UC President’s Pre-Professoriate Fellows (PPPF)

The UC President’s Pre-Professoriate Fellows (PPPF) program is funded by the University of California Office of the President (UCOP) in an effort to enhance pathways to the professoriate for students from California Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs). The fellowship program supports a limited number of PhD students who are California HSI alumni and have advanced to candidacy at UC, to foster their interest and preparation for the professoriate; and additional professional development outreach and support for PhD students with a goal to encourage and help equip them to consider careers in the professoriate. UCSD will name three (3) UC President’s Pre-Professoriate Fellows each spring with the award applied the following academic year.

Award

For AY 2026-27 each Pre-Professoriate Fellow will receive the following:

• $37,000 stipend for one academic year

• $10,000 in professional development funds for the student to use during their Ph.D. tenure towards opportunities that will expose, prepare and inspire fellows to pursue the professoriate. The funds do not need to be expended during the awarded year; they may be used by the fellows throughout the remainder of their degree programs.

Fellows' resident tuition and fees will be covered by GEPA for the duration of the fellowship.

A total of three fellows will be selected.

In accordance with applicable Federal and State law and University policy, the University of California does not discriminate, or grant preferences, on the basis of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, disability, and/or other protected categories. More information about Proposition 209 can be found here. More information about the University of California Anti-Discrimination Policy can be found here.

The UC-HSI DDI PPPF is only available to UC doctoral students who are matriculated in academic PhD programs and have already advanced to candidacy at the time of the nomination. Professional students (e.g. M.D., J.D.) are not eligible.

Master’s en route: If a student did not earn a bachelor’s degree from a California HSI and was not enrolled in a stand-alone master’s program at a California HSI but was awarded a master’s degree en-route to the Ph.D., that student is not eligible for this fellowship. If a student was enrolled in and completed a stand-alone master’s degree at a California HSI, that student is eligible for the fellowship (regardless of whether the student completed a bachelor’s degree at a California HSI).

PLEASE NOTE: UC San Diego recently met the eligibility requirements to obtain federal HSI designation, and UCOP will now consider it an HSI for the purposes of this fellowship program. Therefore, UC San Diego bachelor's and master's degree alumni are eligible.

California Community Colleges. Students who transferred to UC from a California Community College (CCC) that is federally designated as a Hispanic Serving Institution are eligible if they can demonstrate substantive and significant participation by having completed at least 24 semester units or quarter equivalent. All other criteria/requirements remain and must be met. The program understands and values the preparation and experience that many scholars bring as transfers from the CCC system

Nominees for the UC President's Pre-professoriate fellowship must:

• Be a U.S. Citizen or Permanent Resident. For purposes of this fellowship, AB540 students are eligible. International students are not eligible for this fellowship.

• Be matriculated in an academic Ph.D. program.

  • Professional students are not eligible (e.g. M.D./Pharm.D., JD) 

• Must have received their bachelor’s or master’s degree (please see Master’s definitions and criteria above) from a California Hispanic Serving Institution—public or private. Students that transferred to UC from a California Community College federally designated as an HSI are also eligible if the student completed 24 semester units or quarter equivalent.

• Be an exceptional student (as demonstrated by their research achievements).

• Fellows must have advanced to candidacy prior to being nominated for the fellowship.

• Must have letters of support from faculty advisor(s) that address the student’s performance and potential as an exceptional academic, and comment on the likelihood that the student will pursue a professoriate path after receiving their Ph.D.

• Must have a demonstrated record of advancing equity and inclusion and show commitment to pursuing these efforts throughout their career.

• Preference will be given to students that are not likely to graduate before the end of the academic year for which they will receive their award.

Nomination materials must be submitted as a single PDF file. Required materials include the following:

• Nominee CV (3-page max)

• Student Statement (1-page max)

  • This statement should be written by the nominee and should demonstrate a record of advancing issues of inclusion and equity; and shows commitment to pursuing these efforts throughout their career

  • Format of the statement should be single-spaced with one-inch margins and be typed in Calibri 11-point font

• Two letters of support from Faculty

  • One of these letters must be from the student’s faculty advisor

  • Letters must address the student’s performance and potential as an exceptional academic, and comment on the likelihood that the student will pursue a professoriate path after receiving their Ph.D.

• Department Attestation Form

A department may nominate as many students as they deem appropriate. For document submission please follow these steps:

1. Prepare the nomination materials mentioned above

2. Submit the application through the InfoReady portal

If you have any questions about the nomination process please email GEPAfellowshipnoms@ucsd.edu, which will open a Services and Support ticket with the Graduate Fellowships Team.

Nominations for 2026-2027 academic year are now open. The nomination deadline is Monday, February 2, 2026. Nominations can be submitted through the InfoReady portal

• Current list of California Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs)

• More information about UC-Hispanic Serving Institutions Doctoral Diversity Initiative (UC-HSI DDI)

Please note there were no fellows named for the 2021-22 academic year.

Students may report their professional development activities through this Google Form. 

Question: The requirement states students must have advanced to candidacy prior to being selected for the fellowship. By what date must a student advance in order to qualify?

Answer: The fellowship nomination review and selection process will begin the day after the listed deadline, so nominees should have advanced to candidacy by the nomination due date and this should be apparent in the GEPA's student database. Nominees who have not advanced by the start of the review process will not be considered.

Question: Can a student defer the fellowships to a future year?

Answer: No, a student cannot defer the fellowship to a future year; they would need to reapply during the next cycle.

Question: Do the UC PPPF fellows have to be Hispanic/Chicanx/Latinx?

Answer: No. The UC PPPF is open to all students from California HSIs who meet the program’s eligibility and requirements irrespective of race, ethnicity, national origin, sex, or gender identity.

Question: What if a student attended an institution that is currently an HSI, but wasn’t an HSI at the time of their matriculation? Are they still eligible?

Answer: Yes. If students were matriculated in California HSIs (previously or currently designated) they are eligible. Note that three of UC’s campuses (UCD, UCLA and UCSD) have recently met the minimum eligibility requirements to obtain the federal HSI designation but are not officially designated. For purposes of this fellowship program, UCD, UCLA and UCSD will be considered HSIs.

Question: What if students attended an HSI outside of California, are they eligible?

Answer: No. Only students that attended a California HSI are eligible for this fellowship.

Question: Which type of HSI enrollment makes a student eligible for this program?

Answer: Students that received a bachelor’s degree from a California HSI or a stand-alone master’s degree from a California HSI are eligible. If students attended a California Community College designated as an HSI, they are eligible if they completed at least 24 semester units or quarter equivalent.

Question: If students attended a California Community College (CCC) federally designated as an HSI and obtained the unit requirement, but not an associate degree, are they eligible?

Answer: Yes. UC understands and values the preparation and experience that many scholars bring as transfers from the CCC system. To qualify, students must demonstrate substantive and significant participation at their California Community College federally designated as an HSI by having completed at least 24 semester units or quarter equivalent. An associate degree is not required.

Question: Are students that received a master’s degree from a California HSI eligible?

Answer: It depends. If a student was not enrolled in a stand-alone master’s program at a California HSI and was awarded a master’s degree en-route to the Ph.D., that student is not eligible for the fellowship. If a student was enrolled in and completed a stand-alone master’s degree at a California HSI that student is eligible for the fellowship.

Question: If a student will defend and likely advance to candidacy before the fellowship award year begins, can I nominate them?

Answer: No. Only students that have already advanced to candidacy by the time you submit your nominations are eligible for consideration.

Answer: Does it matter what year in the program our nominees are in?

Question: No, if the student has advanced to candidacy prior to being nominated. UCOP does, however, encourage the selection of students that are not likely to graduate before the end of the academic year for which they will receive their award.