September 21, 2026

This message is distributed to All Instructors. (Click here to view description of distribution groups.)

The following is being sent on behalf of Michael Miller, Associate Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate Education

Dear Colleagues,

We are writing to ask for your continued assistance in sharing information on nationally competitive scholarship and fellowship opportunities for UCSB’s top undergraduate students, in all colleges.

Faculty efforts in identifying and supporting stellar applicants were critical in UCSB's success in recent competitions, including five Goldwater recipients and two Knight-Hennessy recipients in 2023-24, a Churchill Scholarship recipient and three Goldwater recipients in 2024-25, and four Goldwater recipients and one Strauss Recipient in 2025-26.

In particular, we wish to highlight the following upcoming events where prospective applicants can learn more about these opportunities:

UCSB National Scholarships General Info Webinar
10:00 AM PT, October 12, 2026
Join virtually: Zoom Meeting Link
Facebook Event / Add to Google Calendar
Learn what defines a nationally competitive scholarship, hear from recent undergrad recipients, and get tips for successful merit-based scholarship applications.

Goldwater Scholarship Q&A with Review Panel
Wednesday, November 4, 2026, 1:00 PM PT
Zoom Meeting Link
For students involved in STEM research considering an application to the Goldwater Scholarship, this session will give students an opportunity to meet with Goldwater reviewers and ask questions about the application and review process. Students will benefit most if they have already begun working on their Goldwater applications and come prepared with specific questions about how to strengthen their responses.

A special update for 2026: any 1st or 2nd year students in the sciences who are interested in applying to the Goldwater Scholarship in a future year may also consider looking into the just-announced Goldwater Summer Research Internship Program, for which applications are due November 2, 2026. No campus endorsement is required for students to apply to this new research-focused summer program. Faculty may also apply to act as future mentors for this program in Summer 2028 and beyond.

Nationally competitive scholarships and fellowships of note with deadlines in the coming year include:

  • Beinecke Scholarship (current undergrads planning to pursue grad school in HFA or SS discipline)
  • Boren Scholarship (language study abroad in areas of critical need)
  • Gaither Junior Fellows Program (international policy research internship in DC)
  • Fulbright Student Program (teaching, research, or graduate study abroad)
  • Goldwater Scholarship (current undergrad STEM research)
  • Churchill Scholarship (grad level STEM research at Cambridge, UK)
  • Marshall Scholarship (grad level study in the UK)
  • Knight-Hennessey Scholarship (grad study and leadership program at Stanford)
  • Strauss Scholarship (public service project funding and scholarship support)
  • Truman Scholarship (graduate/professional school funding for undergrads on a public service career path)
  • Udall Scholarship (support for current undergrads in environment/conservancy, tribal/native health care, or tribal policy)
  • Yenching Scholarship (graduate program in China)

We hope that you will continue to review these unique scholarships and fellowships, and encourage our most outstanding and qualified students to apply. Our successes have taught us that competitive applications require months of preparation, so it is critical for students to plan far in advance. Mike Wilton, Associate Dean and Chair of the National Scholarships Faculty Selection Committee, and Nick Alward-Saxon, Executive Assistant to the AVC, are available to assist student applicants and coordinate campus endorsements.

Students who are interested in applying for a national scholarship should make an appointment to discuss by writing to: scholarships@ltsc.ucsb.edu

For detailed information on the many nationally competitive scholarships that require campus endorsement, see our website:
https://www.uged.ucsb.edu/national-scholarships

We look forward to collaborating and helping our students to achieve continued success in their pursuit of nationally competitive scholarships and fellowships.
______________________________

Michael Miller
Dean of Undergraduate Education, College of Letters & Science
Associate Vice Chancellor for Undergraduate Education

Glenn Beltz
Associate Dean
College of Engineering

Timothy Sherwood
Dean
College of Creative Studies