Students working on their lab report

Alumna Julie Packard and Executive Director of the Monterey Bay Aquarium gifted UCSC with a tremendous donation that established the Dean’s Fund for diversity programs at UCSC. As the student body here on campus has diversified, the student populations in the lab have remained static, but the Julie Packard fund allows more students to get hands-on research. Packard funds allow students the opportunity to be part of the Summer Research Institute (SRI) or Summer Research Experience (SRE).

Program Director

Amount & use
  • Stipend amount: TBD
  • Guaranteed placement in a UCSC Research Lab
  • Travel to conferences to present research and learn about graduate school
  • Support for an extramural research experience in the second summer of the program
  • General Record Exam (GRE) course
  • Program support for graduate school applications
Eligibility
  • Applicants must be currently enrolled as full-time undergraduate students at UCSC or accepted transfer students in the upcoming Fall. 
  • Must be interested in pursuing a Ph.D. degree after the Bachelor’s degree
  • Must be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident eligible for work in the U.S.

Underrepresented students and those who have overcome socioeconomic hardships are strongly encouraged to apply.

Deadlines
The annual application deadline to apply for the Packard program is the second Friday of every February.
Selection criteria
Applications will be reviewed by a panel consisting of staff, faculty, and students. Selected candidates will be invited for an interview with staff and current scholars. Candidates will be evaluated based on a holistic review process of their applications, education/ career goals, and aspirations.

How to apply

You can apply to the MARC, UC LEADS, and CAMP Programs simultaneously with one application. Only COMPLETED applications will be reviewed.

The application for the STEM Diversity Research Programs will be available in December of every year.

Click here to access the application

The application components include:

Online application & supplement documents (to be uploaded with the online application) – Due Second Friday of February

  • Completed online Application (this includes essay questions, see questions below)
  • Resume or CV (Career Center Resume Guide)
  • Copy of Your Unofficial Transcripts (UCSC and/or community college, just print them from your student portal) 
  • Copy of Your Unofficial Financial Aid Support (if you do not get financial aid, you ARE still eligible for the programs, please state in the online application)

Two letters of recommendation – Due Third Friday of February: from a faculty or staff member (These should be emailed directly from the recommender to stemdiv@ucsc.edu).

Essay Questions

Please limit your responses to 200 words for each question.

Click here to view the application essay questions

For questions and additional information about the application process, please contact our office at 831-459-4770 or send an email to stemdiv@ucsc.edu.