UC Merced gets $500,000 grant to give scholarships

UC Merced received a $500,000 gift to provide scholarships for transfer students.

The gift came from The Bernard Osher Foundation, based in San Francisco, according to the university. The foundation's mission is to help improve quality of life by supporting higher education and the arts.

The money will be used to establish an endowed scholarship fund. The scholarships will range from $1,000 to $5,000 per student and will be awarded to five to 10 transfer students.

The scholarships will be awarded every year beginning in the 2013-14 academic year. To qualify, each student must be enrolled as full time or part time, with incoming junior or continuing senior status; have started post-secondary education at a California community college; and be transferring to UC Merced with at least

60 semester or 90 quarter units. They also must demonstrate financial need and academic potential.