeley Coastal Scholars Program

Social Science Divisional Award

The Keeley Coastal Scholars program will support underrepresented undergraduate students from California with an unmet financial need doing summer research and policy work connected to Coastal Sustainability with a scholarship between $1,000 to $4000 per student. These funds can be used for any expenses incurred during the summer months.

See website for application details

Daniel Briggs Memorial Award

Social Science Divisional Award

Deadline to Apply: March 3, 2025

The Dan Briggs Memorial Award supports students and their sponsoring faculty annually as part of UCSC's Keeley Coastal Scholar program and will use the same criteria to select recipients. The Keeley Coastal Scholars program supports the continuity of research and education. It provides financial assistance to underrepresented students from California with an unmet financial need doing research connected to coastal sustainability. 

Donald A. Strauss Scholarship

National Award - Apply Through Campus Liaison