The following was taken from the UC website
Grants, scholarships, loans and work-study are all forms of financial assistance — and extremely popular ones at that. In fact, nearly two-thirds of UC undergraduates receive some financial aid with an average award of around $14,000. For California residents, that covers nearly half the cost of attending UC for a full year
Nearly two-thirds of UC undergraduates receive some form of financial aid, and UC enrolls more lower-income students than any comparable university in the nation
Estimated average costs for California residents, 2011-12 | ||
Living on campus | Living off campus | |
Tuition and fees* | $13,200 | $13,200 |
Books and supplies | $1,500 | $1,500 |
Health insurance allowance/fee | $1,160 | $1,160 |
Room and board | $13,200 | $9,500 |
Personal/transportation | $2,140 | $3,040 |
TOTAL | $31,200 | $28,400 |
* California-resident undergraduates at all UC campuses pay the same $12,192 in systemwide tuition and fees for 2011-12. The fees figure above includes the average cost of additional campus-based fees. Your total costs will vary depending on your personal expenses and the campus you attend. All fees are subject to change without notice.
Blue + Gold Opportunity Plan
Who qualifies for the UC Blue + Gold Opportunity Plan?
UC's Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan will cover your educational and student services fees if you are a California resident whose family earns less than $80,000 a year and you qualify for financial aid — and that's just for starters. Blue + Gold students with sufficient financial need can qualify for even more grant aid to help reduce the cost of attending.
What it takes to be eligible
- Be a California resident
- Demonstrate income below $80,000 with financial need, as determined for federal need-based aid program
- Be in your first four years as a UC undergraduate (first two for transfer students)
- Meet other campus basic requirements for UC grant aid (for example, be enrolled at least half-time during the academic year, meet campus academic progress standards, not be in default on student loans, etc.)
- Submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by March 2 and provide any additional documentation campuses may request by the specified deadline.
- Make sure your school submits a GPA verification form to the Cal Grant program, or download the form, have your school fill it out and send it to the California Student Aid Commission
What Blue + Gold covers
- Under the plan, your systemwide fees will be fully covered by scholarship or grant money if you are in your first four years at UC (two if you're a transfer student).
- The plan combines all sources of scholarship and grant awards you receive (federal, state, UC and private) to count toward covering your fees. If, for example, you receive Pell and Cal Grants and private scholarships that don't fully cover your fees, UC grant money will make up the difference.
- Students with greater financial need can qualify for even more grant support to help defray other educational expenses (like books, housing, transportation, etc.) In 2010-11, UC provided grant and scholarship assistance averaging $14,514 per student to more than half of undergraduates.
This is a great place to start if you are financing your college education.
