Valuing the role that the University of California plays in transforming lives and providing the catalytic base for economic development, Fred and Mitzie Ruiz have generously established this fellowship to support graduate education at UC Merced. The Fred and Mitzie Ruiz Fellowship is designed to support Ph.D. or master's students who contribute to diversity and equal opportunity in higher education through their academic career and/or community service.
Eligibility Requirements & Standards
- Preference will be given to students who bring to their academic and research careers the perspective that comes from their non-traditional education background or understanding of the experiences of groups historically underrepresented in higher education.
- Ph.D. or master's student.
- Currently be enrolled in 12 units in one of the graduate programs, GPA ≥ 3.0 and good academic standing.
- Awardee information may be shared with donors, including but not limited to: name, award amount, UC Merced email address, application materials and/or summary of program/research interest.
Financial Support
- One fellowship award will be made each academic year.
- Recipient will receive an award of $1,000 in this current academic year to be used for travel and/or student research.
Student Loan Impact
- Per federal guidelines, all fellowship and tuition support is taken into consideration when determining student loan eligibility. If the student will receive federal student loans during the same academic year as this award, please note that this award could, and most likely will, reduce their student loan eligibility.
Use of Funds
- Funds may be used specifically for the pursuit of educational and graduate career goals.
Application Procedures
- Apply by completing an online application. Please note, the fellowship application is built within the admissions system, so you might see some items that reference admissions.
- During the application process you will be able to select this fellowship among others, if it is currently open.
- Please include the following items with your application:
- General Statement - 1-2 pages that describe your research area(s) of interest, accomplishments to date and long-term academic goals.
- For your statement, write for a general academic audience, i.e. a faculty reviewer who does not necessarily have expertise in your area of research.
- Unofficial up-to-date UCM transcript.
- Curriculum vitae (CV)
- One letter of recommendation from a UC Merced faculty member.
- The fellowship committee will review all complete applications. Review criteria will include adherence to the fellowship guidelines, the academic qualifications of the applicant, and the letter of recommendation. Please note, incomplete applications will not be reviewed.
*The Graduate Division reserves the right not to make an award in any given year for which a call for applications/nominations has been issued.
