All candidates for centrally administered fellowships for new students are nominated directly by the department. Awards are made by multi-disciplinary faculty committees and Dean of the Graduate Division.
In support of the campus goals of excellence and diversity, all nominations for central fellowships require strong evidence of the student's ability to contribute to the UC Santa Barbara academic community and research environment. All applicants for fellowships should provide evidence of present and future ability and accomplishments in their grade point average, research experience, and GRE scores as applicable, as well as in letters of recommendation, statement of purpose, and personal statement.
Procedures for nominating students for diversity fellowships are the same as for other fellowships. All diversity fellowships are first and foremost merit-based. Students who are deemed to be academically meritorious are considered for awards based on merit, potential for success, experience of disadvantages, and contribution to diversity and equal opportunity in the academic community through their teaching, research, or service.
Applications for diversity fellowships should present evidence in their statement of purpose and personal statement of how they would qualify in at least one of the following ways:
- Low socio-economic status (such as, but not limited to, low parental income while the student prepared for and attended college; parental occupation in non-professional area; the financial need to be employed while attending school; incurring large indebtedness from school loans; financial responsibility for immediate or extended family)
- Experience of a condition impeding advancement to graduate study (such as but not limited to the absence of a family member who had attended college; matriculation in a school or schools with poor financial or curricular support; having a physical or learning special need; the necessity to work long hours while attending school; language background at home other than English)
- Commitment to advancing economically or educationally disadvantaged segments of society (such as, but not limited to, academic research interests as they affect economically or educationally disadvantaged segments of society; expressed interest in the use of the doctoral degree toward advancing economically or educationally disadvantaged segments of society; prior experience working with or serving economically or educationally disadvantaged segments of society)