The Regents of the University of California established the prestigious Regents Scholarship Award in 1962 to recognize incoming undergraduates of outstanding academic achievement and promise. At UCSB, the award is coordinated by the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships. Currently the award is $5,000 per year for four years for entering freshmen.

All Regents Scholarships for the 2026-27 Year Have Been Awarded. Decisions Are Final. No Appeals Will Be Accepted.

As one of the country’s finest institutions of higher learning, UC Santa Barbara affords Regents Scholars many academic and pre-professional experiences, to ensure they reach their full intellectual and career potential.

 

Program Benefits

In addition to the monetary award, Regents Scholars receive:

  • Priority registration beginning Winter quarter of the student's first year.
  • Four years of guaranteed housing. Your first year is guaranteed in the university residence halls. Guaranteed housing in either the university residence halls or undergraduate apartments for subsequent years, and priority consideration for preferred building and room type for the duration of the Regents Scholarship (housing application deadlines and class level eligibility must be met).
  • Extended borrowing privileges at UC Santa Barbara’s Davidson Library to accommodate research needs.
  • Membership in UCSB’s Regents Scholars Association (RSA), presenting opportunities for leadership, interaction with faculty, and academic and social programs.

 

Academic Advising for Regents Scholars:

  • Academic advising for Regents Scholars begins with UC Santa Barbara’s Summer Orientation Program, in which staff prepare you to register for a full load of coursework appropriate for your first quarter at the university.
  • Advising continues in your college and major departments, where you will consult with professional staff regarding courses and educational opportunities in your field. All Regents Scholars have access to faculty advisors.
  • Specialized academic advising is just one of many benefits you will receive as a Regents Scholar at UC Santa Barbara. Join us in embracing the numerous intellectual opportunities that UC Santa Barbara affords its top student scholars.

The Selection Process

The Regents Scholars selection committee conducts a comprehensive review of the freshman applicant pool to determine the student’s strength and breadth of academic preparation. Selection is based on a thorough review of the admissions application. To be eligible for the Regents Scholarship, you must be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or a non-citizen student qualifying under California Assembly Bills 130 or 131 with outstanding academic qualifications. Only students who fall under these categories are eligible for the Regents Scholarship.

All freshmen admitted for the fall quarter at UCSB are considered for the Regents Scholarship, based on their UC Application for Admission. No additional information is required. UCSB typically offers the scholarship to students within the top two percent of admitted freshmen. Students are notified in March if they have been selected. 

Decisions of the Regents Scholarship Committee are final. Appeals are not accepted.

Maintaining Scholarship Eligibility:

GPA

To remain eligible for their scholarship, Regents Scholars are required to maintain both a quarterly and cumulative GPA of 3.20. Should the cumulative GPA drop below 3.20, students are normally allowed two quarters to raise their GPA above 3.20 if it is the first occurrence. Similarly, should the quarterly GPA fall below 3.20, students are typically allowed one quarter to raise their quarterly GPA above 3.20 for the first or second occurrence.

Exceptional situations will be reviewed by a faculty committee. In cases of marked improvement, students may be given, at the discretion of a faculty review committee, an additional quarter to make up any deficits. Students who lose their scholarship may petition to have it reinstated.

Units

Requirements: A full-time unit load of 12 or more units completed per quarter, or 36 units per year, is required for the Regents Scholarship. The 12-unit requirement also applies to summer quarters during which the student receives Regents Scholarship funding. Warning letters are sent to students whose end of-quarter units fall below 12. Student records will be checked at the end of each spring quarter. Students whose completed units fall below 36 units for the academic year will lose their scholarship. This policy is subject to appeal, and could result in reduced award amount. A faculty committee will review appeals and make final decisions regarding the student’s scholarship status.

Reduced Awards: Student records will be checked by computer on the census date (15 days into the quarter) for enrolled unit loads. Students whose loads are from 9-12 units will receive only 75% of their award, and students whose loads are from 6-8 units will receive only 50% of their award. Students whose loads are below 6 units will not receive any portion of their scholarship for that quarter.

Reduced Awards – Special Cases: Students who have an approved petition for a deficit load and reduced educational fee from their College will receive 50% of their award.

 

Use and Disbursement of Scholarship Funds:

  • The Regents Scholarship is a yearly award for up to four years or until graduation (whichever comes first). Scholarship funds are disbursed evenly over the three quarters (fall, winter, and spring) of each academic year.
  • Financial support is available upon request for Regents Scholars who take a full load during a summer session or the Freshman Summer Start Program (FSSP), provided that the total number of funded quarters (or sessions) does not exceed 12 quarters. If funds are used for FSSP, the earned GPA from the program is held to the same standard as cited above (See Maintaining Scholarship Eligibility: GPA). To request to use a quarter's eligibility during summer, an email should be sent to the Regents Scholars Financial Aid Advisor, listing what summer courses will be taken to make up the full-time load. Requests must be made prior to the deadline set for the payment of summer session fees. Funds will not be disbursed retroactively for classes already taken in a previous summer session or FSSP.
  • Some Regents Scholars graduate in less than four years. One quarter's worth of eligibility is used for each quarter of attendance and for summer session attendance, if requested beforehand (see above). If you think you might graduate early and plan to take classes in the summer, you should consider whether you want to use your Regents Scholarship to fund full-time summer session attendance. Scholars who graduate early and do not exhaust their full eligibility of 12 quarters will not receive the scholarship funds earmarked for any future quarters.

 

Questions & Answers:

Regents Scholars may be granted a leave of absence due to personal circumstances, by request to the Regents Scholars Committee. Usually, a leave of absence may not last more than one year (three academic quarters) and will be granted only once during a student’s enrollment at UC Santa Barbara. A request for a leave of absence should be submitted to the attention of the faculty review committee coordinator listed below (contact for appeals).

Yes, scholarship funds may be used while a student is enrolled in the University of California’s Education Abroad Program. Additionally, the scholarship can be used with university-sponsored domestic programs, such as the Intercampus Visitor Program, the UCSB Washington Center Program in Washington D.C. and the UC Center in Sacramento, California. The scholarship does not cover costs of non-UC-sponsored programs. Students who decide to participate in a non-UC-sponsored program must file a petition for a leave of absence. The scholarship will be reinstated when the student returns to UCSB.

Questions about Scholarship disbursements and financial aid: email finaid@sa.ucsb.edu

General UCSB questions: email admissions@ucsb.edu

Housing: email housinginfo@housing.ucsb.edu

Appeals for current Regents Scholars: email Michael Miller, Associate Vice Chancellor and Dean Undergraduate Studies, L&S michael.miller.uged_dean@ltsc.ucsb.edu