Prospective IDEA Scholars
Watch this recording of the 2022 IDEA Scholars Information Session for an inside look at the benefits of participating in the IDEA Scholars program and tips to make your application stand out!
About the Program
The goal of the Jacobs School's IDEA Scholars Program is to foster community building and academic excellence among our top incoming freshman engineering students from diverse backgrounds. As an IDEA Scholar, you will join a select group of students who will serve as ambassadors for the Jacobs School throughout your time at UC San Diego.
- Started 2011
- 185 Current Participants
- 220 Alumni
- IDEA Scholars graduate with an engineering degree at a higher rate than Jacobs School students
- 2011 cohort: 77% graduation rate (23% higher than retention rate among engineering freshmen from underrepresented student groups who were admitted at the same time, and were not IDEA Scholars)
- 2012 cohort: 74% graduation rate (14% higher than retention rate among engineering freshmen from underrepresented student groups who were admitted at the same time, and were not IDEA Scholars)
Key Benefits of being an IDEA Scholar Include
- Priority Access to Scholarship Applications
- Mentoring from Jacobs School Students, Alumni and Faculty
- Personal, Professional and Leadership Development Opportunities
- Involvement in a Fostered Engineering Community
- Networking Opportunities with Engineering Companies
- IDEA Scholar Medal Upon Graduation
Application for the 2024 Cohort Now Open!
The application for the IDEA Scholars program is at the end of the Summer Engineering Institute application. All IDEA Scholar candidates must apply to both programs. If offered admission to the IDEA Scholars program, candidates must attend SEI in full. Applications for the IDEA Scholars program is a one-time window. The IDEA Scholars program is currently not available to transfer students or students entering their second year.
Visit the Summer Engineering Institute website for more information about SEI.
For questions about the IDEA Scholars Program, contact: ideascholars@ucsd.edu
IDEA Scholar Achievements
Admitted into Graduate Programs at
IDEA Scholar Achievements
Academic/Research
- Churchill Scholars
- McNair Scholars
- Gilman Scholars
- California Louis Stokes Minority Alliance Scholarship (CAMP)
- TRELS Quarterly, Summer, and International
- Summer EnVision Experience (SEE)
- UC Leads
- Purdue (University) Summer Research Fellowship
- Cornell University Summer Research Fellowship
Student Leadership
- Triton Engineering Student Council (TESC)
- Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE)
- Society of Women Engineers (SWE)
- Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
- American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)
- Students for Exploration and Development of Space (SEDS)
- Triton Racing
- Rocket Propulsion Laboratory (RPL)
- Engineers without Borders