Did you know that the University of California or a California State University, offers financial aid to qualified undergraduates and students earning teaching credentials as part of the Middle Class Scholarship (MCS) program? Examine the specifics now!
Overview of Middle Class Scholarship
Using the Middle Class Scholarship, undergraduate students can get financial aid to pursue a bachelor’s degree at the University of California (UC), California State University (CSU), or California Community College.
Students must submit the California Dream Act Application or the 2024–25 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by the May 2, 2024, extended deadline in order to be eligible for the Middle Class Scholarship, which is administered by the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC).
Students must also fulfill other financial aid conditions, including meeting specific yearly income and asset limitations.
CSAC will notify you if you are chosen to earn a Middle Class Scholarship. By making an account at https://mygrantinfo.csac.ca.gov/, you can keep an eye on your award.
The institution will then verify your current eligibility after verifying all appropriate federal, state, institutional, and outside scholarships are added to your academic year financial aid offer.
Scholarship Details
Your scholarship amount is determined by adding together all of your available resources, which include the following:
- The amount of “gift aid” you receive, which encompasses any grants and scholarships from federal, state, or institutional sources.
- Your $7,898 student contribution for “self-help” (for all students)
- Amounts paid by parents (for dependent students whose household income exceeds $100,000).
To determine the amount of your Middle Class Scholarship, the whole amount of your available resources will be subtracted from the cost of attendance.
Since each award is determined by the student’s resources and attendance costs, the amounts given to each student may differ.
If you are eligible for this scholarship and your family’s income and household assets fall below the specified threshold, the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) and your UC campus financial aid office will let you know your scholarship amount.
Eligibility Requirements
CSAC considers the student’s entire cost of attendance as well as all resources that have been granted to them when assessing eligibility.
The three components that make up the student’s “available resources” are as follows:
- Additional resources and gift help that the student is qualified for (such as federal, state, institutional, or scholarship aid),
- A minimum of $7,898 must be contributed by each student toward self-help, and
- If dependent, the household income must exceed $100,000.
To calculate the MCS grant, the student’s entire cost of attendance will be subtracted from their “available resources.” The MCS quantities among students can differ significantly based on this formula.
When a student’s total grant money from institutional, state, federal, and private sources equals or exceeds the amount that qualifies them for MCS, the student will be ineligible for the scholarship.
When there are modifications to their financial aid, students are alerted to check their student account on TritonLink and their financial aid offer.
Please visit the CSAC website at https://www.csac.ca.gov/middle-class-scholarship for additional information on MCS.