AEP houses UCSD's chapter of the Amgen Scholars Program (one of ten nationwide). The program supports summer research for thirty undergraduates majoring in fields related to biotechnology, including: microbiology, bioengineering, biochemistry, neuroscience, and molecular genetics. The program coincides with the UCSD Summer Research Program and shares many activities with it, including academic seminars, GRE preparation, and social activities. At least half of the Amgen Scholars cohort will consist of undergraduates visiting from other campuses. All students will receive a stipend, food allowance, and housing. Amgen Scholars will attend a national mid-summer symposium with chances to meet scholars from other institutions, Amgen representatives, and faculty and other contacts from all Amgen Scholars program sites. Scholars must have a minimum 3.2 grade point average and commit to thirty hours a week of academic research for eight weeks and participation in the annual UCSD Summer Research Conference.

The Faculty Mentor Program offers invaluable research experience to all junior or seniors with a GPA of 2.7 or higher who have the desire to prepare for graduate or professional school. Participants work as research assistants to UCSD faculty members at least 10 hours per week for two quarters. Research projects are designed and supervised by a faculty mentor in conjunction with the student’s research interests. Students receive 4 units of Independent Study credit each quarter, learn how to write a research proposal and paper, receive graduate school and fellowship information, and present their research at the annual Faculty Mentor Program Research Symposium at the end of the academic year.

The objective of the UCSD California Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (CAMP) in Science, Engineering and Mathematics program is to provide support and advancement opportunities to ethnically underrepresented (African American, Mexican American, Latino, American Indian, Alaskan Native, or Native Pacific Islander) students who are seeking bachelor's degrees in chemistry, physics, cognitive science, biology, other sciences, mathematics, engineering and technology. We also encourage and prepare students to pursue advanced degrees in these fields. The CAMP Science program offers events and services designed to meet the needs of a culturally and intellectually diverse student community, who are at different places on their educational paths. Participation in activities and events is voluntary, but highly encouraged.

The Computer Science, Engineering and Mathematics Scholarship (CSEMS) Program is a two-year program for UCSD upper-division undergraduates enrolled full-time in any major within the Jacobs School of Engineering or Mathematics Department. The CSEMS Program is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation with a focus on increasing the participation of low-income and underrepresented groups in computer science, engineering or mathematics. To this end, the program provides educational opportunities to low-income, academically talented students through scholarships.

The UCSD Health and Medical Professions Preparation Program (HMP3) provides undergraduates with enriching experiences that will enhance their preparation for admission into professional school in the medical and other health professions. Through collaborations with the UCSD School of Medicine, faculty, community health care providers and others, HMP3 provides members with stimulating experiences designed to expand the mind and increase qualifications for entry into the health professions. HMP3 also guides members to other campus resources available to pre-health professions students.

The McNair Program is one of the Federal TRIO Programs, funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Education. The objective of the McNair Program is to provide low-income, first-generation college students, and students from groups underrepresented in graduate education, with effective preparation for doctoral study.

The UCSD Summer Research Program is an eight-week, full-time research experience for undergraduates, supported by the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program grant, the California Alliance for Minority Participation in the Sciences grant, and the UC Office of the President. The objectives of the program are: to provide students with the skills to become research scholars; to stimulate serious consideration of graduate study; and to increase the graduate school enrollment of underrepresented minorities and low income, first-generation college students.

The goal of the University of California's new Leadership Excellence through Advanced Degrees (UC LEADS) program is to educate California's future leaders by preparing promising students for advanced education in science, technology, mathematics and engineering (STEM). The program is designed to identify upper-division undergraduate students with the potential to succeed in these disciplines, but who have experienced situations or conditions that have adversely impacted their advancement in their field of study.

The UCSD Annual Undergraduate Research Conference is held each May at the UCSD Faculty Club. The purpose of the conference is to recognize outstanding scholarly work produced by UCSD undergraduates and to encourage additional interaction between students and faculty at the research level. All students are nominated by members of the faculty who have judged their work to be outstanding. Our hope is that the research and conference experiences encourage more undergraduates to pursue doctoral degrees and careers in research and college teaching.

Only about 1.3 percent—less than 10,000—of the available pool of minority high school graduates earn engineering degrees from America’s colleges and universities each year. The failure of our country to educate all segments of our population equally is an injustice that we must reverse as quickly as possible. That challenge, however, also represents an important opportunity. "Minority students," notes Dr. John Brooks Slaughter, president and CEO of the National Action Council for Minorities in Engineering (NACME), "represent a significant resource pool for the engineering and technology workforce. We need to develop and employ our many human and capital resources in a concerted and unified manner if we are to continue as a world leader in science, engineering, and commerce. We must provide ample and affordable opportunities for the disadvantaged and the underrepresented to become full participants in education and employment at all levels."

SAGE exists to enrich the education of budding computer science students by giving them opportunities to assist their fellow students in a "students helping students" atmosphere. Our goal is to provide more students the opportunity to achieve a higher degree of confidence in their problem solving skills, guide future generations of computer scientists, and have a more enriched educational experience at UCSD.

The SCHOLARSHIP FOR SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY, ENGINEERING, AND MATHEMATICS (S-STEM) program is funded through a National Science Foundation grant. At UCSD, the Divisions of Physical and Biological Sciences are offering scholarships of up to $3,000 per year (renewable up to four years) for students majoring in quantitative and interdisciplinary sciences. The primary objective of the program is to provide educational opportunities to low-income, academically talented students through scholarships that promote full-time enrollment and degree achievement in higher education. Eligible applicants will be UCSD undergraduates who are U.S. citizens, nationals, refugee aliens or permanent resident aliens with demonstrated financial need who are enrolled full-time in one of the following majors: biochemistry, bioinformatics, biophysics, computational physics, molecular biology, pharmacological chemistry, or mathematics. Special consideration will be given to Native Americans (American Indians and Alaskan Natives), African Americans, Native Pacific Islanders (Polynesians and Micronesians), Hispanics/Latinos, women, and persons with disabilities.