MCDB is proud to announce the offering of the following scholarships designated for our department's undergraduates every spring semester. Descriptions of the awards and information on how to apply are given below.

If you have further questions, contact Dr. Brian DeDecker

The Possibilities:

  • The Thomas F. Marsico Scholarship

    This award is approximately $1,200 and open only to freshman students who entered into the university the previous fall semester. Two awards are available. The awarded funds will be available the following fall semester of the student's sophomore year. In order to be considered, you must be a full-time student (enrolled into 12 credit hours), have MCDB as your primary major and regularly enrolled into MCDB courses. To remain eligible for the award you must remain an MCDB major. This scholarship is highly competitive and past awardees generally have a cumulative GPA above 3.5 from their first semester.

  • The Chen Endowed Scholarship Fund

    This is a need-based scholarship of $5,000 to an MCDB undergraduate who graduated from a Colorado high school. Current second and third year students may apply. One scholarship is awarded per year and previous winners may apply again for a second award if eligible. The awarded funds will be available in the upcoming fall term.

  • Caplan Craig Scholarship

    This is an award for approximately $1,500 and also available in the following fall term. This scholarship is for MCDB majors with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.2 and is based on merit and financial need. Women and returning women are especially encouraged to apply, but gender is not considered a factor in the selection process. The scholarship may be renewed if a GPA of 3.2 or higher is maintained (award winner needs to reapply).

    There is also a Caplan Craig Scholarship to support undergraduate summer research. Nominations are solicited in May from the MCDB faculty for MCDB undergraduates currently pursuing independent research in their labs.

  • The Beckman Scholarship

    MCDB students interested in undergraduate research are also eligible for the Beckman Scholarship.

  • The Nancy Guild PhD Endowed Scholarship

    This scholarship honors the outstanding contributions of Dr. Nancy Guild. Two awards for approximately $5,000 each are available in the fall of 2019. This scholarship is for MCDB majors with in state residence and a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0. The award is based on merit and financial need. Preference will be given to a student pursuing a career in the health science field. Scholarships will be awarded for one academic year and are renewable based on criteria established by the University. The application deadline for this scholarship is May 15, 2019.

Application Process:

Follow these instructions to apply to the Beckman Scholarship.

To apply for the Marisco, Chen, and Craig, and Guild Scholarships, use the CU Boulder scholarship application system.

  • You only need to fill out the general application and will be auto-matched with the MCDB scholarships that you are eligible for.
    1. Navigate to the “Student” tab in MyCUInfo.
    2. Click on the “Financial Aid” tab
    3. Click on "Apply for Scholarships"
    4. Complete the general application
    5. Complete any additional scholarship applications