Latinx/Chicanx Academic Excellence Initiative

Through the Chancellor’s Associates Scholars Program (CASP), the university provides eligible UC San Diego students $10,000 per year for four years. When combined with the University of California’s Blue + Gold Opportunity Plan—which covers fees for California residents whose families earn less than $80,000 per year and qualify for financial aid—the scholarships effectively provide a full-ride to UC San Diego.

UC San Diego is committed to our local community and the promotion of diversity, equity, and inclusion. These scholarships strengthen our efforts to enroll highly qualified local students who will become our future leaders and innovators.

To find out more about eligibility for the CASP program, or to apply, visit the program’s website.

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The Chicanx and Latinx Studies (CLS) minor was established in 2002, and was then known as the Chicana/o Latina/o Arts and Humanities program. It grew from the much longer history of struggle by students at UC San Diego and elsewhere to establish Chicanx and Latinx Studies programs that taught their own history, demanded educational and racial equality, and transformed the university for the better. As the program forges the future of Chicanx and Latinx Studies at UC San Diego, it does so by drawing on the legacies of efforts by students since the Chicano Movement to create a Lumumba-Zapata College in the early 1970s; to force the University of California to divest from apartheid-era South Africa in the ‘80s; to create the Cross Cultural Center as a space of organizing and refuge during the 1990s; and to reject the university’s deployment of “diversity” and “multi-culturalism” as rhetorical devices in the 2000s. Since the creation of the first Chicano Studies program at UC San Diego in 1973, students have been its heart and soul, pressured university administration for new institutional space and resources, and blazed the trail we now follow.

Learn more about the CLS Program

Comienza con un Sueño, “It Begins with a Dream,” is a college outreach event held every year by UC San Diego in an effort to encourage first-generation and low-income students from Spanish-speaking families to pursue a higher education.

The event is organized by UC San Diego’s Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP) and TRiO Outreach Programs, which provide local K-12 students with college preparatory programs. The goal is to excite students about their future by increasing awareness of college eligibility requirements and offering a glimpse of the possibilities for educational and career success.

The goal is to convey to Latinx/Chicanx students that you don’t have to give up your language, identity and culture to succeed at an institution of higher education like UC San Diego.

CREATE was established in 1997 as UC San Diego’s entity to support local K-12 outreach and college preparation efforts, specifically for students too often underrepresented in college.

The Early Academic Outreach Program (EAOP) at UCSD is one of nine programs administered system-wide by the UC Office of the President to increase the number of low-income and first-generation college going students on UC campuses. EAOP programs represent the largest student-centered initiative in the state.

Begun in 1976, UCSD’s program currently serves more than 3,000 students at 16 schools in San Diego and Imperial Counties. Of the approximately 500 high school seniors served each year by UCSD's EAOP, more than half become eligible to attend UCSD and other UC institutions, and more than 80% of these 500 seniors will go on to attend college at a UC campus or elsewhere.

The ENLACE bi-national summer research program at UC San Diego aims to encourage the participation of high school students, college students, and researchers/teachers, in research in the sciences and engineering, while promoting cross-border friendships in the Baja California/San Diego region.

The program is an opportunity to explore a variety of interests through work on varied projects ranging from the use of advanced characterization tools for the development of new materials, computational biophysics to explore dynamic molecular recognition events, and synthesis of new compounds for energy technologies. It is a dynamic summer internship program that is dedicated to nurturing the vast potential each student possesses and challenging them to always consider science in the context of societal needs.

Learn more by visiting the ENLACE Summer Research Program website.

Go to the Hispanic Center of Excellence (HCOE) Faculty Development Program

UC San Diego is committed to creating more spaces where our diverse population of undergraduate students can connect with each other, with the university, and with others in the community. Our Living-Learning Communities (LLCs) have been developed to strengthen learning by helping residents to connect academically and socially. The LLCs are each characterized by housing within the same residence location, shared co-curricular experiences and access to resources, and engagement in activities that reinforce common affinities such as culture. The five LLCs are:

• LGBTQIA+ Living-Learning Community (LGBTQIA+LLC – housed at Muir College) 
• Multi-Cultural Living-Learning Community (MCLLC – housed at Sixth College)
• African Black Diaspora Living-Learning Community (ABDLLC – housed at Sixth College)
• Raza Living-Learning Community (RLLC – housed at Eleanor Roosevelt College)
• International House (I-House – housed at Eleanor Roosevelt College)

To find out more or to apply, visit the Housing Communities website.

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The Office of Academic Support and Instructional Services (OASIS) is one of the largest learning communities at UC San Diego, empowering students personally, academically, and professionally. Our students and staff are innovative, productive, and engaged global citizens committed to social responsibility and the promotion of a diverse community of people, ideas, and perspectives. We accomplish this through academic success initiatives, leadership development, and bridging partnerships that move our students to change the world. 

The mission of OASIS is to facilitate the intellectual and personal development of UC San Diego students, with a particular focus on students who have overcome significant obstacles (e.g. students who are first in their families to attend college, students from under-resourced communities, underrepresented students, English language learners, etc.). Through a challenging and supportive environment that emphasizes collaboration, validation, equity, and social justice, OASIS contributes positively to student retention, achievement, learning, and empowerment.

To read more about all of OASIS’s services and opportunities, visit its website.

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The PATHways to STEM (PATHS) through Enhanced Access and Mentorship Program proposes an innovative pilot program to mitigate historical barriers and establish an infrastructure of resources, communications, and professional development within UC San Diego and in the surrounding community. PATHS is designed as a 4+ year-round undergraduate program to provide enhanced access to targeted academic preparation, multi-tiered mentorship, personalized student support, improved STEM identity, early career identification, and internship and service placement. This program aims to empower students from underserved communities and backgrounds to emerge as leaders who not only survive but thrive during their undergraduate experience in STEM at UC San Diego.

To find out more about the program, visit its website.

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Campus Community Centers at UC San Diego build community among a diverse population of students, faculty and staff members. Open to all, the centers contribute significantly toward the evolution of a socially just campus. They are places of belonging, where traditional notions of diversity are challenged. It is where self- awareness is learned, leaders are developed and open dialogue and expression is encouraged.

The Raza Resource Centro, which opened in 2014, is a space for all to converse and connect around intersectional Chicanx Latinx identities, Latinidad and cultura. Comunidad is cultivated through murals, a vibrant community space and interactive learning opportunities. Programs offer academic, leadership, identity, civic, volunteer and professional development to strengthen community and identity development, retention and student success. The Centro also hosts community-building projects focused on advocacy, co-curricular, and civic partnerships designed to enhance holistic student development.

The purpose of the UCSD Health Sciences Research Methodology Training Lab (RMTL) is to train students from disadvantaged backgrounds to conduct research in a biochemical science lab to prepare them to enter graduate programs in the health sciences addressing health disparities.

During the summer, students participate in a structured program (6 weeks for high school and 8 weeks for undergraduate and community college students) where they develop an original research project, write a report and prepare a presentation to take to conferences. In addition to their projects all students are exposed to lectures on health disparities research. Undergraduate and community college students receive lectures on preparation for graduate school, while high school students participate in an SAT prep course. Students may continue their research during the academic year.

The SIAPS (pronounced “shapes”) Overnight Program offers participants a variety of activities encompassing student life at UC San Diego and opportunities to connect with undergraduate students, alumni, and staff. Participants will be able to attend various workshops, campus tours, informational sessions, social events, and activities organized by the staff of SPACES, LGBT Resource Center and Raza Resource Centro.

The SIAPS Overnight Program partners with the Black Resource Center, Black Student Union, Jacobs School of Engineering, LGBT Resource Center, and Raza Resource Centro to offer activities and workshops that are culturally relevant and academically based.

The Student Success Coaching Program was developed through a partnership with the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and the six undergraduate colleges at UC San Diego.

First-generation students are connected to a Success Coach from their undergraduate college who is familiar with the resources and opportunities that can help ensure their success. Together, student and coach focus on their strengths and passions to find high-impact practices that directly support their goals as a first-generation college student—such as research, mentorship, student involvement, faculty interaction, and more.

First-year students in the program are assigned to a Success Team composed of a Success Coach and a Peer Coach. Success coaching is a partnership for success, and the teams work together to develop unique Student Success Plans, which support goal setting, reflection, action planning, support networks, and more.

Second-year students continue to connect with the Success Coach from their undergraduate college and participate in a series of group coaching workshops designed to continue to propel them toward their goals.

Participating students will meet with their coaches (peer and professional) several times during the academic year, attend a variety of academic and community-based programming, and participate in major- and career-focused activities—all individualized to the student's goals and passions.

The Summer Bridge Program, organized by UC San Diego’s Office of Academic Support and Instructional Services (OASIS), is a year-long academic transition and scholarship program.

It begins with an intensive 4- or 5-week residential program for incoming freshmen from underserved high schools—many of whom will be the first in their families to graduate from college. The program is designed to ease the transition into college by helping students to acclimate to the academic, social and cultural life of UC San Diego.

Through academic courses, workshops, mentoring and other activities, students gain a clear understanding of the demands of a major research university and the resources available to help them meet those demands. The program also helps students develop an understanding of the complex social issues in our diverse society.

The Teaching + Learning Commons (the Commons) provides leadership and support for the university’s teaching and learning initiatives, and its commitment to academic success for all students.

The Commons consists of six hubs: Engaged Teaching, Digital Learning, Academic Achievement, Writing + Critical Expression, Experiential Learning, and Education Research and Assessment.

The Commons assists all members of the UC San Diego community in developing learning environments and experiences for their students that encourage engagement and foster student success.

Student programs include one-on-one and small-group drop-in tutoring in STEM fields; learning strategies workshops and one-to-one consultations can help students learn better and get the most out of studying; peer-assisted group study sessions improve student success in traditionally difficult academic courses; writing support for all subjects; and more.

Find out more about The Commons.

The Triton Transfer Hub provides resources, services, and programs to empower Triton Transfers to achieve their goals as they navigate UC San Diego's academic and cultural landscape. Through our workshops and programs, we assist students in their transition through active engagement in opportunities that support their paths and build community so they thrive academically, professionally, and personally. In addition, we support the campus community to share knowledge and implement proven promising practices to support transfer student experiences.

As one of our flagship services, Transfer Peer Coaching is here to support all transfer achieve their goals. Through coaching, we offer campus navigation, academic and career support, information, skill development, and encouragement that both motivates you and equips you with skills to be successful while navigating your time at UC San Diego and beyond.  We seek to help students establish meaningful connections on campus which guide you through your academic, professional, and personal journey. 

Students are encouraged to have regular coaching sessions, but if they need to talk with a peer coach for quick questions, such as where to find the right services, they are welcome to do so!

Learn more about the Triton Transfer Hub

TRIO Outreach Programs at UC San Diego offers five federally funded, pre-college programs: two Upward Bound and Upward Bound Math Science programs for San Diego Unified School District central high schools and Grossmont Union High School District high schools, and theTalent Search program.

Our goal is to prepare students to successfully complete high school, transition to the college of their choice and succeed in graduating with a two-year, four-year or vocational/technical degree. TRIO Outreach Programs are targeted to low-income, first generation students who aspire to attend college immediately after high school graduation. Collectively, we serve more than 875 students in 13 schools across San Diego County. 

The Undergraduate Research Hub offers UC San Diego undergraduates the opportunity to obtain valuable research-oriented academic and professional preparation in virtually any academic major. URH initiatives are designed to encourage students—particularly underrepresented, first-generation and low-income—to pursue post baccalaureate degrees by offering opportunities to conduct faculty-mentored research and present research at research at conferences.

In addition to facilitating faculty/student contact by means of the research mentor/mentee relationship, URH provides other avenues for faculty and student interaction, such as having faculty members moderate roundtables at research conferences, or appear at informal gatherings such as Coffee and Conversation with Faculty. 

URH provides both academic year and summer research, training, and scholarship opportunities, maximizing student opportunities to participate in research-related and personal and professional development activities. Many of the programs provide scholarship or stipend support. Summer Programs also provide on-campus housing or a housing subsidy that partially offsets the costs of housing.