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The Graduate Diversity Program

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Grants & Awards

The office of Graduate Studies, through the Graduate Diversity program currently offers three graduate diversity awards, two of which are sponsored by the California State University Chancellor’s Office. The goal of these awards is to assist students in completing their master’s degrees, enter doctoral programs, and return to teach in the CSU system.

Financial Awards

  • Graduate Equity Fellowship A grant offered to students who have experienced economic and educational disadvantages. Students must meet financial and academic requirements and be classified or conditionally classified in a graduate program at Sacramento State. Once awarded, the grant can be received for up to four (4) semesters. The amount of the grant award varies with each semester. Students that have received the fellowship and want to apply for consecutive semesters, please fill out the Continuing Students application.
  • California Pre-Doctoral Program (Sally Casanova) The Pre-doctoral program is designed to increase the pool of potential university faculty by supporting the doctoral aspirations of individuals who are: current upper division or graduate students in the CSU system; economically and educationally disadvantaged, and U.S. citizens or permanent residents. The grant provides up to $3,000 for students to use for: exposure to research in their chosen fields; visits to doctoral-granting institutions, national symposiums or professional meetings; membership in professional organizations; subscriptions to academic journals; graduate school application fees; graduate examination fees, books and materials.
  • Chancellor's Doctoral Incentive/Forgivable Loan Program This program is designed to increase the diversity of persons qualified to fill instructional faculty positions at campuses in the CSU system. This is a competitive program directed by the CSU system, but it is open to doctoral students at accredited universities across the country. Once awarded, students can receive loans of up to $10,000 per year up to a total of $30,000 within five years for students enrolling in doctoral programs. Applicants must be applying to a doctoral program, obtain sponsorship from a CSU faculty member, and have aspirations of returning to teach in the CSU system.