The Hartnell-UCSC NEXTGEN Transfer Scholarship will enable outstanding UC-qualified community college students to complete their undergraduate studies at UC Santa Cruz in degree programs with links to agriculture, agroecology, food justice, and sustainable food systems. The program will provide each student selected with up to $20,000 in scholarships distributed over two years, holistic advising support, and assistance in finding paid summer work experience, including in the summer prior to transferring to UCSC. Recipients will be selected by faculty and staff at UCSC and Hartnell College. The program can support up to four students each year.
Requirements to Apply
- The applicant must be applying to UC Santa Cruz as a transfer student from Hartnell College
- The applicant must have applied for Fall 2025 admission to UC Santa Cruz by submitting the UC Application for Undergraduate Admission and Scholarships.
- The applicant must apply for financial aid by submitting the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by May 2, 2025.
- The applicant must obtain two letters of recommendation to submit with their application. One letter must be from a faculty member. The other letter should be from an individual who is able to comment on commitment and dedication to food and agriculture activities.
- The applicant must obtain transcripts from all colleges attended (unofficial copies are acceptable) to submit with their application.
Eligibility Criteria
- Qualify for Fall 2025 admission to UCSC as a new junior transfer student
- Meet the screening criteria for transferring into any UCSC major linked to agroecology, food justice, and sustainable food systems. Examples include the B.A. in Agroecology, B.A. in Environmental Studies, B.S. in Electrical and Computer Engineering, B.S. in Plant Sciences, B.S. in Global and Community Health, etc. See screening criteria here: https://admissions.ucsc.edu/posts/screening-major-selection-criteria
- Demonstrate interest and/or experience in activities related to sustainable agriculture, agroecology, food justice, or food systems transformation
- Be a U.S. citizen, national, or permanent resident.
- We strongly encourage members of historically under-represented groups in academia to apply (e.g., Black, Latino, and Indigenous and Native American persons, Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and other persons of color; members of religious minorities; lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) persons; persons with disabilities; persons who live in rural areas; and persons otherwise adversely affected by persistent poverty or inequality.)
Application Instructions
Answer the personal statement questions in a separate document to be uploaded to the application form. Your personal statement should address the following prompts. Responses to each prompt should be limited to 250-500 typed words.
- What are your academic goals/aspirations and why?
- Students who receive this award will demonstrate interest and/or experience in activities related to agriculture, food, natural resources, or human sciences. Please describe your commitment in this area, as well as involvement in any activities that have developed your leadership skills.
- Please describe any special circumstances you feel reviewers should be aware of when evaluating your application.
Have all the application materials on hand before starting the application form. This way you will be able to complete the application in one sitting. The materials needed are: 1) Answers to the personal statement questions in a digital file, 2) a 2-page resume, 3) two letters of recommendation as pdf files, and 4) all unofficial transcripts as pdf files.
IMPORTANT: Applicants must access the application using a google account. Your google email account will be the email address that we use for all application communication with you.
Application deadline: This is a rolling deadline.