The Federal Role UC undergraduates receive the majority of their financial support from federal programs, including Pell Grant, work-study, and student loan programs. Federal loan programs are available to help students and parents at all income levels finance the cost of attendance in a manner that suits their financial circumstances. Your parents are important partners in helping you manage college costs. UC, like colleges and universities throughout the country, uses a federal formula for calculating how much parents are expected to contribute toward college costs. Calculation of the parent contribution is based on information your parents provide on the financial aid application.
Campuses have a number of resources to help students manage their part of the financing partnership.
Students receiving financial aid from programs administered by UC must maintain satisfactory academic progress to retain eligibility. To evaluate your eligibility for financial aid, the University looks first at the cost of attendance and the expected parent contribution. If the contribution does not fully cover costs, the University looks to other resources to help you cover costs. Grants Eligibility for most grants is based entirely on financial circumstances. The Cal Grant Program also considers academic achievement and other personal characteristics for its awards.