Building philanthropic partnerships to promote access, learning, belonging, and exploration for all Berkeley students.
For more than 150 years, UC Berkeley has advanced a public mission rooted in the belief that all people — regardless of race, gender, socioeconomic status, or religion — should have the opportunity to achieve excellence in scholarship, leadership, and innovation.
The Student Experience & Diversity (SED) philanthropy program positions Berkeley as a leading engine of social mobility. It recognizes that excellence is inseparable from the quality, breadth, and inclusivity of the student experience.
Through philanthropy, SED advances Berkeley’s commitment to diversity, access, and belonging while expanding high-impact co-curricular opportunities and critical student resources. Together, these investments ensure that all students can fully participate in — and contribute to — Berkeley’s dynamic community and, ultimately, to a more just and innovative world.
At the University of California, Berkeley, we believe that brilliance is evenly distributed, but opportunity is not. Our mission is to ensure equity of opportunity and experience by dismantling the barriers that keep talented students from realizing their potential. By investing in college access and robust financial support, we are not just funding degrees – we are fueling the social mobility that transforms lives, families, and entire communities.
Berkeley Career Engagement (BCE) prepares undergraduate and graduate students to make informed decisions about their futures by providing a vast range of resources and programs. This includes programming such as career and internship fairs, career education, and counseling to help students find and apply for the right internship, professional school, or job.
UC Berkeley has a rich history of creativity, innovation, and questioning the status quo — it’s the reason so many decide to come here. Launched in 2020, the Berkeley Changemaker academic program helps students to see themselves as entrepreneurs, founders, and innovators. By infusing an entrepreneurial mindset into rigorous, interdisciplinary coursework, the Berkeley Changemaker program empowers students with the practical tools and leadership skills to become part of Berkeley’s tradition of creating positive change and transforming their passions into meaningful impact.
At a time when higher education demands innovation, Berkeley Discovery scales programs and partnerships that help students develop intellectual agility, collaborate across disciplines, tackle open-ended challenges, and apply their learning to visionary ideas.
As UC Berkeley’s largest scholarship program, the Berkeley Undergraduate Scholarship program supports about 2,500 students each year. Awardees are selected based on a combination of academic excellence and financial need, upholding the university’s commitment to financial access for all students.
UC Berkeley’s Center for Educational Partnerships (CEP) increases access to higher education through dedicated outreach to K-14 students, families, and educators. Driven by the belief that no student should face systemic or economic barriers, CEP provides direct service, professional development, and strategic partnerships to build college and career pathways.
Offers counseling services, supplemental financial aid, and scholarships to support former foster youth, veterans, student parents, undocumented students, and transfer students of all ages and life experiences
The Fiat Lux Scholarship Program is a strategic investment in California’s high-achieving, low-income scholars who represent the rich diversity of our state. Fiat Lux Scholars are selected from the top 4% of applicants across 180 partnered high schools. Through financial aid and programming, Fiat Lux aims to ensure that California?s best students are able to attend UC Berkeley.
For 60 years, the Public Service Center (PSC) has partnered with Berkeley faculty and community members to help students find their own paths toward creating a more just and equitable world.
The Regents’ & Chancellor?s Scholarship is UC Berkeley’s most distinguished undergraduate award, encompassing both financial aid and programmatic support. Through a rigorous faculty-led selection process, scholars are identified based on their academic achievement, leadership, service, and creativity.
“Thriving” is the foundation of Berkeley’s commitment to equity and student success. A student “thrives” when they experience a deep sense of belonging, have the resources to excel academically, and graduate prepared to lead in their communities and professions. Our goal is to transform Berkeley’s campus into a place where students from unique and diverse backgrounds feel seen and are met with accessible resources built for them.
UC Berkeley is building toward a future in which Black and African American students, staff, and faculty are fully supported to thrive. Through the African American Thriving Initiative (AATI), led by the Division of Equity & Inclusion, we are advancing an institutional commitment to equity, belonging, and wellness across campus for all.
Championing visibility, belonging, and futures for Asian American & Pacific Islander communities at Berkeley, the Asian American & Pacific Islander Thriving Initiatives is committed to equitable access and non-discrimination for all people, welcoming and supporting every member of our community.
Fostering a Latinx community where everyone thrives, Latinx Thriving Initiatives (LTI) is committed to equitable access and non-discrimination for all people, welcoming and supporting every member of our community.
At the University of California, Berkeley, we believe that physical and mental health are fundamental to student stability, persistence, and academic achievement. What sets Berkeley apart is our commitment to a unified, campus-wide health and wellbeing model that actively dismantles bureaucratic silos. We coordinate a vast ecosystem of services across campus to ensure that students are able to navigate resources and care.
The Basic Needs Center team (BNC) is committed to fostering belonging and justice on the UC Berkeley campus through a robust model that includes both short-term emergency relief and long-term support services addressing students’ basic needs. BNC defines basic needs as an ecosystem that at the core includes food security, housing security, and financial stability.
The Disabled Students’ Program promotes an inclusive environment for students with disabilities. We equip disabled students with appropriate accommodations and services to achieve their individual academic goals.
UC Berkeley Recreation & Wellbeing gives UC Berkeley students and faculty the opportunity to explore a wide range of recreational activities. Whether it’s lifting weights at the Recreational Sports Facility (RSF), playing soccer on an intramural team, or swimming at Spieker Pool, there are activities for everyone.
University Health Services (UHS) is at the forefront of advancing student health and faculty and staff wellness through health leadership, expertise, and increased access. UHS integrates medical, mental health, wellness, and preventive services to streamline care, improve outcomes, and help every student thrive.
Career readiness is a cornerstone of the Berkeley student experience. Our goal is to ensure every student graduates with the skills, experience, confidence, professionalism, and access needed to launch meaningful careers that drive social mobility and strengthen communities.
Educational Opportunity Program (EOP) is committed to ensuring that all students, particularly students who are first in their families to attend four-year institutions, Pell Grant recipients, and historically underrepresented students, have the access and resources they need to fully engage and build community at Cal.
The UC Berkeley African American Initiative Scholarship at the San Francisco Foundation was created to provide financial support for African American students while addressing campus diversity. For more information, write studentexperience@berkeley.edu.
For over 25 years, the Transfer Student Center (TSC) has offered a comprehensive array of services to assist transfer students as they transition, explore, and thrive at Berkeley. The TSC is committed to ensuring that transfers not only succeed academically but also find a sense of belonging and purpose throughout their journey.
By investing directly in the Divisions of Equity & Inclusion, Student Affairs, and Undergraduate Education, we give campus leaders the agility to seize emerging opportunities, swiftly address urgent student needs, and fuel the programs that enrich the everyday student experience. Divisional impact funds provide the flexible, unrestricted resources needed to power UC Berkeley’s most vital student-support ecosystems.
The Division of Equity & Inclusion leads campus-wide efforts to make UC Berkeley a learning environment where everyone belongs and everyone thrives. We operate at the vital intersection of crisis response and systemic transformation, providing essential student services while building the structures required for proactive, institution-wide change.
The Division of Undergraduate Education ensures every undergraduate has the tools and opportunities to excel throughout their academic journey. From providing critical infrastructure like learning management systems and lecture recordings to leading campus-wide initiatives, we empower students, faculty, and staff to push the boundaries of teaching and discovery.
The Division of Student Affairs supports every stage of the student journey — from providing access to financial aid and scholarships, to cultivating a campus environment that promotes physical and mental health, to helping students develop the professional skills and confidence to make a difference in the world.