The Fiat Lux Scholarship creates opportunities for resilient students with unique life experiences to make a profound impact at the University of California, Berkeley.
Established for high-achieving students from partner high schools in California, the scholarship provides monetary, community, and academic support to UC Berkeley students.
“The Fiat Lux Scholarship has given me the opportunity to focus on my academics without working or worrying about how to pay for an amazing education. Coming from a low income family I understand the feeling of not having enough money to pursue your dreams. This once in a lifetime scholarship has offered countless opportunities to network and gain a head start at the number one public university in the nation!”
Daisy B.
Fiat Lux Scholar, Media Studies major
Support and Community for High-Achievers at UC Berkeley
One of the highest academic honors offered to new students, the scholarship supports California’s best and brightest for the length of their undergraduate studies at UC Berkeley. The scholarship provides opportunities to network with faculty, current scholars, and alumni, and create enduring relationships that support success and seed future endeavors.
All students who apply for financial aid at Berkeley are automatically considered (no extra application needed!). The monetary award meets up to the full financial need of the cost of attendance (as determined by the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office).
Fiat Lux Scholarship recipients shine brightly at Berkeley. Discover a scholarship program offering a wealth of support, community, and enrichment that opens doors to a lifelong pursuit of excellence and service. “Let there be light!”
You can also download Berkeley’s Luminaries: Fiat Lux Scholarship (PDF) for information.
- Fiat Lux: Prosperity Through Partnershipadd
UC Berkeley's faculty established the Fiat Lux Scholarship in 2016 with the goal to attract high-achieving students from local high schools in California to UC Berkeley.
The Fiat Lux Scholarship program goals are the following:
- Create a robust scholarship program focused on supporting the Bay Area, Central Coast area (Salinas), San Jose, Sequoia, Sacramento, San Diego, and Los Angeles.
- Support low-income college students.
- Align with ongoing UC systemwide efforts to provide open and equitable access to opportunities for learning and development for all communities.
The Office of Undergraduate Admissions trains scholars to do outreach in local partnering high schools with the support of Berkeley's Center for Educational Partnerships. This proven and highly successful program promotes "giving back” through the scholars. They become aspirational role models for the high school students and provide help during college information sessions at various events and partnering high schools.
- Partner High Schoolsadd
Alameda County Office of Education
- Alameda High School
- Encinal High School
Albany High School District
- Albany High School
Antelope Valley Union High
- Antelope Valley High School
- Littlerock High School
- Palmdale High School
Berkeley Unified School District
- Berkeley High School
- Brawley Union High School
Calexico Unified
- Calexico High School
Calipatria Unified
- Calipatria High School
Central Union High
Central Union High SchoolCoachella Valley Unified
- Desert Mirage High School
Colton Joint Unified
Colton High School
Compton Unified
Dominguez High SchoolCutler-Orosi Joint
- Orosi High School
Dinuba Unified
- Dinuba High School
East Side Union High School District
- Accel Middle College
- Andrew Hill High School
- Evergreen Valley High School
- Independence High School
- James Lick High School
- Mt. Pleasant High School
- Oak Grove High School
- Piedmont Hill High School
- Santa Teresa High School
- Silver Creek High School
- W.C. Overfelt High School
- Yerba Buena High School
- Florin High School
- Valley High
Emery Unified School District
- Emery High School
- Burney Junior-Senior High School
- Fontana High School
Fresno Unified
- Edison High School
Hesperia Unified School District
- Oak Hills High School
Kern High School District
- Ridgeview High School
- South High School
Klamath-Trinity Joint Unified School District
- Hoopa Valley High School
- Madera South High School
Mendota Unified
- Mendota High School
- Atwater High School
- Golden Valley High School
Modoc Joint Unified
- Modoc High School
- Moreno Valley High School
Lennox Mathematics Science and
Technology Academy District
- Lennox Academy
- Lompoc High School
- Cabrillo High School
- Jordan High School
- 32nd Street School/ USC Magnet
- Academic Leadership Community
- Accelerated Wallis Annenberg
- Alliance Susan and Eric Smidt Technology High
- Alliance Burton Technology High School
- Angelou Community High School
- Belmont High School
- Bell High School
- Benjamin Franklin High School
- Canoga Park High School
- Carson High School
- Cleveland High School
- Communication and Technology School Rivera Learning Complex
- Contreras Learning Center-School of Social Justice
- Contreras Learning Center-School of Business & Tourism
Critical Design and Gaming School - Diego Rivera Learning Complex- Performing Arts Community School
Downtown Magnets High School
East Los Angeles Renaissance Academy: Esteban Torres
High School - Edward Roybal Learning Center
Esteban Torres High School Engineering
& Technology Academy
Esteban Torres High School-
Humanitas Academy of Art & Technology - Felicitas and Gonzalo Mendez High School
George Washington Preparatory High
School - Green Design Community School
- Helen Bernstein High School
- Helen Bernstein STEM
Hilda L. Solis Learning Academy - Huntington Park High School
- James A. Garfield High School
- James Monroe High School
- John C Fremont Senior High School
- Jordan High School
- King/Drew Magnet High School of Medicine and Science
- Libra Academy at Linda Marquez High School
Lincoln High School - Linda Esperanza Marquez High Huntington Park Institute of Applied Medicine
- Linda Esperanza Marquez High C School of Social Justice
Los Angeles Senior High School - Manual Arts Senior High
- Math, Science, and Technology Magnet Academy at Roosevelt High School
- Maywood Academy High School
- Media Arts & Engineering Magnet
- Mervyn M Dymally High School
- Marco Antonio Firebaugh High School
- Panorama High School
- Phineas Banning High School
- RISE at Augustus Hawkins High
- Robert Fulton College Preparatory
- San Fernando High School
- Santee Education Complex
- School Bus Tour
- School Visual Arts Humanities
South East High School - South Region High #12 Technology, Arts and Design High
Susan Miller Dorsey Senior High - Synergy Quantum Academy
- Theodore Roosevelt High School
- Thomas Jefferson High School
Vapa Legacy High School Complex - West Adams Preparatory High School
- Woodrow Wilson High School
Oakland Unified School District
- Arise High School
- Aspire Lionel Wilson College Prep
- Bay Tech Bay Area Technology School
- Castlemont High School
- Envision Academy Arts & Technology
- Fremont High School
- Life Academy High School
- Lighthouse Community Charter
- LPS Oakland R&D Campus
- McClymonds High School
- Oakland Charter High School
- Oakland High School
- Oakland Military Inst Col Prep
- Oakland School for the Arts
- Oakland Tech High School
- Oakland Unity High School
- Skyline High School
- Paramount High School
Parlier Unified
- Parlier High School
Patterson Joint Unified School District
- Patterson High School
- Harmony Magnet Academy
Sacramento City Unified School District
- C.K. McClatchy High School
- Hiram W. Johnson High School
- Luther Burbank High School
- Sacramento Charter High School
Salinas Union High School District
- Alisal High School
- Everett Alvarez High School
- North Salinas High School
- Salinas High School
San Bernardino City Unified
- Arroyo Valley Senior High School
San Diego Unified School District
- Crawford High School
- Hoover High School
- Lincoln High School
San Francisco Unified School District
- Abraham Lincoln High School
- Academy of Arts and Sciences
- Balboa High School
- City Arts and Leadership Academy
- Galileo Academy of Science and Technology
- Gateway High School*
- George Washington High School
- John O'Connell High School
- Lowell High School
- Mission High School
- Phillip and Sala Burton High School
- Raoul Wallenberg Traditional
- Ruth Asawa School of the Arts
- Thurgood Marshall Academic High School
- Santa Maria High School
Sequoia School District
- Carlmont High School
- East Palo Alto Academy
- Menlo-Atherton High School
- Sequoia High School
- Woodside High School
- Eastside College Preparatory School
Siskiyou Union High School District
- Happy Camp High School
- Soledad High School
- Edison High School
- Stagg High School
Surprise Valley Joint Unified
- Surprise Valley High School
Sweetwater Union High
- Sweetwater High School
Twin Rivers Unified
- Grant Union High School
- Foothill High School
West Contra Costa Unified School District
- Aspire Richmond Cal Cpl Col and Prep Acad
- De Anza High School
- El Cerrito High School
- John F. Kennedy High School
- Leadership Public School Richmond
- Middle College High School
- Pinole Valley High School
- Richmond High School
Yreka Union High School District
- Yreka High School
* Charter high schools that currently operate independently within school district boundaries. - Fiat Lux Scholarship Benefitsadd
Monetary Award and Scholarship Tenure
Scholars are awarded up to their full financial need based on the California resident student budget, as determined by the UC Berkeley Financial Aid and Scholarships Office. Awards are renewed annually for a maximum of eight semesters, provided the scholar maintains satisfactory academic progress and has continued financial need. Maintaining a minimum 3.0 cumulative grade point average is encouraged.
Faculty Mentor
Scholars are matched with a faculty mentor who provides guidance and encouragement on their long-term academic, personal, and professional growth. Mentors are volunteers from the Academic Senate Committee on Undergraduate Scholarships, Honors, and Financial Aid (CUSHFA) and the faculty at large.
Fiat Lux Scholars Association (FLSA)
Scholars are automatic members of this student organization that sponsors academic and social activities, community service projects, and outreach events to Fiat Lux Partner schools. Sponsored activities will allow scholars to network with faculty, staff, and their peers in an informal environment.
Priority Class Enrollment
Scholars receive priority class enrollment starting the second semester of their incoming first-year.
Research Fellowship
Scholars have the opportunity to apply for a one-time $1,000 stipend to support research project expenses.
Financial Aid Advising
Scholars are paired with a dedicated scholarship adviser who provides support and information about scholarships, financial aid, academic advising, and other campus resources. The Undergraduate Scholarships, Prizes, and Honors Office acts as intermediary for Fiat Lux scholars with the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office for financial aid issues.
- Eligibility Requirementsadd
Scholarship Candidates are:
- Admitted first-year students who graduated from one of the partner high schools and who attended a partner high school for at least three years
- U.S. citizens or eligible noncitizens (California Dream Act Application or hold a permanent resident card)
- California residents or eligible nonresidents (AB 540 nonresident tuition exemption)
- Eligible for need-based financial aid
- Selection Processadd
Candidates are high-achieving eligible admitted first-year students who have attended one of the program’s partner high schools for at least three years.
Students are automatically considered by submitting their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or California Dream Act Application. Candidates are identified on the basis of information supplied in their application for admission and their FAFSA and California Dream Act Application. Only students with financial need are eligible. California residents, eligible nonresidents, U.S. citizens, and eligible noncitizens are considered.
As part of a holistic review process, candidates are invited to a one-on-one interview with a Berkeley faculty member in late March. Interviews are scheduled in early April. Berkeley faculty select scholarship recipients.
Candidates are notified of their scholarship status before the Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) deadline. Scholarship awarding operates under the oversight of the Academic Senate Committee on Undergraduate Scholarships, Honors, and Financial Aid.
- Frequently Asked Questionsadd
1. Do I need to submit an application to be considered for the Fiat Lux Scholarship?
There is no separate or additional application for the Fiat Lux Scholarship. All students who apply to UC Berkeley are automatically considered for the scholarship if they are from one of the Fiat Lux partner schools. If you are not selected as a candidate, there are many other University scholarships you will still be considered for. Remember to apply for financial aid by filling out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and if you are eligible for any University scholarships, the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office will notify you in April. Students without financial need are ineligible.
2. I am a Fiat Lux Scholarship candidate. When and how will I be notified about receiving the award? How do I accept the award?
Notifications are sent to students close to the Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) deadline. You will also see your scholarship award online under My Finances at CalCentral. To accept your Fiat Lux Scholarship, respond to the Fiat Lux Scholarship tasks found on CalCentral. You should have read the Fiat Lux Scholarship Contract Terms and Conditions which were made available on your tasks on CalCentral.
3. Will there be an adjustment to my Fiat Lux Scholarship if I receive any outside scholarships?
Yes. Outside agency awards are applied toward your gross financial need and may require the campus to reduce the amount of the Fiat Lux Scholarship.
4. Will I lose my Fiat Lux Scholarship if I need to take time away from school?
Fiat Lux scholars are eligible to take two semesters of leave from the scholarship. Scholars must attend one semester at UC Berkeley before requesting a leave of absence. Scholars cannot request a leave of absence for any semester in which they have already received the scholarship. You will need to complete a Leave of Absence form and return it to your assigned scholarship coordinator.
Looking to help move the Fiat Lux mission forward? You can do so by contributing to the Fiat Lux Scholarship Program. With each donation, you help the next generation of Berkeley students shine brighter and enrich our ever-growing campus community. Donate today.