Academic Support: learn more about how soar can best support you in your academic journeys

Academic Support

The Student Outreach and Retention Center works to build students towards academic success through collaborations with other organizations and clubs on campus.
See what programs we offer below:

LARC Sponsorship

Need help paying for a LARC Tutorial? SOAR is here to help! SOAR offers LARC Sponsorships to students in need. See below for more details

Guidelines for LARC sponsorship: 

  • LARC sponsorships are limited and SOAR may not be able to sponsor all requests received.
  • Sponsorship requests are reviewed in the order received starting on week 1 and selected students are notified between week 2 through week 5, until sponsorships spots are filled.
    • Requests received after week 5 of every quarter will not be reviewed.
  • Selected students must agree to attend 50% of the LARC tutorials provided. Failure to attend the tutorials will result in rescinding of the LARC sponsorship.
  • Please only submit one request per LARC course per quarter.
  • Multiple courses will NOT be sponsored as we want to support as many students as possible.
  • A survey from the SOAR center will be emailed to you at the end of the quarter. Please complete this to help us understand your experience and how this tutorial benefited you.

Applications for Fall quarter sponsorships will open on March 31, 2025. Any questions or concerns please feel free to email soaring@uci.edu or praygoza@uci.edu.

 

Application to LARC Sponsorship!

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 are currently closed. 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 SOAR 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 2022-2023 academic year or is a part of the SOARing for Education Affiliation program during the 2023-2024 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. Application to SOAR Scholarship!

SOAR Book Grant

One of SOAR’s core values is access. Often, one of the barriers that students face in higher education is affordability. This grant is aimed to decrease the financial burden that students face with purchasing book materials. Seven scholarships ($200 per individual) will be awarded quarterly during the 2024-2025 academic year. Undergraduates from all majors are encouraged to apply.

Applications for currently closed. Please check back later in the quarter for updates. Please thoroughly read the eligibility requirements.

Eligibility Requirements:

    • Be an enrolled student enrolled in an undergraduate major for the 2023-2024 academic year
    • Enrolled undergraduate student
    • Minimum of a 2.0 GPA
    • Currently actively involved or committed/engaged in efforts in the SOAR Center throughout one’s undergraduate career. Examples include being an active participant of the Pathfinder Peer Educator program, Umoja Community, Graduate Access Preparation program, a member of a registered campus organization that is affiliated with the SOAR center, or a participant of the center’s programs/resources
    • Preference for students who demonstrate need such as Expected Family Contribution (EFC), does not meet the Cost of Attendance (CoA) and/or recipient of government funds (Pell Grant, Cal Grant, etc)
    • The award will be disbursed to your UCI student account by the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships. Scholarships may not exceed a student’s cost of attendance. This scholarship may reduce or replace your loans or unused work/study funds in order to allow for the scholarship to be applied. If you have questions about how the funds may impact your financial aid package, please contact your financial aid counselor at finaid@uci.edu or call (949) 824-8262.
    • By submitting this application I hereby give permission to the UCI SOAR Center permission to review my academic transcript record for the purposes of summer session enrollment. It is my understanding that this information will not be made public.

For questions or concerns, please email soaring@uci.edu.  

Application to Winter Book Grant!