Scholarships & Awards

Scholarship Opportunities for Re-entry Students

The Re-entry Student Program offers two scholarships: Crankstart for newly admitted students, and Osher for continuing students.

Applications for the 2025 Osher Scholarship will open on May 7th 2025 and close on July 30th 2025.  

Applications for the 2025 Crankstart Scholarship will open in August 2025 and close in October 2025.  We will share more details soon.

Crankstart Re-entry Scholarship

The Crankstart Re-entry Scholarship provides up to $5,000 awards to ten first-semester (if you began taking courses during summer, you may still apply) undergraduate re-entry students who demonstrate the potential and capacity to positively contribute to society beyond Berkeley.  The Crankstart Re-entry Scholarship has closed for the 2024-2025 cycle. 

Applicants must meet the following criteria:

  • Be a UC Berkeley re-entry student above the age of 25
  • Be an Undergraduate pursuing their first baccalaureate degree
  • Be in their first full semester at UC Berkeley (those who began over the summer are also eligible) 
  • Anticipate workforce participation for a significant period of time subsequent to graduation (those planning on attending graduate school before the workforce are also eligible) 
  • Have filed a FAFSA and be eligible to receive financial aid (Dream aid included) 
  • Hold a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 from all colleges attended

Your application must include: 

  1. A personal essay no more than three pages double-spaced (with one inch margins in Times New Roman font) that describes what it means to be a re-entry student. In your essay please: share your interest and values, highlight your personal achievements through your work, school, family or community service in spite of obstacles, explain how your leadership and perseverance made a difference, address the interruption to your college academics, and share your educational and career goals. 

  2. Copies of transcripts from all colleges attended (unofficial accepted) 

  3. No more than 2 letters of recommendation (can be from, for example, a former instructor, supervisor, or mentor who can speak to your ability to apply your Berkeley education to future contributions to society)

Apply for the Crankstart Re-entry Scholarship here!

Osher Re-entry Scholarship

The Osher Re-entry Scholarship Program awards several continuing (completed at least one fall or spring at UC Berkeley) undergraduate re-entry students who demonstrate the potential and capacity to positively contribute to society beyond Berkeley with awards up to $5,000 for the academic year. The Osher Re-entry Scholarship application for the 2025-2026 cycle opens May 7th through July 30th. 

 Applicants must meet the following criteria:

  • Be a UC Berkeley re-entry student above the age of 25
  • Be an Undergraduate pursuing their first baccalaureate degree
  • Have completed at least one fall or spring semester at UC Berkeley
  • Anticipate workforce participation for a significant period of time subsequent to graduation
  • Have filed a FAFSA and be eligible to receive financial aid (Dream aid included) 
  • Hold a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.0 from all colleges attended

Your application must include: 

  1. A personal essay no more than three pages double-spaced (with one inch margins in Times New Roman font)that describes what it means to be a re-entry student. In your essay please: share your interest and values, highlight your personal achievements through your work, school, family and community service in spite of obstacles, explain how your leadership and perseverance made a difference, address the interruption to your college academics, and share your educational and career goals. 
  2. Copies of transcripts from all colleges attended (unofficial accepted)
  3. No more than 2 letters of recommendation* (can be from, for example, a former instructor, supervisor, or mentor who can speak to your ability to apply your Berkeley education to future contributions to society)

Apply for the 2025-2026 Osher Re-entry Scholarship here!

Re-entry Student Leadership Award

The Re-entry Student Program Leadership Award fund is designed to provide support to Re-entry Student Program peer advisors, advocates and interns. Student leaders will propose a service leadership project that will not only enhance your leadership in our campus community, but also advance our commitment of better meeting the current needs of re-entry students at Berkeley.

Note: these funds are intended to support you and your educational expenses—this is not a program budget for your project.

Who can apply:

  • Any student actively participating in the Re-entry Student Program leadership team (this includes peer advisors, interns and 198 co-facilitators). 

The last cycle of the Leadership Award occured in Spring 2024.