Scholarships, Awards, and Funding
There are many programs that can help students in the Latin American and Latino Studies Department to fund their education. In addition to the listings below, we also share information about funding opportunities through our departmental email newsletter to students.
Many awards are suitable for projects involving field study, research, or other work abroad. Some require nominations by faculty or the department. For help with applying to research awards and scholarships, please feel free to contact the LALS undergraduate advisor.
For a full list of additional campus and external awards, explore the LALS scholarship resource sheet.
Opportunities for undergraduates
Wally Goldfrank Outstanding Paper Award
The LALS department is pleased to offer a quarterly Outstanding Paper Award for undergraduates in honor of Professor Wally Goldfrank. Nominations and submissions are only accepted from LALS faculty. PDF of papers are submitted by LALS instructors via email to lalsadvising@ucsc.edu. The email should include a brief description of the paper assignment and include the email subject “LALS Outstanding Paper Nomination.” Please note students are not eligible to submit on their own behalf.
The awardee will receive a $100 gift card. If schedule permits, the winner will be honored at the LALS End of Year Celebration in June. In general, spring quarter awardees would be honored in the following spring/June (for example, the Spring 2025 awardee would be honored at the 2026 End of Year Celebration).
Eligibility
- Any declared LALS major, combined major, and minor is eligible to receive the award. Priority will be given to LALS majors and combined majors who are Juniors and Seniors.
- The paper must have been composed when the student was an undergraduate.
- The undergraduate must be in good academic standing.
- An undergraduate is only eligible to receive this award one time.
Paper Requirements
- Papers may be in English, Spanish, or Portuguese.
- Submissions should be 8-10 double-spaced pages, but no more than 25 double-spaced pages, in 12-point font, including bibliography, notes, and images/figures.
- The paper’s formatting (e.g., citations, bibliography, etc.) should be consistent.
About Walter “Wally” Goldfrank
Professor Walter “Wally” Goldfrank joined the UC Santa Cruz faculty in 1968. He was a founding fellow of Merrill College in 1971. He supported the founding of the Latin American and Latino Studies Program in 1997 and later helped secure its departmental status in 2000. His research explored the causes of the Mexican Revolution and he played an important role in debates in political economy, ecology, and world system theory. His commitment to justice and peace was part of his life’s work. He was active in the anti-war and civil rights movements and treasurer of the Santa Cruz chapter of the ACLU. The award honors Professor Goldfrank’s legacy in the field of LALS.
Joel Frankel Scholarship Fund
This scholarship memorializes Joel Frankel by providing grants to support undergraduate field study projects in Latin America or in Latina/o/x 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. All proposals should reflect the founding spirit and vision that established the fund.
Application materials are reviewed as they are received throughout the academic year, and each student will receive a decision within 4-6 weeks of their submission, or sooner, if possible. Email lalsadvising@ucsc.edu with any questions.
Divisional awards
LALS Undergraduate students are eligible for a wide range of scholarships and awards from the Division of Social Sciences. One of these awards, the Gabriel Zimmerman Memorial Scholarship, requires students to be nominated through their department. LALS students should use the form below to submit their applications for the Gabriel Zimmerman Memorial Scholarship, or contact the LALS advisor with any questions.
Opportunities for graduate students
Our department regularly nominates a few of our strongest admitted graduate students for Cota-Robles and/or Chancellor’s Fellowships. UCSC’s Division of Graduate Studies hosts more resources related to fellowships and financial aid, and the Office of Research website has information about student research funding.
UC Santa Cruz also offers all eligible new and continuing doctoral students five-year funding packages and currently offers an annual housing supplement. See the Ph.D. Program and Designated Emphasis page for more details.
Diversifying the Social Sciences Future Faculty Program
Led by Professor Patricia Pinho and supported by a University of California Hispanic Serving Institution Doctoral Diversity Initiative grant, this five-year initiative works to transform the professoriate by supporting underrepresented doctoral students from in UCSC’s Social Sciences Division. Students participate in our Grant Writing Lab, Job Market Workshop, and Summer Publishing Institute.