Funding Opportunities
What SDSU Scholarships Am I Eligible For?
Search the scholarships database.
Who is eligible to apply?
- Anyone interested in doctoral study, including lecturers without terminal degrees, current MA and MFA students, and undergraduate seniors may apply for C-DIP.
- The program is open to applicants who will be new or continuing full-time students in doctoral programs at regionally accredited universities anywhere within the United States.
- Applicants are not required to have attended the CSU nor to have been accepted in a doctoral program at the time of their application.
- Each applicant is required to have a full-time tenure/tenure-track CSU faculty advisor who will provide professional mentoring and networking opportunities throughout the student’s educational experience.
The 2022-2023 application cycle has closed. Information about the 2023-24 application
will be available in December 2022.
The California Pre-Doctoral scholarship program is designed to increase diversity
within the pool of university faculty by supporting the doctoral aspirations of students
in the CSU who have experienced economic and educational disadvantages.
The California Pre-Doctoral Program will award funds to approximately 70 juniors,
seniors and graduate students in the CSU. These funds are designed to enable current
students to explore and prepare to succeed in doctoral programs in their chosen field
of study. Awards are based on competitive review of student applications and given
to current upper-division or graduate students who, in the judgment of the review
panel, demonstrate academic excellence while having experienced economic or educational
disadvantage, and who are committed to a career in teaching and research at the university
level. The program places a special emphasis on increasing the number of CSU students
who enter doctoral programs at one of the University of California (UC) institutions.
Students who are chosen for this prestigious award are designated Sally Casanova Scholars
as a tribute to Dr. Sally Casanova, for whom the Pre-Doctoral scholarship is named.
As a Sally Casanova Scholar, students will have unique opportunities to explore and
prepare to succeed in doctoral programs. Students will have the benefit of direct
one-on-one guidance afforded from faculty members from within the CSU, and the opportunity
to work with faculty from doctoral-granting institutions. In addition the program
provides:
- Travel Funds for the student to visit U.S. doctoral-granting institutions and/or to attend professional meetings appropriate to the student's development.
- Development Funds for other related activities, such as student membership in professional organizations, subscriptions to academic journals, graduate school applications and test fees, GRE preparation, and the cost of minor research materials, for example.
- A Summer Research Experience following the award of the scholarship, recipients are given the opportunity at a University of California campus or other U.S. major research university, fully funded by the Pre-Doctoral Program, so that the scholar can participate in doctoral-level research prior to enrolling in a Ph.D. program.
Who is eligible to apply?
- Juniors, seniors and master's degree students (Students interested in obtaining professional masters or doctoral degrees such as law, medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, or an MBA degree, for example, are not eligible)
- Must be enrolled at a CSU campus for at least one semester of the academic year that they apply for the scholarship
- Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident
Current or previously awarded Pre-Doctoral Scholars are not eligible to re-apply. Each applicant must have a faculty sponsor from the student’s home campus who will be available for the duration of the plan specified in the application.
Who is eligible to apply?
- Students that are legal California residents
- Master's students (not available for second master's degree students or doctorate students) that are conditional classified or classified
- Completed the free FAFSA or Dream Act application
- Enroll in at least 6 units of graduate work related to the master's degree for the fall and spring semesters
- Maintain a 3.00 GPA
- Have at least $1,000 of financial need as determined by the Financial Aid Office
Interested students should complete an application and a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form, available online at www.fafsa.gov. Those eligible for the CA Dream Act application can apply online at https://dream.csac.ca.gov/.
Application Submission Checklist:
- Student Essay: The essay should address specific circumstances that contribute to the need as well as your academic progress toward earning your degree. Limit 1 page (single spaced, or 2 double spaced).
- Graduate Advisor Endorsement: The completed form will be uploaded to your application.
- Unofficial transcripts from all undergraduate coursework (and unofficial SDSU transcripts for continuing Master's students)
- Two letters of recommendation (preferably from faculty members)
The 2021-2022 application cycle has closed. Information about the 2022-23 application will be available in July 2022.
These support travel associated with scholarly research and creative activities. There are two funds, and each has a different deadline and set of constraints. Students may apply to both funds for the same travel, but can only be awarded from one fund.
List of Additional Fellowship Programs
- American Association of University Women
- American Councils International Research Fellowships
- American Council of Learned Societies
- Boren Fellowships
- Bryce Harlow Foundation Fellowship Program
- Capital Fellows Program
- Computational Science Graduate Fellowship (CSGF)
- Cosmos Scholars Award
- Council of American Overseas Research Centers (CAORC)
- Critical Languages Scholarships
- DoD SMART
- DOE Computational Science Graduate Fellowship
- Emerging Markets Development Advisers Program (EMDAP)
- Ford Foundation Diversity Fellowships
- Fulbright U.S. Student Grants
- GEM Fellowship
- Hertz Fellowship
- Marc Zboch Academic Scholarship
- NDSEG
- NSF Doctoral Dissertation Research Improvement Grants
- NSF Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grants
- NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program
- Presidential Management Fellows (PMF)
- Ruth Kirschstein NRSA Award (NIH F31 Grants)
- Scholarships for Women
- Smithsonian Institution Fellowship
- SREB-State Doctoral Fellowships for Underrepresented Minorities
- Social Science Research Council
- Soros Fellowships for New Americans
- Woodrow Wilson Fellowship Foundation
Visit the Financial Aid Homepage for additional opportunities.