Academic Advancement Program (AAP) Scholarships

The Academic Advancement Program (AAP) will be awarding scholarships to AAP students for the 2025-26 academic year. The average scholarship award is $1,500- $5,000.

ELIGIBILITY
All AAP students who have completed 36 units, have not exceeded 150 units at the college or university level, and who have a minimum cumulative UCLA GPA of 2.75 or better by the end of the 2024 Fall Quarter are eligible to apply. To receive the scholarship, you must be enrolled as a full-time undergraduate during the entire 2025-2026 academic year and apply for financial aid by filling out the FAFSA or the CA Dream Application.

If you currently have a multi-year scholarship it may render you ineligible for an AAP scholarship. Please check with the Financial Aid Office before applying.

INSTRUCTIONS
Your application and all supporting materials must be submitted by 11:59PM on Thursday, February 27th, 2025. No late or incomplete applications will be accepted. A completed application includes:

  1. Select at least one item from the list of career goals/interests on the general application. (Reminder: A submitted general application is required, prior to applying for the AAP Scholarship application.)
  2. AAP Personal Statement: Describe in 350-500 words why you should be chosen for an AAP Scholarship and include any personal challenges, obstacles, or major event(s) in your life you’ve overcome, if any.
  3. Essay: Answer one of the two questions in a 500-600 word essay. Note: The essay question counts for over half of your final score. Be sure to proofread, use spell check, and edit your work carefully before adding your essay to the application. You can add your essay to your application at any point before the submission deadline. Remember: the application will not be considered complete until the essay is submitted.
  4. Letter of Recommendation: The letter must be from a UCLA instructor (faculty or TA) who appears as the “instructor of record” for a current or past class on your study list.

AAP Scholarship Application Workshops
AAP staff will present scholarship information workshops. The workshops will be held on Wednesday, January 22nd from 4-5pm via Zoom and Thursday, January 23rd from 4-5pm via Zoom. Students will receive important information about the online application process, letter of recommendation, personal statement, and essay. For Zoom information or general questions regarding the scholarship contact AAP at: aapscholarship@college.ucla.edu.

Award
up to $5,000
Deadline
02/27/2025
Supplemental Questions
  1. Please confirm you are currently participating in AAP.
  2. AAP Personal Statement
  3. AAP Essay Choice
    • 1. Current Events: Following the 2024 election results, many people have felt a sense of disillusionment and/or helplessness. What specific challenges or needs are you or your community facing right now? While personal resilience is important, what kinds of external support, resources, or systemic changes do you think are necessary to navigate these feelings and help you and your community thrive?
    • 2. UCLA Common Experience: The War for Kindness has been selected as the UCLA Common Experience title for the 2024-2025 academic year. In a world fractured by social, political, economic and cultural differences, we are reminded of the power that empathy and kindness play in creating a more inclusive environment. We are inspired to take action to increase our capacity for empathy and make our world a brighter, kinder home.
  4. AAP LETTER OF REFERENCE: Please provide the name and e-mail of a UCLA instructor (faculty or TA) who will provide a letter of reference