Undergraduate Scholarships

The University offers many opportunities to establish undergraduate scholarships to ensure that every young person in California has equal access to the excellence of a Berkeley education.

Your gift to support Berkeley undergraduates can make a tangible difference for financially needy students by reducing the amount of money they would otherwise need to borrow. More than one-third of our undergraduates, for example, come from households with annual incomes of less than $40,000. Unlike our closest peer competitors in the Ivy League, Berkeley does not have adequate financial resources to provide full funding for large numbers of students in great financial need. To help defray their educational costs, many of these students must pay $8,000 annually through a combination of loans and work — a figure projected to rise to $12,500 by the year 2012.
Your support will enable more high-achieving students to afford an education at one of the world’s preeminent teaching and research universities.
How can I support undergraduates?
The University’s flagship Berkeley Undergraduate Scholarship Program reaches the broadest array of students.  Supported by many donor funds and bequests, some established nearly a century ago, these scholarships ensure that deserving undergraduates can afford to attend Berkeley. Programs that target more specific areas of funding are also available.
You can make an immediate-use gift to support Berkeley’s undergraduates by filling out a secure online giving form at the Berkeley Undergraduate Scholarship donation site. Or, you may prefer to establish an endowment — the principal of which is held in perpetuity and invested to provide a steady stream of income for the purposes designated by the donor — to permanently support undergraduates.
To find out more information about the scholarship programs described below or to establish any type of gift — immediate-use, endowment, or bequest — please contact the development officer of the individual school or college of your choice or contact:

What types of scholarships can I support?
The Berkeley Undergraduate Scholarship Program
The largest program, the Berkeley Undergraduate Scholarship Program, supports approximately 2,500 undergraduates. As the University’s primary scholarship program — bolstered by nearly 700 donor funds — it helps ensure that many of Berkeley's highly competitive undergraduates are able to attend UC Berkeley and graduate without incurring major debt. Many donors confer with school or college development staff to set up scholarships that, ultimately, are administered by the Financial Aid Office (FAO) as a Berkeley Undergraduate Scholarship. This ensures the greatest range of students will be considered to match the guidelines for each individual scholarship, and it allows the FAO to match students with gender- and race-based scholarships.
Make a secure gift to the Berkeley Undergraduate Scholarship fund.
Cal Opportunity Scholarship
The Cal Opportunity Scholarship attracts high-achieving students, from 17 underserved high schools in the San Francisco Bay Area, who have overcome challenging socio-economic circumstances. These renewable scholarship awards average $10,000, and fund the full cost of attendance for the neediest students.
Make a secure gift to the Cal Opportunity Scholarship fund.
Regents' and Chancellor's Scholarship
The Regents' and Chancellor's Scholarship is UC Berkeley's most prestigious scholarship awarded solely on academic merit. Selected by Berkeley's renowned faculty through a competitive interview process, each year 800 top scholars receive renewable scholarship awards ranging from $1,000 to the full cost of attendance.
Make a secure gift to the Regents' and Chancellor's Scholarship fund.
The Incentive Awards Program
UC Berkeley’s Incentive Awards Program provides four-year scholarships worth up to $32,000 for up to 250 recipients nominated by and selected from 71 partner schools in Northern and Southern California. It is designed to recruit high-achieving students who have excelled despite significant socio-economic disadvantages and have shown exceptional academic promise, leadership potential, and commitment to serving their communities.
Make a gift to the Incentive Awards Program fund.
California Alumni Association Scholarships
The California Alumni Association distributes scholarships and awards to more than 800 students each year. The Leadership Award Scholarship recognizes students who have provided outstanding leadership in their academic, work, or community environments nationwide, and the Achievement Award Program provides awards and year-round support services to community minded students from California with significant financial need.
Make a gift to The California Alumni Association's Achievement Award and Leadership Scholarship.