California Pre-Doctoral Program

Overview

The California Pre-Doctoral Program is designed to increase the pool of potential faculty in the CSU system by supporting the doctoral aspirations of CSU students who have experienced economic and educational disadvantages. The program places a special emphasis on increasing the number of CSU students who enter a doctoral program at one of the University of California (UC) Institutions.

Each of the applicants selected will be designated a Sally Casanova Scholar and will work closely with a CSU faculty sponsor to develop an overall plan which leads ultimately to enrollment in a doctoral program. The plan should be tailored to the specific goals and career objectives of the student.

Benefits

Students selected will have unique opportunities to explore and prepare to succeed in doctoral programs. Student will have the benefit of one-on-one guidance from a faculty sponsor, and the opportunity to work with faculty from doctoral-granting institutions. In addition, the program provides a monetary award of $5,000, to be used for:

1. Travel Funds for the student to visit U.S. doctoral-granting institutions and/or to attend professional meetings appropriate to the student’s development.
2. Development Funds for other related activities, such as student membership in professional organizations, subscriptions to academic journals, graduate school application and test fees, GRE preparation courses, and the cost of minor research materials, for example.
3. A Summer Research Experience opportunity* at a UC campus or other U.S. major research university, fully funded by the Pre-Doctoral Program, so that the scholar can participate in doctoral-level research prior to enrolling in a Ph.D. program.

*If awarded a Summer Research Experience, additional funds will be made available by the program. For more information, visit the California Pre-Doctoral Program: Summer Research Opportunities website.

Eligibility

Applicants must meet the following criteria:

• Currently enrolled at a California State University campus (2026-27 academic year)
• Be matriculated at a California State University campus as an upper-division undergraduate or master’s student for Fall 2027.
• Plan to pursue a research doctorate (Ph.D. or equivalent).
  • ​Note: Professional programs such as law, medicine, dentistry, pharmacy, or the MBA are not eligible.
• Have a CSU faculty mentor to support research training and scholarship
• Note: Previous Sally Casanova Scholars are not eligible to reapply.

Application Submission

Applications will be submitted through Smartsheet. The online application will be available at the California Pre-Doctoral Program website on Monday, December 1, 2025. ​​

Role of the CSU Faculty Mentor

Any CSU faculty member may identify and sponsor promising upper-division undergraduate or master’s degree students to the Pre-Doctoral Program. As a student adviser, the faculty member will guide applicants through the program and may accompany them to UC and other doctoral-granting campuses for site visits, or to national symposia or professional meetings, which will expose them to their field of interest. The adviser may also help acquaint applicants with information about academic careers, identify appropriate journal subscriptions and learning experiences, as well as ensure that they are prepared for doctoral study.

Campus Coordinator

Kaitlyn Day

Graduate Studies Specialist

Office of Graduate Studies

Stanislaus State University MSR 360

Turlock, CA 95382

kwilliams14@csustan.edu

graduatestudies@csustan.edu