Undergraduate Research & Scholarships

Haas Scholars Program

How to Apply

Hello prospective Haas Scholars! The 2024–2025 application will be posted in early fall 2023.

Applications for the 2024–2025 cohort will be due at 12:00 noon on February 21, 2024. 

What You’ll Need

  1. PDF of the page from CalCentral that shows your Estimated Family Contribution (in the “View Awards” portion of the “My Finances” tab)
  2. PDF of Transcript(s) — UNOFFICIAL ONLY, please. Detailed instructions can be found here.
    • Showing all Berkeley, post-high school grades
      • You MUST include in your email with your application documents your Unofficial (CalCentral) UC Berkeley transcript. Please do not include official transcripts, as the PDFs cannot be merged with other documents and are difficult to process. To get your UCB grades, go to CalCentral, then “MyAcademics”, then “View Academic Summary” (top of the center column), then upper left corner, press “print,”and make a PDF. Make sure it’s readable and includes your name (if not, try a different browser). Upload that PDF to the application. FOR PC USERS: After viewing the Academic Summary page, click the “Print” option in your browser. Afterward, there should be a “Destination” section. Change the destination to “Save as PDF.” Save as Adobe Acrobat for both Chrome and Explorer.  Label the file as instructed at the beginning of this application, and include it as one of your attachments.
    • Showing all credits accepted by Berkeley that you earned at other institutions
      • TRANSFER CREDIT REPORT — FOR ALL APPLICANTS INCLUDING NON-TRANSFERS.
  3. PDF of the Haas Scholars project proposal
  4. Project Budget page
  5. Name and email of the faculty sponsor who will write your academic recommendation. 
  6. Name and email of the professional reference who will write your personal/professional recommendation. This person will be asked to comment on your professional responsibility and follow-through, and your track record as someone who has contributed in a positive way to a group dynamic or team. The questions that your reference will be asked on the form can be found here. 

What You May Also Want to Add

  1. Human subjects documentation (if applicable)
  2. One optional additional recommendation (either an additional academic recommendation or another professional reference). 
  3. Optional PDFs of your letters of support (maximum 3)
  4. If you are proposing a creative project, a sample of your previous creative work. (Max 10 images for visual arts; max 10 minutes of video; max 10 pages for creative writing).

NOTE: If your project involves human subjects, you may also want to include a PDF of your Certificate of Completion for the CITI human subjects online training course (click here for more information on whether or not you need to go through CPHS). If you are selected and your project is considered high risk, you must submit your human subjects protocol drafts and final protocols by the required deadlines.

Bottom line: Start filling out the online application form as soon as it’s available, but don’t send your proposal and budget until you are certain they are the best they can be.

Thank you for your interest in participating in the Robert and Colleen Haas Scholars senior capstone experience!  The application process is fairly straightforward – see the six steps below.

The most important thing you can do to increase your chances of being selected is simply to start the process. The sooner you have a draft proposal written, the earlier you’ll be able to get feedback from your mentors, advisors, and Haas Scholars Program Manager/Advisor, and the more time you’ll have to revise your proposal and secure great recommendation letters. 

Here’s what to do:

  1. Make sure you meet the minimum eligibility requirements, and that you can meet the commitments of the program.
  2. Meet with the Program Manager to make sure you are eligible, get connected with current scholars, and get a sample proposal close to your topic area. 
  3. Get a faculty member to sponsor your application and make sure they are eligible to be a Haas Scholars mentor and OK with taking on the mentor commitments. (Asking for feedback on a draft proposal is a good topic for an initial meeting with potential faculty sponsors.) 
  4. Put your project ideas down on paper (i.e., write a very rough draft of your project proposal). Review the proposal format here. You may also want to attend a “Writing a Proposal” workshop to kick-start your writing process. Once you have a draft, get some feedback from potential faculty sponsors, as well as other faculty advisors, graduate student mentors, lab supervisors, and the Haas Scholars Program Manager.
  5. Gather the materials you will need to submit along with your application: a transcript showing post-high school, non-Berkeley grades as well as current enrollment; an unofficial transcript from CalCentral; an academic recommendation letter from your faculty sponsor; a professional reference letter from a non-family member. You may also want to fill out the basic information on the online application form in advance of the application deadline.
  6. Complete the ONLINE APPLICATION FORM by the deadline, which will be at 12:00 noon on February 21, 2024 will open in Fall 2023 for those applying to be part of the 2024–2025 cohort. 

NOTE:  If your project involves human subjects, you will need to show the Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects (CPHS) that you will take steps to protect the privacy and ensure the dignity and safety of your research subjects. Carefully review what you need to do here and by when, and note that if you are selected or on the waiting list, you must submit your human subjects protocol drafts to the Program Director and your faculty sponsor-approved protocol to CPHS by the specified deadlines, or you will be ineligible to be a Haas Scholar.