Richard K. Leffingwell Scholarship

Please note that CSU Foundation Scholarships offered by the Chancellor’s Office are awarded based on applicants meeting the eligibility criteria and the quality of their submission for these scholarships.

The Financial Aid and Scholarship Office Committee will review all applications and select the top one to two qualified candidates by mid-April. In addition, students applying will undergo an Academic Standing Review as well as a Student Conduct Code Review. These applicants will be nominated and forwarded to the Chancellors Scholarship Committee and applicants from the other CSU campuses to be reviewed in the summer for the upcoming academic year.

If selected as a nominee, additional documentation or information may be required. Nominees will receive a unique link from the Chancellor’s Office. Therefore, nominees should keep a copy of their original application in the event they are asked to resubmit their application or provide additional documents, as requested by the Chancellor’s Office.

This scholarship reflects Mr. Leffingwell’s admiration for the university’s commitment to provide opportunities to foster the next generation of students who wish to be instrumental in serving the public.
After graduating with a bachelor’s of science degree from CSU Northridge, and serving as an officer in the US Army, Richard Leffingwell joined the CSU Office of the Chancellor as a member of the trustees’ audit staff. He directed the CSU’s self-supporting financing activities, and later became the director of financing and treasury. Richard worked with trustees, campuses, and the municipal financing community to establish viable systems for financing non-state projects at the 23 CSU campuses before retiring in 2004.

Applicants must:

  • Have a course of study within the fields of business, economics or other disciplines that will serve the applicant in achieving goals relating to nonprofit or public service.
  • Have demonstrated an interest in and aspire to a career in nonprofit or public service.
  • Demonstrate a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.75 on a 4.0 scale and be in good academic standing.
  • Demonstrate financial need as determined by the campus Financial Aid office.
  • Be currently enrolled as a full-time equivalent upper division or graduate student at a California State University campus and must remain a full-time equivalent student during the scholarship period.

Award
$3,500.00
Scopes
Financial Aid & Scholarship Office
Deadline
03/02/2026
Supplemental Questions
  1. CSU Chancellor's Office Scholarship Personal Statement:
    • 1. What experience has impacted your personal growth?
    • 2. Tell us about a time you failed. What did you learn from that experience?
    • 3. Why are you pursing your major? How does it relate to your career aspirations?
    • 4. Provide an example of service beyond the classroom (i.e., have you taken on significant family obligations, helped others in a specific way, been involved in political action, worked/volunteered/interned at a particular organization, etc.). Why is this example significant to you?
  2. 5. What are your motivations and goals for a career in nonprofit or public service? What are your experiences or involvement to date in nonprofit or public service activities?