2026 PBKNCA Graduate Scholarships
$10,000 Scholarships Available to Phi Beta Kappans at UC Davis
UC Davis graduate students who are members of Phi Beta Kappa are encouraged to apply for a $10,000 scholarship from the Phi Beta Kappa of Northern California Association (PBKNCA). PBKNCA offers several awards each year.
UC Davis has had strong representation since the awards were created, with students from a wide range of disciplines receiving awards. In 2025, two graduate students, one in Ecology and one in Georaphy, received awards and in 2024, three graduate students in the Department of History received scholarships. Previous years have included recipients studying animal science, ecology, plant biology and more.
Criteria and Eligibility
Application Instructions - Quick Summary
Apply by our internal deadline (TBA, February 2026).
The application form and instructions are available here.
Please review the eligibility requirements and selection criteria.
Send your application materials in PDF format via email to Professor Carey Seal (cseal@ucdavis.edu).
Confidential letters of recommendation should be emailed directly to Prof. Seal by the letter writers.
No transcripts or financial aid documentation required.
Eligibility Requirements
Applicants must have been elected to Phi Beta Kappa by a chapter in the United States. The applicant's PBK number (available from PBK national) must be included on the application.
Applicants must be currently enrolled in a graduate or professional program at a PBK-NorCal member university (including UC Davis).
Students who have previously been awarded a PBKNCA scholarship are not eligible.
Selection Criteria
Applicants can be in any discipline. The following will be considered by the PBKNCA Scholarship Committee:
- Demonstrable evidence that the applicant has discovered something significant in the field of study, has found an original concept, has made an original contribution, or has found an innovative way to apply existing knowledge.
- Applicant's description of major accomplishments.
- A serious plan for future innovative endeavor with reasonable expectation of being able to fulfill it.
- See our previous year's recipients for inspiration!
How to Apply
Complete the application form and send to Professor Carey Seal at cseal@ucdavis.edu for review by the UC Davis Scholarship Committee. Be mindful of the word limit, and please write your description with a general audience in mind.
Send all applications via email, in PDF format. Do not send hard copies. See the Northern California PBK website for complete information about the scholarships and to download the application form.
Our UC Davis chapter’s Scholarship Committee reviews the applications during Winter Quarter and chooses several to forward to PBKNCA. Questions and application materials, including confidential letters of recommendation, should be submitted via email to Professor Seal not later than February 6, 2026. Ask your letter writers to send their recommendations by email directly to Carey Seal.