Scholarships and Financial Aid

Website: https://www.csun.edu/humanities/asian-american-studies/scholarships-and-student-awards

Laura Uba Academic Achievement Award ($100 - $1000)

The student who receives this award should be a major/double-major in AAS and has demonstrated a strong academic performance and critical understanding of AAS and/ or Ethnic Studies. Priority will be given to a student with senior standing.

The student who receives this award should be a major/double-major in AAS and has demonstrated a strong academic performance and critical understanding of AAS and/ or Ethnic Studies. Priority will be given to a student with senior standing.

Donna Kawamoto Special Achievement Award ($250 - $1000)

The student who receives this award may not necessarily have a high GPA or be considered a visible leader, but the student has demonstrated resiliency and a strong ability to overcome unusual hardships and life circumstances while pursuing higher education.

Enrique de la Cruz Social Justice Award ($100 - $1000)

The student who receives this award has demonstrated a commitment to ending social oppression, an impact on Asian and/ or Pacific Islander American communities on- or off-campus, and /or involvement in social justice organizations or projects; and completed or are in the process of completing community internship hours via the AAS 495 or 497 courses. 

Kenyon Chan Outstanding Leadership Award ($1000)

The student who receives this award is an AAS major, double major, or minor; and has demonstrated the goals and values of the department, as well as campus leadership. The student is engaged in practices that bridge the university and Asian and/ or Pacific Islander American communities, and has advanced Ethnic Studies through research and/or activism. 

Arbaquez & Alcantara Outstanding Essay Award ($1000)

This is an annual prize for an Outstanding Essay on the topic of "Asian Americans and Education." Submissions are open only to CSUN AAS majors, double majors, and minors. CSUN graduate students who majored, double-majored, and minored in AAS may also be considered. Current AAS majors, double majors and minors will be given priority.

Asian & Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund
(NOT AFFILIATED WITH CSUN or the Asian American Studies Department)
Website: http://www.apiasf.org/scholarship_apiasf.html

APIASF provides scholarships to underserved AAPI students with a special focus on those who: live at or below the poverty level, or are otherwise of low socioeconomic status; are the first in their families to attend college; are representative of the AAPI community's diversity, geographically and ethnically, especially those ethnicities that have been underrepresented on college campuses due to limited access and opportunity; and have placed strong emphasis on community service and leadership as well as solid academic achievement.

Asian Pacific Fund Scholarship Programs
(NOT AFFILIATED WITH CSUN or the Asian American Studies Department)
Website: http://asianpacificfund.org/what-we-do/scholarships/apply-for-scholarship/

The Asian Pacific Fund administers 13 scholarship programs to help undergraduate and graduate students achieve their education goals. To apply for a scholarship administered by the Asian Pacific Fund, please review the complete eligibility criteria for each scholarship program, and download the application for the program(s) for which you are eligible.

Website: https://www.csun.edu/humanities/chicana-chicano-studies/scholarships

Office: Jerome Richfield Hall 148 

La Raza Alumni Association (LRAA): 

• Rudy Acuña Scholarship or Frank Del Olmo Memorial Scholarship ($250 - $1000 disbursed over a two-semester period)

MEChA/ Chicana/o Studies Scholarship ($250 - $500)

MEChA CSUN office: Jerome Richfield Hall 148

Website: https://www.csun.edu/humanities/english/awards-prizes

The department offers a number of prizes for students who excel in their academic work. For further information on how to apply for these prizes, please contact the main office at 818-677-3431. 

The Academy of American Poets Prize

The Academy of American Poets sponsors an annual poetry contest with an award of $100 given for the best poem or poems. One Honorable Mention may also be awarded. Students may submit up to three poems by early April to the Department of English. The contest will be judged by an established poet, and the winners will be announced during the English Department Commencement celebration. Submission guidelines are available in Sierra Tower 706. For further information please contact Leilani Hall (818) 677-3428 or Dorothy Barresi (818) 677-0911.  Cover sheet available here (PDF)

The Harry Finestone Memorial Award 

A prize of $750 will be given each year to the graduate student with the most distinguished essay completed in the department's capstone graduate seminar, English 698D. The essay must be nominated by the faculty director, and the faculty panel will evaluate the nominated essays on the following criteria: originality of concept; potential scholarly impact; logical, effective organization; and clarity, coherence, and elegance of prose style. This award honors the memory of Harry Finestone who joined what was then San Fernando Valley State College, now California State University, Northridge, in 1962.

The Henry Van Slooten Scholarship in English

A scholarship of approximately $500.00 will be given to any student in English 258, English 259, English 275, or English 355 who has written an essay (open topic) that best demonstrates "a passion for the English language." Students cannot directly apply for this award. Instructors must submit qualifying essays to Chair of the Awards Committee, either by e-mail or department mailbox.  Students: If you wish to have your essay entered into the competition, you may ask the professor you had for one of these courses if she or he would consider nominating your essay. 

The Lesley Johnstone Memorial Award

A prize of $500 given to an undergraduate CSUN student who is the author of the best-written work on some aspect of the natural world or environment. Eligible work, whether scholarly or creative, must have been written in an English class or for a class-related conference or publication.

The Mahlon Gaumer Award 

In memory of Mahlon Gaumer, a former Professor in the Department, an annual prize of $500 established by his family will be awarded to a CSUN graduate student who is the author of the best critical essay on English literature--with an emphasis on the use of language--submitted during the academic year. Application guidelines are available in Sierra Tower 706 and are due in early May. The award will be made by a committee appointed annually by the Department of English.

The Professor Mitchell Marcus Prize in English

In memory of Mitchell Marcus, a former Professor in the Department (1958-1983), a prize of $3,500 will be awarded each spring semester to the graduate student whose achievements in the study of English are considered by the faculty as the most distinguished. Application guidelines are available in Sierra Tower 706 and are due in early May. The award will be made by a committee appointed annually by the Department of English.

The Robert apRoberts English Honors Essay Prize

To commemorate Robert apRoberts, Professor Emeritus and founder of the Honors Program, an annual prize of $250 will be awarded to the English Honors student whose paper completed in the Honors Revision Seminar (497A) is judged to be the best submitted during that academic year. Application guidelines are available in Sierra Tower 706 and are due in early May. The award will be made by a committee appointed annually by the Department of English.

Thomas Matthew Magness Graduate Memorial Fund 

Thomas Matthew Magness Graduate Memorial Fund awards funds of up to $500 annually to Department of English graduate students to present at a domestic, off-campus, professional conference. The exact amount and number of the awards will be determined annually by the department based on the funds available and the number of applications received in that year.  The applications will be reviewed by a department committee, convened each year by the chair of the English Department. Preference will be given to students who have not been awarded support during the last two consecutive cycles. 

Fall Awards

The Eva Latif Writing Prize in Children's Literature

To commemorate Eva Latif, her colleagues and friends offer an annual prize of $400 to the author of the best piece of writing, critical or creative, by a student on the subject of children's literature. Faculty may nominate students for this award by submitting their papers to the English Department office, and students may nominate themselves by similarly submitting their papers.  The award will be made by a committee appointed annually by the Department of English.

The Linda Nichols Joseph English Merit Scholarship

In memory of Linda Nichols Joseph, an English major who graduated from CSUN cum laude in 1981, up to four prizes of $2,000 each will be awarded every year to undergraduate English majors who have demonstrated excellence in their studies. Particular consideration will be given to applicants who demonstrate financial need, who have taken a non-traditional path to college, or who demonstrate engagement in the discipline and/or commitment to further study in English.  However, all applicants who meet the minimum GPA criterion are encouraged to apply. 

The Northridge Review Fiction Award

The Northridge Review Fiction Award is an annual prize to be awarded by the Northridge Review to the author of that short story judged to be the best published in the magazine during the academic year. The recipient, who must be a registered student for at least one semester during the year in which the story is published, will be awarded $100. The funds for the award are administered by the Chair of the Department of English.

The Oliver W. Evans Writing Prize

To commemorate Oliver W. Evans, his colleagues and friends have established an annual prize of $400 to be awarded to the author of the best piece of prose, critical or creative, submitted in an upper-division English course during the academic year. Faculty may nominate students for this award by submitting their papers to the English Department office, and students may nominate themselves by similarly submitting their papers.  The award will be made by a committee appointed annually by the Department of English.

The Peterson Morley Award

An award of $1,000 will be bestowed annually upon a student currently enrolled as an English major at CSUN in either the undergraduate or graduate program, who plans to enter the teaching profession at any level.  Applications from students who demonstrate financial need to complete their studies will be given particular attention.  This award is given in honor of Annamarie Peterson Morley, a professor at CSUN from 1965 to 1980, who taught with warmth, grace, humor, and wisdom.  She was an elegant and humane woman, a model for teachers and students. 

The Philip E. Love English 205 Scholarship

A prize of $500 will be given each year to the student whose achievements in the study of Business Communication are considered by the faculty as the most distinguished.  This award honors the work and business contributions of Philip E. Love, a local entrepreneur whose success in the professional occurred before he could finish his bachelor’s degree, and kept him from returning to complete it.  This award, thus, was conceived both to encourage and recognize continuing academic achievement for students who are also committed to the professional business world. The Philip E. Love award is funded by his family. 

The Rachel Sherwood Poetry Prize

To preserve the memory of Rachel Sherwood, her friends have established an annual prize to be awarded by the Northridge Review to the author of that poem judged to be the best published in the magazine during the academic year. The recipient, who must be a registered student for at least one semester during the year in which the poem is published, will be awarded $100. The funds for the award are administered by the Chair of the Department of English.

The Richard Lid and Helen Lodge Scholarship

The Richard Lid and Helen Lodge Scholarship is an annual award of $500 given to a graduate student enrolled in English and/or Secondary English Education to help pay fees for graduate work. The award honors Richard Lid, Professor Emeritus of English and Helen Lodge, Professor Emeritus of Secondary Education, who were the founders of the Northridge Writing Project. The applicant must concurrently be teaching in middle school or secondary school or be on sabbatical. The award is given in even-numbered years by the Department of English and in odd-numbered years by the Department of Secondary Education.

Thomas Matthew Magness Graduate Memorial Fund 

Thomas Matthew Magness Graduate Memorial Fund awards funds of up to $500 annually to Department of English graduate students to present at a domestic, off-campus, professional conference.  This award honors the memory of Thomas Matthew Magness, undergraduate and graduate honors student at CSUN. The exact amount and number of the awards will be determined annually by the department based on the funds available and the number of applications received in that year. The applications will be reviewed by a department committee, convened each year by the chair of the English Department. Preference will be given to students who have not been awarded support during the last two consecutive cycles. 

The William L. Wilson Award

A scholarship of $1,600 will be given to an English major who plans to teach at the secondary level. This scholarship has been established to honor the memory of William L. Wilson, a career Army officer who taught high school for many years upon his retirement from the U.S. Army.  He pursued his own continuing education throughout his lifetime and always taught by example the qualities of honesty, compassion, and justice. The scholarship is intended to recognize and encourage students who work diligently to get their degrees and achieve their career potential in spite of additional obligations such as work or family.

Website: https://www.csun.edu/humanities/gender-womens-studies/scholarships

Shannon L. Hamm Scholarship ($300 - $500)

The Shannon L. Hamm Memorial Gender & Women Studies Scholarship is offered through the Gender and Women's Studies Department at California State University, Northridge. It was established by Dr. Amir Hussein in memory of his wife Shannon L. Hamm who believed strongly in furthering and supporting a feminist education.

Awarded annually to one or two outstanding GWS majors with at least junior standing at the time of application.

• Applicant must have a minimum 3.0 GPA
• Applicant must submit to the GWS office a 500-700 word essay on how majoring in GWS has impacted their worldview and life.

Nayereh &  Mahnaz Tohidi Scholarship Endowment

Deadline: April 30th, 2021

The Nayereh & Mahnaz Tohidi Scholarship Endowment was established by GWS Professor Emeritus Nayereh Tohidi and her spouse, Kazem Alamdari, retired Professor of Sociology, both tireless defenders of human and women’s rights. The endowment is in honor of Dr. Mahnaz Tohidi, a dedicated physician whose life was cut short due to the repressive situation in her home country, Iran. The amount awarded for this scholarship is $1000. Students interested in the Nayereh &  Mahnaz Tohidi Scholarship must submit a completed application form and an essay or video on a designated topic. The essay or video topic will reflect and be relevant to the human/women’s rights and general societal climate and prevailing issues in gender and women’s studies. 

Application Requirements 

The applicant must be: 

1. Any CSUN student in the college of Humanities or Social & Behavioral Sciences who has a gender perspective and is majoring or minoring in the fields of studies that stress gender and sexuality dimensions 
2. A senior or a junior during the current academic year 
3. Minimum 3.0 GPA
4. Content and Length of Essay: Students submit a 600-800 word essay, to the GWS Department Office on the designated topic of that year as announced on the GWS website.

Website: https://www.csun.edu/humanities/jewish-studies/scholarships

Matador Scholarship

• Contact Jewish Studies Program Coordinator: Professor Jennifer Thompson
• jennifer.thompson@csun.edu / 818-677-3007

The Jewish Studies Interdisciplinary Program is sponsoring need-based Matador Scholarships. All CSUN students are eligible who have taken or are currently enrolled in a Jewish Studies course -- you need not be a JS Major or Minor. Applicants must agree to enroll in an additional Jewish Studies Course in the year they receive the scholarship. In addition, all the usual requirements and procedures for the Matador Scholarship apply.

Jewish Studies Achievement Awards

• Contact Jewish Studies Program Coordinator: Professor Jennifer Thompson
• jennifer.thompson@csun.edu / 818-677-3007

The Jewish Studies Minor Award ($350) and the Modern Jewish Studies Major Award ($500) are given yearly at Hanukkah to the senior Jewish Studies Minor/Major with the highest academic achievement overall and in the Program. The winner should either have completed the degree or be making good progress towards completion. An award committee consisting of the JS instructors will be asked to judge between eligible students.

Contact Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures (MCLL) Department
Sierra Tower 405/408; 818-677-3467
Website: https://www.csun.edu/humanities/modern-classical-languages-literatures

The DiMascio Family Endowment Scholarship

In coordination with the Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures and College of Humanities, the DiMascio Family Scholarship Endowment will award an annual scholarship of $1,000 to a second-year language student planning to study abroad.

This scholarship honors Alfred and Henrietta DiMascio’s memory. It is a fitting tribute because of their love for travel and commitment to higher education. They would be very pleased to know that they are helping future generations of CSUN students learn through their travels abroad and that their studies will open new horizons for them and lead to degrees of higher learning.

SPANISH

Website: https://www.csun.edu/humanities/modern-classical-languages-literatures/spanish

Barbara Ann Ward Scholarship

The Barbara Ann Ward Scholarship for Spanish studies recognizes students who demonstrate academic excellence in Spanish studies.

Barbara Ann Ward (Spanish '67) gave a gift to California State University, Northridge to establish a scholarship fund for students studying Spanish. At the age of 40, around the same time she received her pilot's license, Barbara enrolled at Cal State Northridge to complete her education. Barbara Ann Ward believed in the power of giving and wished to reach a large number of students through the Spanish studies scholarship.

ITALIAN
Website: https://www.csun.edu/humanities/modern-classical-languages-literatures/italian

Robert Barbera Endowment in Italian Studies

The Robert Barbera Endowment for Italian Studies is a yearly fellowship of approximately $1500 offered to full-time Cal State Northridge undergraduate students with a declared minor in Italian or major in languages and cultures with an option in Italian. The applicant must be currently enrolled in Italian section courses.

The fellowship is intended to fund Italian study abroad programs recognized and sanctioned by Cal State Northridge, internships with Italian firms or institutions, activities promoting Italian language and culture at Northridge and in the community, or a standard fellowship. Students must show proof of attendance if attending an Italian study abroad program. If funds are used for a standard fellowship, students must be enrolled in Italian courses the semester immediately following the awarding of the fellowship.

Italian Language and Culture Fellowship

The one-time $2,000 fellowship in Italian language and culture supports students who have declared a minor in Italian or major in languages and cultures with a concentration in Italian.

FRENCH
Website: https://www.csun.edu/humanities/modern-classical-languages-literatures/french

The Ralph Baccash Memorial Scholarship

Thanks to the generosity of the family, friends, colleagues, and students of Professor Ralph Baccash, a memorial fund has been established in the Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures at the California State University, Northridge. The interest from this fund will be used annually to provide one or more scholarships for deserving French minor, French majors, and majors in Languages and Cultures with a concentration in French.

H. Dennis and Anne Beaver Foundation

This scholarship provides funds to study abroad in France over the summer months. In order to be considered for the Study in France scholarship, you must submit a completed application, an essay entitled, “How do I see French as important in my life?” in English and in French, along with a cover letter, copies of your passport and driver’s license, as well as a detailed bio of yourself.

ARMENIAN
Website: https://www.csun.edu/humanities/modern-classical-languages-literatures/armenian

The Yervant Aghishian Annual Scholarship

One (1) $1,000 award will be given annually. In order to apply for the scholarship, please contact the MCLL office. Once eligibility is determined through the scholarship application process, the qualified applications will be reviewed by an ad-hoc committee of professors from the Modern and Classical Languages and Literature Department. This ad-hoc committee will be convened by the Director of the Armenian Studies Program.

Varaz and Karina Shahmirian Annual Endowed Scholarship in Armenian Studies

At least one (1) $1,000 scholarship will be awarded annually to students (during their junior and senior years of study in the case of those majoring in Armenian).  The annual scholarship amount will be determined by the Director of the Armenian Studies Program based on the endowment funds available for distribution each year.  Once eligibility is determined through the scholarship application process, the qualified applications will be reviewed by an ad-hoc committee of professors from the Modern and Classical Languages and Literature Department. This ad-hoc committee will be convened by the Director of the Armenian Studies Program.

Website: https://www.csun.edu/humanities/philosophy/sidney-luckenbach-award

Sidney Luckenbach Memorial Fund ($2,000 - $6,410)

The Sidney A. Luckenbach Memorial Award is a cash award presented each year to one or more academically outstanding Philosophy majors. Eligible candidates are Philosophy majors whose overall GPAs are at least 3.0, with preference given to students with interests in logic or philosophy of science and to students with financial need.

Website: https://www.csun.edu/humanities/queer-studies/scholarships-and-awards

Wong Sayaman Equality Award ($1000)

The Wong–Sayaman Equality Award is offered through the Queer Studies Program at California State University, Northridge.

Ronora Sayaman, a CSUN alumnus working in the private sector, began the Wong-Sayaman Equality Award for CSUN students. Her vision is to provide support to students from any academic major who are committed to a leadership role in Queer, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender communities.  The award is given out at the Queer Studies Spring Lecture Series which usually occurs in March or April.