SOAR Mission    The mission of the Student Outreach and Retention (SOAR) Center, at UC Irvine, is to cultivate a community of authentic student leaders that aspire to develop innovative, student-initiated outreach and retention programs that foster critical dialogue, mentorship and shift the educational paradigm to improve college access, readiness, and retention rates for historically marginalized communities in higher education.     SOAR is a dynamic space that empowers student scholars through praxis to advocate and develop a transformative and equitable educational environment where students can use their education as a vehicle for social impact.   Purpose of the Grant    One of SOAR’s core values is access. Often, one of the barriers that students face in higher education is affordability. This grant is aimed to decrease the financial burden that students face with purchasing book materials. Seven scholarships ($200 per individual) will be awarded quarterly during the 2023-2024 academic year. Undergraduates from all majors are encouraged to apply.   

Eligibility Requirements: 

• Be an enrolled student enrolled in an undergraduate major for the 2023-2024 academic year
• Enrolled undergraduate student
• Minimum of a 2.0 GPA
• Currently actively involved or committed/engaged in efforts in the SOAR Center throughout one's undergraduate career. Examples include being an active participant of the Pathfinder Peer Educator program, Umoja Community, Graduate Access Preparation program, a member of a registered campus organization that is affiliated with the SOAR center, or a participant of the center's programs/resources
• Preference for students who demonstrate need such as Expected Family Contribution (EFC), does not meet the Cost of Attendance (CoA) and/or recipient of government funds (Pell Grant, Cal Grant, etc)
• The award will be disbursed to your UCI student account by the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships. Scholarships may not exceed a student’s cost of attendance. This scholarship may reduce or replace your loans or unused work/study funds in order to allow for the scholarship to be applied. If you have questions about how the funds may impact your financial aid package, please contact your financial aid counselor at finaid@uci.edu or call (949) 824-8262.
• By submitting this application I hereby give permission to the UCI SOAR Center permission to review my academic transcript record for the purposes of summer session enrollment. It is my understanding that this information will not be made public.

For questions or concerns, please email soaring@uci.edu.  

The Student Outreach and Retention (SOAR) Center advocates for and supports marginalized, underserved student communities. Our Center aims to create substantial change and stand with students facing continuous systemic inequities and anti-Blackness.

SOAR will have two scholarship cycles (Winter/Spring) to allocate funding to students in need. Students may apply for a maximum of $500 per scholarship per quarter. Students can apply for this scholarship multiple times during the academic year. Funds will be allocated on a case-by-case basis with review by the SOAR scholarship funding committee. 

Preference for covering housing application fees, book and technology fees, and any other educational costs will be given higher priority. Undergraduate students from all majors are encouraged to apply. Students must thoroughly complete the application for consideration.

Applications for Winter 2025 are due on December 1, 2024. Please thoroughly read the eligibility requirements.

Eligibility Requirements:

• Be an enrolled student in an undergraduate major at UCI during the quarter you are applying for the scholarship.
• Minimum 2.0 GPA. Applicants who are incoming freshmen or first-year transfer students must submit unofficial transcripts with their application.
• Committed, engaged, or involved in community service, with a preference of service within the Black community at UC Irvine.
• Be either an Umoja Pilot Program scholar, or an active member involved with the SOAR Center, the Center for Black Cultures, Resources and Research, or be committed to/engaged in efforts that support the Black community at UCI. 

Student's professional and academic goals must align with Umoja practices:

1. Engage in conscious dialogue, discourse, and deliberate learning.
2. A willingness to share your experiences authentically with an ethic of love.
3. Share what you have learned with your community to develop communal building.
4. Cultivate spaces to foster cultural pride and belonging informed by historical experiences of the African diaspora.
5. Participate in community mentorship.

Students may apply for a maximum of $500 per scholarship application/per quarter.

PLEASE NOTE:

This award will be disbursed to your UCI student account by the Office of Financial Aid & Scholarships. Scholarships may not exceed a student’s cost of attendance. This scholarship may reduce or replace your loans or unused work/study funds in order to allow for the scholarship to be applied. If you have questions about how the funds may impact your financial aid package, please contact your financial aid counselor at finaid@uci.edu or call (949) 824-8262.

*Active involvement with the SOAR Center can include being a member of a registered campus organization (RCO) that was a part of the SOARing for Education Affiliation program during the 2024-2025 academic year or is a part of the SOARing for Education Affiliation program during the 2024-2025 academic year.*

**Active involvement within the Umoja Pilot Program, Transfer Student Center (TSC), or the Center for Black Cultures, Resources, and Research means participating in programs held during the 2023 - 2024 and/or 2024 - 2025 Academic Year. **

Please note: First-year transfer and incoming freshman student applicants will be required to submit a transcript. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. For questions or concerns, please email SOAR (soaring@uci.edu).