The Achievement Award Program

Since 1999, The Achievement Award Program (TAAP) has provided students from low income backgrounds with the resources needed to attend and excel at UC Berkeley. TAAP serves high-achieving, community-minded students from the moment they choose UC Berkeley through their undergraduate career, providing both financial assistance and supportive programming.

Eligibility Requirements:

  • Completed high school, GED, or community college requirements in California
  • Incoming first year or community college junior transfer student for Fall 2025 – Spring 2026
  • Financial Need – defined as being eligible for Cal Grant B

Program Requirements:

1. Have financial need (meet the income ceiling of Cal Grant B)
2. Full-time enrollment at UC Berkeley
3. Meet annual program requirements (i.e. regular check-ins with counselors, workshops, dinners, and other events throughout the academic year
4. “Satisfactory Academic Progress” as defined by the Office of Financial Aid and the scholar’s college

Award
$8000 annually
Deadline
05/11/2025
Supplemental Questions
  1. UC Application ID:
    PLEASE NOTE: Incoming UC Berkeley students, if this number is incorrect, we will be unable to consider you for any award.
  2. I confirm that I qualify for this scholarship as an incoming first year student or an incoming junior transfer student for the 2025-2026 academic year.
  3. UC Berkeley Student ID (SID)
  4. UC Berkeley Email Address

  5. Do justice to your journey! These essays are your opportunity to share more about yourself and articulate how your experiences have helped you grow into the person you are today. We are interested in students who demonstrate a passion to give back to their communities and a drive to excel at UC Berkeley.

    Evaluator Access: Application evaluators will not have access to your UC application. However, these questions are similar to the UC Personal Insight Questions. You may reuse your UC Personal Insight answers if they are relevant.

    Formatting Rules: Your responses must be submitted in plain text only. Do not use italics, boldface, bullet points, underlining, or special characters like accent marks.

    Links are not allowed in your responses.

    If you need to add a paragraph break, press Enter twice to create a double return.

    Tips for Your Response: Before you begin, take time to think about your answers.

    There is no right or wrong way to answer these questions—focus on sharing your personality, background, interests, and achievements in your own unique voice.

  6. Essay 1: Describe the impact you've had on your community and how your community has shaped you.
  7. Essay 2: What do you hope to achieve in your career in 10 years academically and professionally? How do you plan to achieve those goals?
  8. By checking this button, I hereby confirm that all of the information above is accurate and truthful to the best of my knowledge and written and submitted by me. I certify that I meet all eligibility requirements as specified on this application. I release this information to Cal Alumni Association (CAA) and its staff and volunteers for the purposes of evaluating my scholarship application. I understand that some of the biographical information included in my application may be released to the donor(s) of my alumni scholarship. I understand that the information given may be investigated and that any false representation or evidence of plagiarism is sufficient cause for rejection of this application or if awarded scholarship benefits, that I am liable for the return of all awarded funds. I also give permission to the UC Berkeley Office of Undergraduate Admission and the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships to release any and all information included in my Application for Undergraduate Admission and Scholarships to the CAA, provided that such information is used for the purpose of evaluating my application for the Alumni Scholars Program.
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