Grants for Undergraduates

Annual amount: Pays systemwide registration fees ($12,192 for 2011-2012)

Funded by: State of California (California Student Aid Commission)

Note: Amounts are set by the State government and are subject to change at any time. You must be enrolled full-time (12 or more units) to receive the full grant award.

How to apply:

1. File your FAFSA by March 2 and file any requested documents by May 1.
2. If you're already in college and are applying for a new Cal Grant, submit the Cal Grant GPA Verification Form before March 2.

Note: Additional documents may be requested from the Commission after a new Cal Grant is awarded. Failure to provide the documents will result in a loss of the Cal Grant. UCSD will not be able to replace lost Cal Grant with other university funding (grants, work study, loans).

More information:

If you're enrolled in less than 12 units, you'll receive a reduced amount of the Cal Grant fee award:

• 6-8 units = 1/2 the amount
• 9-11 units = 3/4 the amount
• 12+ units = the full amount

Watch a short video on Cal Grants.

Annual amount: Pays systemwide registration fees ($12,192 for 2011-2012) and a subsistence stipend ($1,551). For the first year, you receive only the subsistence stipend.

Funded by: State of California (California Student Aid Commission)

Note: Amounts are set by the State government and are subject to change at any time. You must be enrolled full-time (12 or more units) to receive the full grant award.

How to apply:

1. File your FAFSA by March 2 and file any requested documents by May 1.
2. If you're already in college and are applying for a new Cal Grant, submit the Cal Grant GPA Verification Form before March 2.

Note: Additional documents may be requested from the Commission after a new Cal Grant is awarded. Failure to provide the documents will result in a loss of the Cal Grant. UCSD will not be able to replace lost Cal Grant with other university funding (grants, work study, loans).

More information: 

If you're enrolled in less than 12 units, you'll receive a reduced amount of the Cal Grant fee and stipend awards:

• 6-8 units = 1/2 the amount
• 9-11 units = 3/4 the amount
• 12+ units = the full amount

Watch a short video on Cal Grants.

Annual amount: $555 to $5,550

Funded by: U.S. Department of Education (Federal Student Aid)

More information: 

If you're enrolled in less than 12 units, you'll receive a reduced amount of the Pell Grant stipend:

• 6-8 units = 1/2 the amount
• 9-11 units = 3/4 the amount
• 12+ units = the full amount

You may receive up to two consecutive Pell Grant awards during a single award year to accelerate your program toward your degree. You must be enrolled at least half-time (6-8 units) in a program that leads to a degree, and you must maintain satisfactory academic progress.

Watch a short video on the Federal Pell Grant.

NOTE: ACG is being eliminated by the Federal government and will no longer be available for the 2011-2012 academic year.

Amount: $750 for first-year undergraduate students and $1,300 for second-year undergraduate students

Funded by: U.S. Department of Education (Federal Student Aid)

To be eligible for the ACG, you must be:

• A U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen. You're eligible if you're a:
  • U.S. citizen
  • U.S. national (includes natives of American Samoa and Swain's Island)
  • U.S. permanent resident who has an I-151, I-551 or I-551C (Alien Registration Receipt Card)
  • Student who has an Arrival-Departure Record (I-94) from the INS with one of the following designations:
    • Refugee
    • Asylum Granted
    • Indefinite Parole and/or Humanitarian Parole
    • Cuban-Haitian Entrant (Status Pending)
    • Conditional Entrant (valid only if issued before April 1, 1980)
• Enrolled at least half-time (6 or more units; if you're enrolled in 6 to 11 units, you'll receive a reduced grant amount)
• Eligible for a Pell Grant (see preceding step)
• If you're in your first year of study, you must be a first-time undergraduate and must have completed a rigorous secondary school program after January 1, 2006.
  If you're in your second year of study, you must have completed a rigorous secondary school program after January 1, 2005, and have obtained a cumulative GPA of at least 3.0 in your first academic year as an undergraduate.

NOTE: SMART Grant is being eliminated by the Federal government and will no longer be available for the 2011-2012 academic year.

Annual amount: $4,000 for third- and fourth-year undergraduate students

Funded by: U.S. Department of Education (Federal Student Aid)

To be eligible for the SMART grant, you must:

• Be a U.S. citizen or eligible noncitizen. You're eligible if you're a:
  • U.S. citizen
  • U.S. national (includes natives of American Samoa and Swain's Island)
  • U.S. permanent resident who has an I-151, I-551 or I-551C (Alien Registration Receipt Card)
  • Student who has an Arrival-Departure Record (I-94) from the INS with one of the following designations:
    • Refugee
    • Asylum Granted
    • Indefinite Parole and/or Humanitarian Parole
    • Cuban-Haitian Entrant (Status Pending)
    • Conditional Entrant (valid only if issued before April 1, 1980)
• Be enrolled at least half-time (6 or more units; if you're enrolled in 6 to 11 units, you'll receive a reduced grant amount)
• Be eligible for a Pell Grant (see earlier step for details)
• Be in your third or fourth year of study
• Be pursuing a degree in a qualified major in physical, life, or computer sciences, mathematics, technology, engineering or a critical foreign language (see a list of approved majors)
• Be enrolled in at least 1 course per term leading to a degree in your qualified major
• Maintain a cumulative UC GPA of at least 3.0

More information:

• Your GPA and major are reviewed quarterly to ensure ongoing eligibility.
• If you're a mid-year transfer student, UCSD coordinates the award with your prior school. The maximum amount you can receive for the year is $4,000, so if you received $2,000 while enrolled at another institution in fall term, the remaining $2,000 will be divided between winter and spring quarters at UCSD (assuming you're otherwise eligible to receive a SMART Grant).

Annual amount: $200 to $4,000

Funded by: U.S. Department of Education (Federal Student Aid)

Watch a short video on SEOG.

Annual amount: Varies depending upon need

Funded by: University of California

Annual amount: Varies depending upon the total amount of your gift aid; if your existing gift aid from all other sources does not cover your systemwide UC fees, the Blue and Gold grant will make up the balance.

Funded by: University of California

To be eligible for the Blue and Gold Opportunity Grant, you must:

• Demonstrate income at or below $80,000 with financial need, as determined for federal need-based aid programs
• Be a California resident
• Be in your first 4 years of attendance at UC (or your first 2 years if a transfer student) Meet other basic eligibility requirements for need-based financial aid
• Apply for Cal Grant by submitting the Cal Grant GPA Verification to the Cal Grant Program

More information:

UC Blue and Gold Opportunity plan

Annual amount: $200 to $1890. The UC Fee Grant is a need-based grant to cover the increase in University of California fees for students who do not receive another fee-paying award. This is a one-time grant to offset the 2011-12 fee increase.

Funded by: University of California

To be eligible for the UC Fee Grant, you must:

• Have an annual total family income up to $120,000
• Have no other UC campus based grant
• Have met the financial aid application deadline dates and other basic eligibility requirements for campus need-based financial aid

For more details on UCSD summer grants, see types of UC Summer Session financial aid and learn how to apply.

You may also be able to use Pell Grant funds you didn't use during the regular academic year.