UCLA Economics Undergraduate Research Fellows Program for the 2025-2026 year
The UCLA Department of Economics is pleased to announce the tenth year of the Economics Research Fellows Program. The Research Fellows Program is modeled after our popular Sharpe Fellows Program and will support talented students to work side-by-side with a professor on the professor’s research team. Each student recipient will receive: a stipend of $2,500 per quarter (for Winter Quarter and Spring Quarter, 2026), professional development training, and the opportunity to present their findings during spring quarter. Details regarding funding are below.
If selected for the program, students will be responsible for reaching out to faculty and securing a research project, with assistance from the Chair. The research responsibilities will be dependent on the needs of the faculty member.
Learn more about the program at: https://ace.alumni.ucla.edu/economics-research-fellows-program/
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is expected of the student?
Fellows are expected to work approximately 10 hours per week with a faculty member during the quarter and to present their work at various events during spring. Students are expected to be professional and attend meetings with the faculty member at the appointed time and to be prepared for these meetings. They will be expected to meet deadlines and project timelines set out by the professor. If the Research Fellow is not meeting the professor's expectations, they could be dismissed from the program. Each fellow will be asked to meet as a cohort three times: 1) for the welcome that will include a panel of speakers with varying experiences on how they leveraged their PhD in Economics, 2) to undergo training to prepare for their final presentations and 3) for a dry-run of their presentations
2. How will I know with whom I will be working?
If selected, students will be able to contact eligible Economics faculty member with whom they are interested in working. Faculty will be given information about all Fellows and will have the option of contacting students directly. The Chair and Vice Chair of the Department of Economics will help facilitate matches should the Fellow be unable to find a match themselves.
3. What are the application requirements for this Program?
The application requirements include success as a student, a demonstrated interest for research, and a passion in economics. Each applicant must be a full-time UCLA undergraduate student enrolled for the entire academic year (Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters). Extension students are not eligible for this program. In order to be selected for this program – the student should have a 3.2 cumulative GPA, and must have already completed Econ 101. Completion of Econ 103/Econ 103L is not required but is strongly preferred. We encourage students from the Class of 2026 and the Class of 2027 to apply. The required materials to upload are listed on the application. You will be able to access the application and “Save for Later” through October 19. The application deadline is Sunday, October 19, 2025 at 11:59 p.m.
4. What is the expected time commitment for this Program?
The time commitment expected is 10 hours per week for a minimum of two quarters. However, the exact hours and the distribution over weeks will ultimately be decided by your agreement with the faculty member you choose to work with and the demands of the project. There will be three cohort meetings with the other fellows for one hour each- a total of 3 hours. The potential to present in the Undergraduate Research Week (undergraduate fellows only) and for the Department of Economics Board of Visitors will take approximately 8 hours total between preparation and presentations.
5. What kind of research will applicants be participating in with the professors?
The research responsibilities will be dependent on what the faculty needs. Students may be working on analyzing data, constructing data sets, running regressions, creating graphs and charts, editing text, summarizing articles, etc.
6. What would be the role of the student in the Program?
You would be an research assistant. The specific responsibilities would depend on the project and the faculty member you choose to work with.
7. When is the application due?
Sunday, October 19, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. (PT)
8. I am graduating at the end of the Winter 2026 quarter. Am I eligible to apply?
Unfortunately, no. In order to be selected for this Program – you must sign an agreement with Alumni Career Engagement indicating that you will be registered and enrolled full-time at UCLA for the Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters.
9. May I choose a faculty member outside of the UCLA Department of Economics as my faculty mentor?
No. This program is for students who are interested in research with tenure track faculty in UCLA’s Department of Economics only. Tenure track faculty hold the titles Professor, Associate
10. Do I have to be majoring in Economics to participate?
This program is open to all students regardless of major; however, priority is given to students majoring in Economics, Business Economics, and Mathematics / Economics.
11. When will I hear if I have been selected for this Program?
UCLA Economics Research Fellows applicants will be notified by Wednesday, November 5 if admitted or denied into the program.
12. Who is sponsoring this program?
The UCLA Economics Research Fellows Program is sponsored by the UCLA Economics Board of Visitors. The Department is grateful for their commitment to undergraduate education.
IF YOU ARE SELECTED FOR THIS PROGRAM, PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING:
- The required paperwork to issue the quarterly stipends will be submitted to the Financial Aid & Scholarships Office in Murphy Hall. Once the paperwork is processed, the recipient should receive the payment within 10-15 business days. The payment will first pay off any BruinBill balance, then refund the student the unused portion. International students may be charged taxes on the amount to be paid out. If the student has BruinDirect, and it is still in effect when the award is paid out, then the student will receive the award electronically. Otherwise, a paper check will be mailed to the student’s address filed with the university and may take up to 3 weeks to receive the check.
- If the student is currently receiving need based federal financial aid from the university, the student must be aware that if the scholarship/fellowship award exceeds their federal need or the Cost of Attendance, the federal aid will be reduced and may cause a bill if funds have been disbursed. The student may consult with their Financial Aid Counselor to determine if and how this award might affect their financial aid package for the year. For more information, visit: http://www.financialaid.ucla.edu/Contact-Us/Our-Staff
- If the student is an international student, you will need to fill out a form called GLACIER. The student must complete this form when they receive the email request. Otherwise, their award will not be processed and disbursed. International students’ awards will not be processed until the GLACIER form is submitted and complete.
For questions, please contact Joseph Blancas at jblancas@support.ucla.edu or visit https://ace.alumni.ucla.edu/economics-research-fellows-program/
This is the application for Econ 173AX/BX, also known as the UCLA Social Enterprise Academy. This year will be our 15th Academy of this innovative program.
The application deadline is November 26 at 11:59 p.m. Decisions will be announced by Friday, December 6.
Students applying for the Academy are committing to attend every Tuesday evening from 6:15pm to 9:30pm in Winter and Spring Quarter. Attendance is in person. Students are permitted only one absence for the two quarters. Further absences are penalized.
If you will be away from Los Angeles during winter break, be sure to make travel arrangements so that you are back on campus for our first session Tuesday January 6. If you are leader of a club or organization, make sure that you do not have commitments on Tuesday evenings as attendance is mandatory.
You must submit your resume and a cover letter. Your name and student ID need to be on each page. You should combine both submissions in a single PDF file with your resume first and your cover letter second.
Your cover letter should discuss what strong points you would bring to a team of students working with a non-profit to develop a revenue generating venture to support the mission of the non-profit. Since we are looking to build strong teams of students with a diverse set of skills, we need to know what particular skills and experience you would bring to the Academy. Application decisions are made on the basis of our need to build balanced teams of students.
The UCLA Social Enterprise Academy (SEA) is a two-quarter experiential learning course. Over Winter and Spring quarters, students work directly with nonprofit organizations to develop earned income opportunities for the organization. Teams of five students are assigned to each nonprofit. Students will work closely with the leadership of one organization as consultants to develop the best enterprise idea, conduct market research, create a business plan, and pitch the venture to compete for cash and pro bono prizes.
The official course number is Economics 173AX/173BX: Introduction to Social Entrepreneurship (Winter and Spring 2024). These courses count as two Economics Electives towards the Economics and Business Economics majors and might count toward the Minor in Entrepreneurship as well (Consult with the counselor for the Minor.). It is open to students in all majors.
Your Impact in this course:
Your role in this course has a direct impact on local nonprofit organizations including supporting their efforts to:
· Create a business plan for their organization to launch a new and sustainable social venture
· Gain expert training from faculty and potential investors
· Receive volunteer support to research, develop and launch new social ventures
· Participate in a venture showcase to pitch the venture
Benefits for YOU:
· Gain consulting, teamwork, networking, public speaking skills, and nonprofit experience
· Directly apply content knowledge to build a revenue generating business plan
· Receive expert training from UCLA faculty, alumni and business leaders with experience in the social entrepreneurship
· Develop skills and experience in the venture initiation and pitching process including “pitching” a plan to potential investors at the UCLA Social Enterprise Venture Showcase
Application Requirements and Process:
Enrollment in Econ 173AX/173BX is by application only. The Social Enterprise Academy is a five-month (two quarter) program. This means that students enrolled in this course must enroll in both courses in the two-quarter sequence.
Eligibility: This program is open to current UCLA juniors and seniors from all majors.
You must be able to attend class sessions every week
Tuesdays from 6:15 to 9:15 PM both Winter and Spring Quarters.
That means that if you enroll in this course, you are committing to re-arrange your other commitments including those involving your role as an officer of a student organization to leave Tuesday evenings free. Do not attempt to enroll in this course if you cannot make this commitment.
You also must commit to enroll in both Winter and Spring Quarters. If you drop the course or do not enroll in Econ 173BX, you will not receive any units of credit for Econ 173AX or Econ 173BX.
In addition, you commit to attend the two rounds of our venture competition. The first round is currently scheduled for Friday May 15, 2026. This will likely run from 9am until 3:30pm. Please note this in your schedule. The second round is currently scheduled for the evening of Thursday May 28, 2026.