Program Overview:
An applicant (both males and females) must be the lineal (meaning direct) descendant of an eligible Confederate - that is, one who served honorably in the Confederate Army or Navy, gave Civil Service or Material Aid to the Cause. If you are a collateral descendant (from a great uncle/aunt) rather than lineal, you must be a member of, or join beforehand, UDC/CofC to apply.*  (Membership in SCV is a different organization.)

For Division and General Awards:

Applicants must be sponsored and endorsed by a California Chapter President and Chapter 2nd Vice President before submitting to the Division 2nd Vice President.

Applicants complete all the materials in the official UDC Scholarship packet. Final approval of Division awards shall be made by the Division 2nd Vice President's Education Committee and forwarded on to the General competition. Chapter level awards are approved by the Chapter 2nd Vice President and her committee using the same criteria.

An applicant must have a minimum cumulative 3.0 out of a 4.0 grade point average (GPA) in high school or college. A GED score coupled with a recent SAT/ACT score will be accepted without a GPA if the applicant is not a high school graduate.

Applicants may attend any accredited college or university in the United States for awards given by the General (national) Organization but must attend a CALIFORNIA accredited college or university to qualify for a California Division award.  Chapters may also have requirements pertaining to a specific college or university attendance.  You may apply for awards at any and all levels you are qualified for.

If you are attend, or plan to attend, ANY CAMPUS of the University of California, please indicate this when initially you contact us.  Several Division and Chapter scholarships for the University of CA are handled separately, as they are awarded in conjunction with a specific school and its timeline.

The Process:
There are three levels of awards - those awarded by the General ( or national) Organization, those awarded by Divisions (state level) and those awarded by local chapters. Not all chapters in California award scholarships.
 

Timeline:
--Senior year in high school, fall semester (or other year in college) request a packet of materials.
--Complete the application, obtain signatures and submit as indicated by 15 February.
--During the spring the educational committees will make their various selections
--Usually in May/June winners are notified
--Scholarship monies will be paid for the coming Fall Semester
 

All applications start in a local chapter which agrees to sponsor the candidate through the process, and to help the applicant put the paperwork together in a timely manner. The finished and signed paperwork will then be mailed to the California Division 2nd Vice President. (Each UDC Division/state may have its own due dates and forms) After the selections are made in California for our CA Division awards, paperwork moves to the General level for their consideration. Awards at these upper two levels are processed by CA Division, but are completely separate considerations.  It is possible to receive awards from one or both levels.

In California Division, our awards can only be used at a California college or university. You may graduate from either a CA high school or from an out-of-state high school, but you must attend a CA college or university. If you graduate here in CA but plan to attend college out-of-state, CA Division will process your paperwork to compete for a General level scholarship only. Awards given at the General level may be used at any accredited U. S. college or university. Many UDC scholarships are renewable for four (4) years as long as the requirements continue to be met.

NOTE: Scholarship applications for the Fall 2024 academic year will be available in October 2023.  Completed applications are due in the hands of the CA Division 2nd Vice President on or before 15 FEB 2024.

If you think you might have a Confederate ancestor who qualifies, contact California Division using our inquiry form at the bottom. Fill out this form to request the paperwork NLT 15 December**  - earlier is better! If you aren't already in contact with a chapter, we will put you in touch with one as close to your home as possible. The Chapter will have genealogists who "may" be able to help verify your descent and your Confederate ancestor's honorable service.

The deadline for submitting completed applications is 15 February.  Packets are usually available the October before, so request a packet early.  Waiting until after the first of the year is often too late to obtain all the information and signatures required. This is especially true of your fall semester transcript.

**This process requires time. All proof of Confederate descent, signatures, endorsements, letters of recommendation and transcripts must be in the hands of the CA Division 2nd Vice President on or before 15 Feb. The 2nd VP will submit General level paperwork to the VP General.

Genealogy:
You may have a family genealogist who has the information you need to prove your descent. Proving an ancestor from scratch can be a lengthy, genealogical process, so do not wait until late fall or January to acquire the forms you will need. Applications for the 15 Feb deadline are usually available at the Division Convention, or by October. If you are in your Junior year, this is an excellent time to begin researching your ancestor.

Fill out the Scholarship Inquiry Form using the link at the bottom if you are interested in applying for either a CA scholarship or a General scholarship through California Division.  Your inquiry is emailed directly to the CA Educational Committee Chairman.  Applications and information for chapter level scholarships are handled by the chapters locally.

A direct line or lineal ancestor is a Great(s) Grandparent and a collateral ancestor is the brother (or sister) of your direct ancestor - a Great(s) Aunt or Uncle. If your Great Grandfather was the "baby" of his family during the war, but had an older brother who served honorably, this Great-Great Uncle would be your collateral ancestor.  To apply for a scholarship on a collateral ancestor, you must join* either CofC or UDC first. A local chapter will help you with this process.

In some states, there may be only a single chapter (or a few) but no actual Division (state). We call these 'Chapters Where No Division' or CWND. If you live near a CWND, you may contact the chapter directly. Click on this LINK to see where UDC Chapters and Divisions are located in the US. We have no overseas chapters.

The United Daughters of the Confederacy organization is a 501c3 and California Charitable Trust. It includes EDUCATION as one of the primary objectives of the society. To meet this objective, CA UDC awards many scholarships each year to both males and females who attend an accredited 4-year school in California.  Local Chapters as well as the General organization also made awards.

     Click on the star and fill out the scholarship inquiry form (your information is considered private and is not shared with anyone)

   * Inquire to join CofC or UDC - NOTE: this requirement may change at the annual convention in Oct 2023.

     Contact Us
     Updated on 11 Sept 2023

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