University of California Scholarships Grants

The University of California offers different scholarships & grants in different capacities, and the fact that there are campuses strewn all over the country makes it necessary for the applicant to go through the set guidelines by each individual campus.

Every campus has its unique set of instructions to which students must adhere while applying for the gift aid. Therefore you should make sure that you go through the links for whichever campus is relevant to you before filling and handing in your application for consideration.

Taking into consideration the fact that more than 100,000 undergraduates receive gift aid in one way or the other, as a UC student you should take this opportunity and also make sure that you get a share of this cake.

It has been documented that in the previous year alone the institution provided close to $1.9 billion in gift aid to more than 100,000 undergraduate students, which loosely translates to around $16,000 for every student. All of this was aimed at helping the students cover their expenses and tuition fees.

One of the main considerations whenever gift aid is being awarded either by the federal government, the state of California and/or the University of California, is the applicant’s basis of need. In line with this criteria, need is often determined by the information that the applicant is going to provide when they are applying for financial aid. This will therefore include things like the expected costs once you get to campus, and most importantly the status of your resources back at home.

In as much as this is important, a host of the gift aid that is offered hardly ever consider merit, though where necessary merit becomes an important factor of consideration, especially for those who are applying for aid through programs that focus on individual talent in things like sports, music and other areas that require individual talent.

The institution provides grants and scholarships under different programs. Some of the most common programs that you will find when applying include the Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan, the Middle Class Scholarship program, Cal Grant program and the Pell Grant program.

Perhaps one of the best things about all these grant programs is that you do not necessarily need to apply for them individually. All you need to do is to make one application for financial aid and you will be considered for all of them.

Blue and Gold Opportunity Scholarships Grants Plan

In the event that you come from a family whose annual income is below $80,000, your tuition fees will be catered to with the different gift aid programs available. For normal program students this will be for the four years in the institution, while for transfer students this is for two years.

Therefore you do not have to pay for the fees through your own means.

In the event that you have determined that your family does have the financial capacity over and beyond the $80,000 annual family income you can still be able to apply for financial assistance so that you can lower your costs of attending school.

You will first have to fill and hand in your FAFSA, the California Dream Act and the Cal Grant GPA verification form. These are often handed in early March, unless the institution provides special instructions otherwise.

When applying you must be in any of your first four years at the institution in the event that you are a regular student, or the first two years in the event that you are a transfer student.

There are a host of other campus requirements which are specific to different campuses under the program, which also you have to adhere to.

In most cases you must be registered and enrolled in the institution for at least half of the academic year, not be behind in student loans or in default, and you should also meet the regular campus academic standards stipulated in the application guidelines when applying for scholarships & grants at the U of C.

The University of California Scholarships Grants programs are worth looking into simply because they have so much money to dole out towards financial aid for incoming students, along with larger higher profile schools making a push in helping the everyday student to afford attending a major university.

Other U of C Locations

UC London
Casa de la Universidad de California en México
Education Abroad Program
UC Center Sacramento
UC Hastings College of the Law (affiliated)
UCR Palm Desert
UCSF-Fresno Medical Education Program
UC Washington, D.C. Center