The Beinecke Scholarship is awarded to outstanding and highly motivated undergraduate students to pursue graduate school opportunities in the arts, humanities, or social sciences. Each scholar receives $4,000 prior to entering graduate school and an additional $30,000 in support while in graduate school.

There are no geographic restrictions on the use of the scholarship, and recipients are allowed to supplement the award with other scholarships, assistantships and research grants. Scholars are encouraged to begin graduate study as soon as possible following receipt of their undergraduate degree, and must utilize all of their award within five years.

The Beinecke Foundation does not accept applications directly from the students but rather requires participating universities to nominate their top candidate for the scholarship. Students should send an email the Scholarships Coordinator at  scholarships@ltsc.ucsb.edu, indicating their interest in the scholarship. The Scholarship Coordinator in the College of Letters and Science works with closely with UCSB undergraduates, regardless of their colleges, who apply for major scholarships, and it is important that students consult with the coordinator well before the campus application deadline.

Conditions of Eligibility:

To be eligible for a Beinecke Scholarship, a student must:

• Have demonstrated superior standards of intellectual ability, scholastic achievement and personal promise during his or her undergraduate career. (A cumulative UCSB grade point average of 3.7 or higher is required.)
• Be a college junior pursuing a bachelor's degree during the current academic year. "Junior" means a student who plans to continue full-time undergraduate study in the academic year after you apply (i.e. who expects to receive a baccalaureate degree between December and August one year after their application date).
• Plans to enter a master's or doctoral program in the arts, humanities, or social sciences.
• Be a United States citizen or a United States national from American Samoa or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
• Have a documented history of receiving need-based financial aid during his or her undergraduate years.  Primary evidence of meeting this criterion is a student's history of receiving need-based institutional, state or federal grants-in-aid.

More information can be found on the Beinecke Scholarship Website.

Campus Application Procedures:

Application deadline: February 16, 2024

The following application materials should be submitted electronically via E-mail as Word documents or PDFs to scholarships@ltsc.ucsb.edu:

• A current résumé.
• A personal statement of 1,000 words or less describing the applicant’s background, interests, plans for graduate study and career aspirations The statement should include a discussion of some experiences and ideas that have shaped those interests, plans and aspirations. It is strongly recommended that applicants consult with a faculty member in the preparation of this statement.
• A completed Application Form (downloadable at the Beinecke website)
• A Financial Data Sheet (downloadable at the Beinecke website) which should be completed with the help of a UCSB Financial Aid advisor, for campus review. Please retain a copy of this form so that you can send it directly to Beinecke when you are nominated, as we are unable to send the Financial Data Sheet on your behalf.
• Three signed letters of recommendation from faculty members, written on department letterhead, assessing the nominee’s intellectual curiosity, character, and potential for advanced graduate study.
• Transcripts from all institutions of higher education you have attended, including UCSB. Note that transcripts may be unofficial, and should be requested after your grades have posted for Fall quarter. All transcripts should be sent in digital format to: scholarships@ltsc.ucsb.edu.