Applying for Aid

Complete your application as soon as possible after January 1 of each year. Because some aid programs are awarded on a first-come, first-serve basis, an early application receives priority consideration for limited funding sources.

FREE APPLICATION FOR FEDERAL STUDENT AID
You apply for federal, state, and institutional programs (except scholarships which often have specific application processes) by completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

• We encourage all students to complete the FAFSA on the Web and use your (and your parent's, when required) U.S. Department of Education-issued PIN number for signatures. The easy, quick, and secure method checks for errors and omissions that can save you time. You can also print a worksheet if you wish to collect your tax and other information prior to completing the online FAFSA.

• Students who applied for aid last year can use their U.S. Department of Education-issued PIN number to pre-populate information on their new FAFSA when going to www.fafsa.ed.gov.

• You can request a paper copy of the FAFSA by calling 1-800-4FED-AID.  You can also print a paper FAFSA.

By listing UC (Title IV Code: 003125) as one of your school choices, we will receive your information electronically for award processing.

STUDENT AID REPORT
The federal processor analyzes your FAFSA information to determine an Expected Family Contribution (EFC). Based on a federally mandated, uniform system, EFC is the amount of support that you and your parents could provide toward your educational costs. The EFC is then used directly to determine eligibility for some aid programs and used in calculations to award other programs.

The results of your FAFSA are reported to you in the form of a Student Aid Report (SAR). Review your SAR carefully. Make corrections to any information that is incorrect.

Based on the processing of your FAFSA, you may be asked to supply additional information to your financial aid office. UC will review an electronic version of your SAR to see if additional or supplementary information is needed. If this is the case, a request will be sent to you to check your status online.