Building Belonging Program
The Building Belonging program provides undergraduates with paid, faculty-mentored research and service-learning opportunities.
The Institute awards up to 100 Building Belonging undergraduate scholarships each academic year. Students are selected to support faculty members with high-impact research projects. Through the process, they become part of a community of knowledge producers, learn valuable new skills, and discover how to use research as a tool for creating positive change. The relationships students build with their mentors help them develop a deeper sense of belonging within academia and realize what they can contribute.
Making these research opportunities paid rather than volunteer opens doors for students with limited financial means, closing equity gaps and introducing new perspectives and innovative thinking into the research process. Students don’t need any prior research experience to join the program, just a passion for making the world a better place and an interest in academic inquiry as a means of doing so.
How it works
Faculty affiliated with UC Santa Cruz’s Social Sciences Division apply to the program for support with a particular research project, and if selected, they can then choose to mentor up to 4 undergraduate student researchers per academic year. Student fellows receive $1,500 per quarter and are expected to contribute approximately 80-90 hours per quarter to the project.
Students selected for the program are often those who have inquired with faculty members about research opportunities or have demonstrated a strong subject-matter interest through a faculty member’s courses. Students can also email our program coordinators to ask about joining any research projects with available openings. Please note that these opportunities are scholarship based and are not posted as jobs on the campus’s Handshake platform.
Program timeline
Jun. 1- Sept. 1
Faculty applications for research assistance are due
Mid-Sept.
Selected faculty projects are announced
Sept. 26
Faculty submit names and IDs of students receiving fall quarter scholarships
Dec. 13
Faculty submit names and IDs of students receiving winter quarter scholarships
Mar. 21
Faculty submit names and IDs of students receiving spring quarter scholarships
May
Students present their work at the annual Building Belonging Student Showcase research symposium
Jun. 12
Faculty submit names and IDs of students receiving summer quarter scholarships
Application information for faculty
Eligibility
All research and teaching faculty affiliated with the Social Sciences Division may apply to the program. That includes those whose primary appointment is in another division but who are formally associated with the interdisciplinary Coastal Science and Policy and Global and Community Health programs co-led by the Social Sciences Division.
Requirements
By applying to this program, faculty agree to mentor undergraduate students on a research project or a community-engaged scholarly project. Students can work individually with faculty or as part of a group. Faculty are expected to meet regularly with the student researchers.
Selecting students
Faculty can apply for funding up to $6,000 for a maximum of four quarter-long student scholarships per year in support of their research. Depending on the needs and nature of the project, this could involve funding one student for four quarters, four students for one quarter each, two students for two quarters each, or a wide variety of other possible combinations.
We encourage faculty to recruit students for whom paid opportunities and mentorship would be especially beneficial. This includes low-income, first-generation, or EOP eligible students who might otherwise face increased barriers to participating in research. If faculty need help identifying students to support their projects, Institute program staff can help.
We also generally advise recruiting students who are not in their final year, so that mentorship can have a greater impact on the overall trajectory of students’ academic experience.
Applications are currently closed and will be posted in spring 2026.
Participation information for students
Eligibility
Students are selected by professors to participate in research opportunities. This program is open to all undergraduate students, consistent with state and federal law, the UC Nondiscrimination Statement, and the Nondiscrimination Policy Statement for University of California Publications Regarding Student-Related Matters.
UC Santa Cruz students from any division or major can participate. We encourage students who have EOP status or come from historically disadvantaged backgrounds—including first-generation, low income, undocumented, or students who have experienced foster care, homelessness, or incarceration—to participate in this program.
Requirements
- Participation is limited to current students who are enrolled in at least 6 credits at UCSC during the quarter when they intend to serve as research assistants, with the exception of summer quarter. Recent graduates are not eligible.
- All student fellows must participate in the Building Belonging Student Showcase Research Symposium in the spring. Summer quarter fellows participate in the following year’s showcase.
Scholarship payments
Student scholarships of $1,500 per quarter will be processed by the Institute and disbursed to the student’s financial aid account. The award will be incorporated into the student’s financial aid offer, and the amount received as a payment/refund will depend on each student’s specific financial situation, including any unpaid university fees and other awards or aid they may have. For further questions, contact the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office or review their frequently asked questions.
Contact us
The answers to the majority of questions about the Transforming Futures program are answered on this page. Please contact Evin Knight at the Institute for Social Transformation with any additional questions at transform@ucsc.edu.