OURS National Scholarships

Beinecke Scholarship

Next Campus deadline: March 2025

Campus Application Instructions (available Fall 2025)
Letter of Recommendation Submission Form (available Fall 2025)

UCB recipients!

The Beinecke Scholarship provides $35,000 ($5,000 prior to graduate study and $15,000 per year) for two years of graduate study in the arts, humanities, or social sciences. Eighty colleges and universities from across the U.S. (including UC Berkeley) are invited to nominate one student for the scholarship; twenty scholarships are awarded nationwide. Most Beinecke recipients are at the top of their class academically and many plan to pursue careers in college teaching and/or research.

Prospective Beinecke applicants must make an individual advising appointment with Keila Diehl, the Beinecke Scholarship campus representative.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must:

  • be a U.S. citizen or U.S. national from American Samoa or the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
  • be a Junior (“Junior” means a student who plans to continue full-time undergraduate study and who expects to receive a baccalaureate degree between December 2024 and August 2025)
  • have demonstrated superior intellectual ability (typically minimum 3.5 GPA) and personal promise
  • be planning to enter a research-focused master’s or doctoral program or MFA in the arts, humanities, or social sciences (not including neuroscience or professional degrees, such as business, law, public health, public policy, and social work)
  • have a documented history of receiving need-based financial aid as an undergraduate

Selection Criteria

Applicants will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

  • Superior standards of intellectual ability, scholastic achievement, and personal promise

Application Requirements

  • Completed Application Form
  • Statement (1,000 words)
  • C.V. (no page limit)
  • Official copies of all college transcripts
  • Three letters of recommendation from faculty members
  • Creative portfolio (for MFA candidates only)
  • Financial Aid Data Sheet (if nominated by UC Berkeley)
  • Certification of Eligibility Form (if nominated by UC Berkeley)

For more information about this opportunity, visit the Beinecke Scholarship website.