In 2008, the William F. Sharpe Fellows Program was created by the UCLA Department of Economics and their Board of Visitors to engage UCLA alumni, community members, and employers in supporting the career and professional development needs of UCLA’s business undergraduates. Named in honor of Nobel Laureate and UCLA alumnus William F. Sharpe, the program has been successful in bringing together top employers with UCLA’s brightest students interested in pursuing business careers. Today, the program is run by the UCLA Alumni Association staff in collaboration with the Department of Economics and their Board of Visitors to strengthen the Bruin community in business.

Benefits

Leadership Development

Sharpe Fellows are campus role models; many are rising stars among their respective campus communities and serve on executive roles across various student organizations. As our next generation of business leaders, Sharpe Fellows also spend their Fellowship year refining their leadership skills beginning with the Leadership Foundations portion of orientation.

The program helps equip Sharpe Fellows with the competencies and knowledge to be successful leaders and global citizens. Because of this, candidates for the Sharpe Fellows Program should demonstrate an excitement for and commitment to developing key aspects of leadership including purpose, impact, commitment, responsibility, accountability and civic engagement.  For the civic engagement portion of the program, Sharpe Fellows alumni that are current students spend the remainder of their time at UCLA giving back by serving as mentors to Sharpe Fellows and other students interested in business at UCLA.

Career Development

Sharpe Fellows receive assistance securing and preparing for a summer internship through training and by leveraging an exclusive network of connections and partnerships with alumni, industry leaders, and Alumni Affairs staff. Currently, the Fellowship provides support for students pursuing summer internships in investment banking, finance, management consulting, and technology.

Through the Career Development Foundations portion of the orientation, Sharpe Fellows receive training on how to successfully secure an internship and how to effectively network.

Each Sharpe Fellow has access to receive the following: 

• Individualized career coaching and industry introductions to help launch a successful career through virtual office hours
• Resume inclusion in a resume book that is distributed widely to employers
• Opportunities to be selected for the Bruin Champions program whereby the program sends your resume to alumni in top organizations with the understanding that the alum will advocate for you within the organization

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. Discover and Wells Fargo.

Mentorship & Networking

The 2025-2026 UCLA Sharpe Fellows will be one cohort made up four sections based on each vertical (investment banking, finance, consulting, and tech) that all meet in-person in the one required session of the program, Orientation: Leadership and Career Development Foundations on Friday, Sept. 19 at the James West Alumni Center. All other activities in the program are optional.

Upon being named a Sharpe Fellow, each student is given access to a list of alumni with relevant career experience to select a mentor. The alumni mentors have at least 1 year of full-time professional experience, although most alumni mentors have extensive years of work and knowledge. The alumni mentors serve as resources as Sharpe Fellows navigate summer internship recruitment and can also provide broader career planning advice.

Sharpe Fellows also have exclusive access to a network of over 715 Sharpe Fellows alumni that are either rising leaders or leaders in the business world, and other alumni invested in the professional success of UCLA students. This Fellowship is especially valuable for those looking to expand and deepen their professional network and are self-motivated to connect with UCLA alumni in advancing their career.

Program Commitment

As a Sharpe Fellow, it is required to actively participate in orientation and while the program partners with you to strengthen your career outcome, each fellow is responsible for their own career. By applying for the Sharpe Fellows Program, you understand and acknowledge that orientation is required and you are responsible for ownership of your career.

Program Eligibility

• Undergraduate students, enrolled full-time (12+ units) at UCLA 
• Expected graduation date of December 2027, March 2028 or June 2028
• Minimum 3.5 GPA

Events

Mandatory Full Day Orientation at JWAC	Friday, Sept. 19
Mentoring	October - June
Optional Virtual Office Hours	October - June
Optional Networking Opportunity in JWAC	Wednesday, Jan. 14 - Bruins in Business Networking Night: Featuring Sharpe Fellows
How to Secure the Full-Time Offer	Thursday, April 19, 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
Sharpe Fellows End-of-Year Lunch (JWAC Patio)	Friday, May 1, 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m.

Application Process

The Sharpe Fellows Program annually selects the top UCLA undergraduate students going into business, and are supported by alumni, community members, and employers who are invested in the career and professional development needs of Sharpe Fellows. Prospective candidates must have a demonstrated interest in pursuing a career in business administration. Successful candidates should also have an interest in leadership development and a genuine enthusiasm for civic engagement.

Candidates will be asked to submit a well-crafted resume. Candidates interested in private equity should apply for the investment Banking industry vertical. After a review of all applications, selected students will be invited to participate in virtual interviews with UCLA alumni.

The 2025-2026 application information is below:

Applications Open	Thursday, May 29
Information Session (Location: JWAC, Collins Conference Room)	Wednesday, June 4, Noon - 1 p.m.
Information Session (Location: Zoom)	Friday, July 10, Noon - 1 p.m.
Application Deadline	Sunday, July 13, 11:59 p.m.
Applicants Notified If Advancing or Not Advancing to Interviews	By Friday, July 25
Virtual Interviews for All Industry Verticals with Alumni	Monday, July 28 - Friday, Aug. 1 (Individual Times TBD)
Waitlist Interviews	Monday, Aug. 4 - Wednesday, Aug. 6
Students Notified of Final Decisions	Friday, Aug. 8

All content listed above, including dates of events, is subject to change.

Apply Here

Contact Us

If you have any questions, want more information about the UCLA Sharpe Fellows Program, or are interested in hiring Sharpe Fellows, please contact Mia Seleshi, director of Alumni Career Engagement, UCLA Alumni Affairs.