UCLA Sharpe Fellows Program: A Comprehensive Overview

The UCLA William F. Sharpe Fellows Program, named in honor of Nobel Laureate and UCLA alumnus William F. Sharpe, is a prestigious program designed to support the career and professional development of top undergraduate business students at UCLA. Established in 2008 by the UCLA Department of Economics and its Board of Visitors, the program connects students with alumni, community members, and employers who are invested in their success. The Sharpe Fellows Program is managed by Partnership UCLA / Alumni Career Programs.

Program Goals and Objectives

The William F. Sharpe Fellows Program aims to:

Engage UCLA alumni, community members, and employers in supporting the career and professional development needs of UCLA’s business undergraduates.
Bring together top employers with UCLA’s brightest students interested in pursuing business careers.
Equip Sharpe Fellows with the competencies and knowledge to be successful leaders and global citizens.
Provide assistance in securing and preparing for summer internships through training and leveraging an exclusive network of connections and partnerships with alumni, industry leaders, and Alumni Affairs staff.

Sharpe Fellows: Campus Role Models

Sharpe Fellows are considered campus role models and often serve in executive roles across various student organizations. Many are recognized as rising stars within their respective campus communities.

Program Structure and Components

The Sharpe Fellows Program offers a comprehensive range of opportunities and resources, including:

Mentorship

Upon being named a Sharpe Fellow, each student gains access to a list of alumni with relevant career experience and is given the opportunity to select a mentor. Alumni mentors possess at least one year of full-time professional experience, with many having extensive years of work and knowledge.

Read also: Award Details: Palmetto Fellows

Networking

Sharpe Fellows have exclusive access to a network of over 715 Sharpe Fellows alumni who are either rising leaders or leaders in the business world, as well as other alumni invested in the professional success of UCLA students. They can connect to us through UCLA ONE, your one-stop-shop for your professional needs and to connect with UCLA. Created to engage UCLA alumni and students, UCLA ONE serves as a resource for opportunities, events and professional development for Bruins worldwide.

Career Readiness Programming and Leadership Development

Selected Fellows participate in a year-long fellowship that includes career readiness programming and leadership development.

Internship Assistance

The program helps Sharpe Fellows secure and prepare for summer internships through training and by leveraging an exclusive network of connections and partnerships with alumni, industry leaders, and Alumni Affairs staff.

Orientation

As a Sharpe Fellow, active participation in orientation is required. The 2025-2026 UCLA Sharpe Fellows cohort will be composed of four sections based on each vertical (investment banking, finance, consulting, and tech). All sections will meet in-person for the required session of the program: Orientation: Leadership and Career Development Foundations.

Key Dates

Mandatory Full Day Orientation: Friday, Sept. 19
Mentoring: October - June
Optional Virtual Office Hours: October - June
Optional Networking Opportunity: Wednesday, Jan. 1

Eligibility and Application

The William Sharpe Fellows Program annually designates the top undergraduate business juniors at UCLA. Prospective candidates must have a demonstrated interest in pursuing a career in business administration. Candidates will be asked to submit a well-crafted resume. Candidates interested in private equity should apply for the investment Banking industry vertical.

Read also: Environmental Fellows at UDaily

Important Dates

Waitlist Interviews: Monday, Aug. 4 - Wednesday, Aug. 6
Students Notified of Final Decisions: Friday, Aug.

Industry Focus

Sharpe Fellows cohorts represent various industries, including investment banking, consulting, finance, and technology. Ancillary industries that have recruited well from the Sharpe Fellows community include Private Equity, Venture Capital, Wealth Management, and Product.

Alumni Engagement

Staying engaged in the Sharpe Fellows community is highly encouraged. Opportunities for involvement include:

Hiring a Sharpe Fellow for internships or full-time opportunities. Sharpe Fellows are trained by alumni in the industry, and candidates are pre-vetted by UCLA staff.
Participating in selection interviews and networking nights.
Offering coffee chats.

Success Stories

UCLA Sharpe Fellows Class of 2026 reported accepting summer internships at the following top organizations: Bank of America, CBRE, Citi, Ernst and Young, Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan Chase & Co., Lazard, McKinsey & Company, Moelis & Company, NBC Universal, Perella Weinberg Partners, PIMCO, PwC, Qualcomm, Uber, UBS, Warner Bros.

Since its inception in 2008, the Sharpe Fellows community has continued to grow and represent a variety of industries in and out of Business. Sharpe alumni are represented in all levels, from C-Suite to entry level.

Related Programs and Initiatives

Economics Research Fellows Program

The UCLA Department of Economics also offers the Economics Research Fellows Program, modeled after the Sharpe Fellows Program. This program supports talented students to work side-by-side with a professor on the professor’s research team. Each student recipient will receive: a stipend of $2,500 per quarter (for Winter Quarter and Spring Quarter, 2026), professional development training, and the opportunity to present their findings during spring quarter. If selected for the program, students will be responsible for reaching out to faculty and securing a research project, with assistance from the Chair.

Fellows are expected to work approximately 10 hours per week with a faculty member during the quarter and to present their work at various events during spring. Students are expected to be professional and attend meetings with the faculty member at the appointed time and to be prepared for these meetings. They will be expected to meet deadlines and project timelines set out by the professor. If the Research Fellow is not meeting the professor's expectations, they could be dismissed from the program.
If selected, students will be able to contact eligible Economics faculty member with whom they are interested in working. Faculty will be given information about all Fellows and will have the option of contacting students directly. The Chair and Vice Chair of the Department of Economics will help facilitate matches should the Fellow be unable to find a match themselves.
The application requirements include success as a student, a demonstrated interest for research, and a passion in economics. Each applicant must be a full-time UCLA undergraduate student enrolled for the entire academic year (Fall, Winter, and Spring quarters). Extension students are not eligible for this program. In order to be selected for this program - the student should have a 3.2 cumulative GPA, and must have already completed Econ 101. Completion of Econ 103/Econ 103L is not required but is strongly preferred. We encourage students from the Class of 2026 and the Class of 2027 to apply. The required materials to upload are listed on the application. You will be able to access the application and “Save for Later” through October 19.
The time commitment expected is 10 hours per week for a minimum of two quarters. However, the exact hours and the distribution over weeks will ultimately be decided by your agreement with the faculty member you choose to work with and the demands of the project. There will be three cohort meetings with the other fellows for one hour each- a total of 3 hours.
The research responsibilities will be dependent on what the faculty needs.
You would be an research assistant.
UCLA Economics Research Fellows applicants will be notified by Wednesday, November 5 if admitted or denied into the program.
The UCLA Economics Research Fellows Program is sponsored by the UCLA Economics Board of Visitors.

Other Programs

UCLA College/Sharpe Fellows Internship Program: This program is designed to bring together top employers with UCLA’s brightest undergraduate students. Internships are available in a variety of fields.
EXEC Program: The UCLA Department of Economics recently established the EXEC program to help transition transfer students to the campus community. EXEC equips first-year transfer students with the skills and resources to excel academically, socially, and professionally. Students in the program participate together in academic courses and career planning programs.
UCLA Social Enterprise Academy: The UCLA Social Enterprise Academy is a six-month social entrepreneurship program in which groups of UCLA students partner with participating social ventures to develop earned income opportunities and to present their ventures to potential investors. The program is designed to link students with established not-for-profits that are looking to enhance the effectiveness of their mission.

Alumni Volunteer Opportunities

UCLA alumni can contribute to the success of the Sharpe Fellows Program and other related initiatives through various volunteer opportunities:

Judging Economics in Action Events

Faculty teaching lab classes have the option to request the UCLA Alumni Association’s support in coordinating a Virtual Economics in Action event. For this program, students form teams, research a topic related to the course and present to a panel of two to three judges. Alumni are invited to participate as judges only on the date they sign up for and their role is to observe multiple student presentations during that time block and provide the students with feedback.

Timing: Week 8 or Week 9 of each quarter (see UCLA Academic Calendar). Time and date vary depending on faculty preference.
Fall recruitment for judges will begin after Sept.

Alumni Guest Lectures

Faculty teaching lab classes have the option to request the UCLA Alumni Association’s support in coordinating alumni guest lectures. Opportunities are subject to faculty requests each quarter and prospective alumni guest speakers are reviewed and approved by faculty based on alignment of course content and speakers’ work experience.

Timing: Varies depending on course.
Fall recruitment for speakers will begin after Sept.

Social Enterprise Academy Mentorship

Through this program, students work directly with nonprofit organizations to develop earned income opportunities for their organizations. The program combines teamwork, expert training and individualized coaching in a comprehensive approach to help develop successful social enterprises. The culminating event is the Venture Showcase where three final teams pitch their business ventures for up to $30,000 in funding.

PhD Panelist

Alumni volunteers will serve on a panel covering the return on investment of their Ph.D.

Format: In person at the James West Alumni Center on the UCLA campus or virtual depending on the format availability of the panelists
Experience: A Ph.D.

Transfer Student Mentoring

This program consists of mentoring first-year transfer students pursuing a degree with the UCLA Department of Economics to successfully transition them to the campus community by expanding their professional network and developing their career tool-kit.

Career Preparation Speaker/Panelist

You also have the option to participate as a guest speaker/panelist at one of the career preparation sessions led by UCLA Alumni Career Engagement to share your experience while at UCLA, discuss your career trajectory and any insights and advice into your industry.

Life Sciences 110 Guest Speaker

The goal of Life Sciences 110: Career Exploration in the Life Sciences, is to introduce students to the variety of careers available to life sciences graduates and to assist them in taking concrete steps to plan for their lives and careers after graduation. During the live virtual class sessions, 3 - 5 alumni guest speakers have 10 minutes each to discuss their career trajectory, the nature of their day-to-day work, and how they’ve applied their undergraduate degree in the workforce.

Supporting the Program

The UCLA Economics Board of Visitors plays a key role in helping UCLA’s Department of Economics maintain and enhance its position as one of finest in the world. The Board helps us stay connected to the needs of employers and ensure that our undergraduates obtain the best training we can offer. Maintaining our position as a leading department in research and education requires your support. If you are in a position to help the next generation of UCLA graduates, we would be grateful for a donation of any size.

tags: #sharpe #fellows #ucla #program #details