The Berkeley Student Foundation (BSF) Administrator shall administer the Diversity Scholarship Program.  The Administrator shall coordinate with the University Admissions Office and the UC Berkeley Recruitment and Retention Centers to advertise the program to the largest number of eligible students possible.

a.  The BSF may grant up to ten new diversity scholarships each year to be awarded to incoming freshman and transfer students.

b.  The BSF may award up to three Spring Diversity Scholarships each year, to be awarded to incoming freshman and transfer students.  

c.  The BSF may allow for the annual renewal of awards, provided recipients meet the eligibility provisions stipulated in  Articles 2.3 and 2.4.

Each Diversity Scholarship shall be for the amount of $1000 per year, except for the initial Spring semester scholarship award which shall be for $500 for the first year award.

ARTICLE 2 - ELIGIBILITY

a.  Full time UC Berkeley registered incoming freshman and transfer students by the fall following the application deadline; and,  

b.  Any student who identifies as one or more of the following underrepresented minority groups:  

(1) Native American
(2) African American
(3) Chicano/Latino+
(4) Pacific Islander
(5) Southeast Asian*
(6) Multi-ethnic (including as least one parent from the aforementioned underrepresented minority groups)
(7) Students registered with the Disabled Students Program at the University of California, Berkeley

1.  Full time UC Berkeley registered incoming freshman or transfer student

2.  Any student who identifies as one or more of the following underrepresented minority groups:

(1) Native American
(2) African American
(3) Chicano/Latino+
(4) Pacific Islander
(5) Southeast Asian*
(6) Multi-Ethnic (including at least one parent from the aforementioned underrepresented minority groups)
(7) Students registered with the Disabled Students Program at the University of California, Berkeley

a. Incoming freshman or Spring recipients may renew the scholarship no more than three times (for a total of four awarded years); and,

b. Transfer recipients may renew the scholarship no more than two times (for a total of three awarded years); and

c. The recipient is a registered, full time, UC Berkeley Student in good standing; and,

d. The recipient maintains a UC Grade Point Average of 2.3 or above; and,

e. The recipient contributes a minimum of 25 hours of community service per academic semester.  This community service shall be dedicated primarily to the recruitment and retention of under-represented minority students on the UC Berkeley campus; and,

f. The recipient has completed (or will complete) the following number of units by the end of the academic year in which the scholarship is awarded:

(1) Incoming Freshman Recipients:

(a) First Year: 24 Units
(b) Second Year: 52 Units
(c) Third Year: 82 Units

(2)  Transfer Recipients:               

(a) First Year: 64 Units
(b) Second Year: 90 Units

ARTICLE 3 - CRITERIA FOR AWARDS

BSF Diversity Scholarships shall be awarded to eligible students (as stated in Article 2.1) based upon the following criteria:

1. Academic Achievement (10%)

2. Financial Need (30%)
 
3. Community Service and Leadership (30%)

4. Personal History (30%)

An applicant's Academic Achievement shall be based on the Academic Index calculated by the University of California or the Academic index calculated by the institution of higher education which the recipient attends, if different.

a. An applicant's Financial Need shall be based on the Parent Contribution Calculated on the Student Aid Report (SAR) from the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

b. Students who do not apply to FAFSA, and/or are considered to be undocumented students, shall include their parent’s annual salaries and net worth.

The Applicant's Community Service and Leadership shall be based on an assessment of the applicant's resume, information supplied on the application, and a personal statement.

ARTICLE 4 - APPLICATION

a. The BSF Administrator in conjunction with the BSF Board of Directors shall develop the application for the BSF Diversity Scholarships.

b. The Application shall include:

(1) A form to submit standard information regarding grade point average, standardized test scores such as ACT and SAT, and personal identification;

(2) A Personal Statement or Essay on the following subject: Describe the most significant obstacle/challenge you have overcome and explain how this experience has affected you.  In your response, be sure to explain how your particular racial/ethnic identity or disability status has impacted your life experiences.

(3) A statement authorizing the release of the UC Berkeley application information and/or financial aid information to the DSC as is determined necessary by the Administrator for the use of the DSC.

(4) A statement acknowledging the terms of the BSF Diversity Scholarship Award.

(5) Two personal references.

(6) Transfer student applicants may submit their GPA from the previous institution of enrollment.

a.    The BSF Administrator shall make applications for Fall BSF Diversity Scholarships available online at the start of the Spring semester.

b.    Fall Scholarship Applications may be received by the application deadline, which is set by the DSC each year.

c.    Final Awards for Fall Scholarships shall be made by the DSC prior to the start of the following academic year.

a.   The BSF Administrator shall make applications for Spring BSF Diversity Scholarships available online at the start of the Fall semester.

b.   Spring scholarship applications must be received by the application deadline, which is set by the DSC each year.

c.   Final awards for Spring scholarships shall be made by the DSC prior to the start of the Spring semester of the academic year for which it was awarded.

ARTICLE 5 - DIVERSITY SCHOLARSHIP COMMITTEE

The Committee shall consist of BSF Secretary, up to four members of the Board of Directors and the Administrator.

a.    The Committee shall select the new Recipients of the BSF Diversity Scholarship in accordance with the criteria and value stated in Article 2.1.

b.    The Committee shall give advice on the direction of the BSF Diversity Scholarship program to the BSF Board of Directors.

ARTICLE 6 - FUNDING

The BSF shall request grant funds from the Associated Students of the University of California out of its Commercial Activities Revenues in an amount sufficient to fund the scholarships on an annual basis.

The BSF shall also seek private sources of funding from Alumni, students, University benefactors and other individuals and private organizations to augment the ASUC grants.

Funds allocated to the Diversity Scholarship Program by the ASUC, or donated through private funding, that have not been spent by the end of the calendar year shall continue in the BSF Diversity Scholarship Program Budget, and may be added to the established annuity.