Join our Experiential Learning RCO Cup Competition!
Empowering Registered Clubs & Organizations to lead, serve, and gain hands-on experience beyond the classroom.
What is The Experiential Cup?
The Experiential Cup is a campus-wide challenge designed to recognize and reward Registered Clubs and Organizations (RCOs) for driving positive change on and off campus. Rather than adding extra work, the competition highlights and elevates the impact your club is already creating through community service, campus leadership, and hands-on learning.
Our Goal
We are striving to get campus leaders to engage in community service, research and even internships.
Competition Timeline:
• Fall Kickoff: Register your RCO and begin logging service hours and event attendance. Submit capstone proposal if graduating in Spring by the end of Fall term
• Spring Capstone: Submit and present your applied community project. Deadline: March 19th, 2027
• April Banquet: The Experiential Cup winners and awards announced!
Competition Tiers & Criteria
Large Orgs (20+ Members)
Community Service: 10 service hours completed by at least 80% of active members.
EL Event Attendance: 60% of executive board members attend 5 EL department events.
Capstone Project: 1 completed applied capstone project (OR 1 capstone + raise min. $3,000 for philanthropy for Greek life).
Small Orgs (<20 Members)
Community Service: 10 service hours completed by at least 60% of active members.
EL Event Attendance: 40% of executive board members attend 5 EL department events.
Capstone Project: 2 capstone projects (OR 1 capstone + raise min. $1,000 for philanthropy for Greek life)
Incentives & Awards
1st Place: The Experiential Cup Trophy, custom medals for active, participating members, LinkedIn endorsements, certificates from elected officials.
2nd Place: LinkedIn endorsements & certificates from elected officials.
3rd Place: LinkedIn endorsements and official EL swag items.
Get Started & Connect With Us
Register your club, book an advising session, or log attendance.
Log Community Service: Submit your volunteer hours directly through the Community Engagement Center or your group's CatLife portal.
Ambassador Office Hours: Meet with Ambassador Evelyn (Tuesdays & Thursdays, 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM) or email el@ucmerced.edu for capstone brainstorming.
If you participated in direct community service, record your service hours by entering them into your personal or your group or organization’s CatLife account.
For EL event tracking, please record your event and upload photos here.
