About the BRIDGE Fellowship Program
The UCSB BRIDGE (Bridging Research and Innovation for Dreamer's Growth and Education) Fellowship Program is a year-long, cohort-based program that gives eligible students hands-on research experience, mentorship, academic units, the opportunity to expand their network, and financial support. Just as a bridge links two places, this fellowship program connects undocumented students with experiential learning opportunities that might otherwise be out of reach.
Through this program, students will have the opportunity to:
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Develop new skills for career readiness
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Be paired with a faculty mentor for personalized guidance
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Join a supportive cohort of students, faculty mentors, and staff allies
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Attend community building and professional development activities
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Receive a scholarship of up to $5,400 for the academic year
Please note that the scholarship is intended to support your educational and professional development during your time in the BRIDGE Fellowship Program. Fellows must have sufficient financial need to receive their scholarship award each quarter, which will be processed through the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships.
Undergraduate Student Fellow Information
The BRIDGE Fellowship Program seeks to increase undocumented students' access to research at UCSB. This fellowship represents breaking barriers, creating pathways, and building a strong foundation for students' professional futures. More than the experience, this fellowship is about opening doors fostering growth, and helping students achiever their dreams.
To be eligible, undergraduate students must:
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Be AB540 eligible
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Be a CA Dream Aid Recipient
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Be in their second year and above
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Not have other professional development opportunities*
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Not have been a BRIDGE Fellow before
Priority will be given to students who demonstrate financial need. Students without work authorization are encouraged to apply.
*Professional development opportunities include employment, College Corp, Monarch Opportunity Scholarship, DSIG, etc.
Each quarter, undergraduate fellows will be required to:
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Enroll in an experiential learning course (e.g. 99RA, 199RA, CNCSP 197, etc. — Note, the course number may vary by major but it should be a course tied to a research assistant position with a supervising professor)
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Complete at least 80 hours of experiential learning
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Meet with a UCSB Career Services Counselor or attend a Career Services Event
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Participate in one cohort activity and one USS event
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Submit a reflection paper at the end of Spring (only)
Optional: BRIDGE Fellows can apply for the Undergraduate Research & Creative Activities (URCA) Grant with the support of their faculty mentor to submit their project proposal. If awarded an URCA Grant, work with your faculty mentor to guide your project and posted preparation. Click here for more information about URCA.
Please review the USS Opportunity Hub for a list of BRIDGE Fellowship sites as well as Monarch Opportunity Scholarships, and other opportunities.
The application opens in Summer and will be posted on our social media, the USS Newsletter, and will be sent via email.
Questions?
If you have any questions, please email us at sa-eopundocstudentservi@ucsb.edu and include "Question about the BRIDGE Fellowship Program" in the subject line.
Graduate Student Fellow Information
The Graduate BRIDGE Fellowship Program is a quarter-long program that gives eligible graduate students at UCSB hands-on research or practicum experience, mentorship, course units (e.g. 596 Directed Reading, or equivalent), and financial support. Just as a bridge links two places, this fellowship program connects undocumented graduate students with experiential learning opportunities that might otherwise be out of reach, especially if they do not have work authorization at the time.
Through this program, students will have the opportunity to:
-
Develop new skills for career readiness
-
Be paired with a faculty mentor for personalized guidance
-
Receive a scholarship of up to $3,000 for the quarter
Please note that the scholarship amount is intended to support your educational and professional development during your time in the BRIDGE Fellowship Program. Graduate Fellows must have sufficient financial need to receive their $3,000 award for the quarter, which will be processed through the Graduate Division.
To be eligible, graduate students must:
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Be AB540 eligible
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Be a CA Dream Aid Applicant
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Not have another professional development opportunity*
Priority will be given to students who demonstrate financial need. Students without work authorization are encouraged to apply as well as graduate students whose DACA renewal application has been delayed — i.e. not been approved— and their DACA has expired.
*Professional development opportunities include being a TA or GSR, internships, etc.
For the quarter in which the graduate student is a fellow, they will be required to:
- Schedule an appointment with USS at the beginning of the quarter
- Enroll in an experiential course (e.g. 596 Directed Research, 593 Directed Reading, or similar)
- Complete at least 100 hours of experiential learning
- Participate in one USS event
- Submit a reflection paper at the end
For the experiential learning course, you can find a faculty mentor in your department to supervise you and enroll you in course credit. you can also reach out to a faculty member on the "BRIDGE Fellwoship" tab in the USS Opportunity Hub to ask if they would be willing to supervise you as a graduate student for 596 Directed Research or similar to help with the project.
Note: The experiential leaning opportunity can be focused on research, practicum, etc.
Applications open in Summer.
Questions?
If you have any questions, please email us at sa-eopundocstudentservi@ucsb.edu and include "Question about the BRIDGE Fellowship Program" in the subject line.
Faculty Mentor Information
Our goal is for students to gain valuable research experience that can help them achieve their educational and professional goals at and beyond UCSB. Faculty mentors in the BRIDGE Fellowship Program play a critical role in helping us achieve this goal. We ask mentors to commit to mentoring their BRIDGE Fellow and offering hands-on experiential learning through research assistant course credit for the academic year.
Faculty Mentors are required to:
- Actively mentor a student in research-assistant course credit (e.g. 99RA, 199RA, CNCSP 197, etc.) that will lead to new skills or a research product.
- Attend one training led by USS to learn how to support undocumented students at UCSB.
- Create an environment that shows we support undocumented students and are dedicated to their success.
Optional: Support your Fellow with an application for the Undergraduate Research and Creative Activities (URCA) Grant if they choose to apply. Guide their project and poster preparation if they are awarded an URCA Grant.