Economics Student Opportunity Fund
University of California, Riverside – Department of Economics
Help Economics students turn classroom learning into real-world opportunity. Your support helps ensure that opportunity is determined by ability and effort—not by financial constraints.
Project Summary: This fund provides direct financial support for scholarships, research experiences, conference travel, and internships. Many of our students balance coursework with jobs and family responsibilities. Even small costs—conference fees, unpaid internships, research materials—can block important professional steps. Your gift removes those barriers and allows students to participate fully in the opportunities that shape careers.
Why this matters: Economics is a practical, applied discipline. Students build skills in data analysis, public policy, finance, and quantitative research. The experiences that matter most—presenting research, working with faculty, interning with government or industry—often require funding that students simply do not have.
Without support:
- Students decline conference invitations
- Research projects stall
- Internships are inaccessible
- Professional development is delayed
With support:
- Students gain experience that employers and graduate programs expect
- Faculty-mentored research expands
- Career placement improves
- First-generation and lower-income students compete on equal footing
How funds will be used: Every dollar goes directly to student opportunity.
Priority uses include:
- Travel grants to present research at academic or policy conferences
- Stipends for unpaid or low-pay internships
- Undergraduate research assistantships
- Small scholarships for students with financial need
- Professional development support (software, exam fees, training, workshops)
Funds are flexible so the department can respond quickly to student needs throughout the year.
Who benefits: Many of our students are highly capable and motivated. A small amount of support often makes the difference between missing an opportunity and taking a major step forward.
Your gift supports:
- First-generation college students
- Students balancing work and school
- Undergraduates pursuing research for the first time
- Graduate students preparing for the job market
- Students entering public service, consulting, data science, and policy careers
The impact of your gift - Gifts of any size combine to create real, immediate outcomes:
- $25 helps cover conference registration fees
- $100 supports research materials or software access
- $250 funds a local internship stipend
- $500 sends a student to present research at a regional conference
- $1,000+ sponsors a semester research or internship award
Our commitment - The Department will:
- Award funds transparently through faculty review
- Prioritize financial need and academic merit
- Track outcomes and student participation
- Direct 100% of Give Day contributions to student support
Join us on Give Day
Make a gift. Share the page. Help a student take the next step.
Together, we can open doors that change trajectories.