SOAR Scholarship

SOAR advocates for and supports marginalized, underserved student communities. Our Center wants to create substantial change and stand with students during the COVID-19 pandemic and national protests against systemic anti-Blackness.

SOAR will have three scholarship cycles (Winter/Spring/Summer) to allocate $5,333 per cycle. Students may apply for a maximum of $1,000 per scholarship application/per quarter. Students can apply for this scholarship multiple times during the academic year. Funds will be allocated on a case-by-case basis with review by a committee. Preference for covering housing application fees, book and technology fees, and any other educational costs will be given higher priority. Undergraduate and graduate students from all majors are encouraged to apply. Students must thoroughly complete the application for consideration.

Applications for Winter Quarter 2023 are due on January 13, 2023 by 11:59pm. Please thoroughly read the eligibility requirements.

Eligibility Requirements:

-Be an enrolled student in an undergraduate major or graduate program at UCI during the quarter you are applying for a grant.
-Minimum 2.0 GPA. Applicants who are incoming freshmen or first-year transfer students must submit unofficial transcripts with your application.
-Have a record of volunteer or community service, with a preference of service within the Black community
-Be either an Umoja program participant, an active member involved with the SOAR Center*, the Center for Black Cultures, Resources and Research** or be committed to or engaged in efforts that support the Black community at UCI.

Student must align with Umoja practices:
-Engage in conscious dialogue, discourse, and deliberate learning
-A willingness to share your experiences authentically with an ethic of love
-Share what you have learned with your community to develop communal building
-Cultivate spaces to foster cultural pride and belonging informed by historical experiences of the African diaspora
-Participate in community mentorship

Students may apply for a maximum of $1,000 per scholarship application/per quarter.
*Active involvement with the SOR Center can include being a member of a registered campus organization (RCO) that was a part of the SOARing for Education Affiliation program during the 2021-2022 academic year or is a part of the SOARing for Education Affiliation program during the 2022-2023 academic year.
**Active involvement with the Center for Black Cultures, Resources, and Research means participating in 2022 Fall Harvest or at least four meetings of Sista Circle, Wabruda, or Black QT Chats during the 2021-2022 academic year.

Please note:
First-year transfer and incoming freshman student applicants will be required to submit a transcript. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. For questions or concerns, please email SOAR (soaring@uci.edu.