Student and researcher holding beaker

Application Fee Fellowship

To help ensure accessibility to the college's graduate programs, the CBS Equity Program will award a limited number of application fee fellowships to applicants with the potential for leadership towards achieving the goals of improving diversity in the biological sciences.  

Examples of this potential include, but are not limited to:

  • overcoming disadvantages (economic, social or educational)
  • a record of service to advance underserved populations (including tutoring or mentoring)
  • or a research topic that will ultimately assist historically underserved populations

Successful applicants will provide clear examples of how their previous experiences and future graduate studies have contributed to and promoted diversity in the biological sciences.

Application process

The application for the CBS Equity Program entails the submission of a statement of purpose and a personal history. Guidelines prepared for planning and illustrative purposes only. 

  • Statement of Purpose (250 words or fewer)
  • Please explain why you are applying for Ph.D. study at UC Davis. Highlight how you came to determine your career goals. Describe why you feel earning a Ph.D. is essential to pursuing your goal. If applicable, how will your research topic ultimately assist historically underserved populations.
  • Personal History (250 words or fewer)
  • Please describe how your personal background has informed your decision to pursue a graduate degree and informed your understanding of diversity in the biological sciences. Your background may include any educational, familial, cultural, economic, or social experiences, challenges, community service, outreach activities, residency and citizenship, first-generation college status, or opportunities relevant to your academic journey; how your life experiences contribute to the social, intellectual, or cultural diversity within a campus community and your chosen field; and/or how you might serve educationally underrepresented and underserved segments of society with your graduate education.