Two-Year Program | Applications for the 2025–2026 Academic Year are now CLOSED
Each fall, the Yosemite Leadership Program welcomes a new cohort of participants into its campus-based, co-curricular leadership development program. Cohorts are intentionally kept small to ensure a personal, high-quality experience focused on leadership growth, community engagement, and experiential learning.
Cohort meetings for first-year students take place on Wednesday evenings from 4:30 PM – 6:00 PM. Wilderness excursions and team-building activities are held on select weekends, approximately once per month throughout the academic year.
For questions, please contact us at lead@ucmerced.edu.
Summer Internship | Applications for Summer 2026 are NOW OPEN!!!
Each summer, the Yosemite Leadership Program (YLP) offers UC Merced undergraduates the opportunity to live and work in a national park through a 12-week residential summer internship. Students from all majors are encouraged to apply, regardless of prior involvement in a campus YLP cohort.
As part of students’ professional development, the YLP Summer Internship has a separate and competitive application process designed to prepare participants for leadership, public service, and careers in environmental and civic engagement.
For questions, please contact Connie Lau at connie_lau@nps.gov.
Please note: The Yosemite Leadership Program (YLP) and the YLP Summer Internship (YLPSI) are two separate programs with distinct applications and deadlines. Admission into one program does not guarantee admission into the other. Students may apply to one program or both.
