College Corps at UC San Diego

College Corps at UC San Diego aims to:

• Create a generation of civic-minded leaders with the ability to bridge community divides and address social problems;
• Help low-income students graduate college on time and with less debt;
• Address societal challenges;
• Connect students to community partners via direct service; and
• Help build more equitable communities across California.

What You'll Get

Each student serving as a College Corps Fellow for the 2022-23 academic year will receive:

• An opportunity to create a more just, inclusive and sustainable world by supporting K-12 education, addressing climate change, and food insecurity in our community
• A $10,000 fellowship to help pay for college
• Real-world job experience and resume-building skills
• Access to training, networking, and professional development opportunities
• Connections with fellows throughout California via a virtual community platform and regional events
• A sense of pride and accomplishment in working toward a common purpose alongside young leaders from across the state

UC San Diego College Corps Eligibility

Students interested in applying to the UC San Diego College Corps fellowship should meet the following criteria:

• Full-time, enrolled UC San Diego undergraduate student
• No minimum GPA, but students must be in good academic standing
• Ability to commit to the program for the full academic year

In addition, eligible fellows are required to:

• Complete a National Service Criminal History Check and Live Scan, upon selection
• Commit to the program for the full 450 hours during the academic year (Sept. 2022 - June 2023)
• Not undertake a study abroad program during their participating academic year

The College Corps fellowship is designed for low- to moderate-income students. Therefore, each student selected to join the fellowship should meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Qualifies for a federal Pell grant
• Qualifies for a State Cal Grant or Middle Class Scholarship
• Needs to work part time and/or borrow student loans to meet their educational costs
• Is an AB-540 eligible Dreamer:
  • Must have a completed and submitted a California Dream Act Application (CADAA) for 2022-2023 academic year
  • Must be an active recipient of a Cal Grant B Award for the 2022-2023 academic year
  • Must submit a CA DSIG Application by September 1 to become eligible for Education Award

UC San Diego College Corps fellows will work in one of three service areas:

• Assisting local K-12 schools and education organizations throughout the greater San Diego region;
• Addressing food insecurity in our region; or
• Participating in climate change research/awareness.

Work duties for fellows may include:

• Assisting teachers in physical classrooms;
• Conducting virtual tutoring;
• Serving as a teacher’s assistant;
• Building community partner capacity to address pandemic-related learning loss; or
• Leading food recovery efforts.

Day-to-day activites for College Corps fellows will depend on their placement.

• For students placed in K-12 education, it might look like: working with a teacher to set up their lessons, leading college tutorials, connecting with students 1:1, and working with teachers leading after school tutoring efforts.
• For food insecurity, it might look like: leading food recovery efforts, such as picking up unspoiled food for distribution at the food pantries on UC San Diego's campus.
• For climate change, it might look like: visiting the border to take soil readings, or developing a public communications/education campaign on local issues.

Application Deadline

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis through June 20, 2022.

Notification of Application Decision

Prospective students should expect to be informed of their acceptance into the program on or before July 31, 2022.

College Corps in the News

"California Is Leveraging the Pandemic Into Its Own Peace Corps"
New York Times (subscription required) - January 28, 2022

"New state service program to award participating students $10K for college costs"
The Record - January 20, 2022

"California program will pay college kids $10,000 for a year of volunteer work—and it could be ‘replicated across the nation’"
CNBC - January 19, 2022

"California Volunteers, California Higher Education Institutions Announce Historic College Service Program"
California Volunteers - January 18, 2022

"California College Corps offers $10,000 for tuition through service work"
KPBS - January 18, 2022

Watch the project launch on Facebook.