Applying for Financial Aid

Who Should Apply for Financial Aid?

If you feel that your family will be unable to meet the cost of a UC education with family resources alone, you should apply for financial aid. Financial aid is awarded to students based on their family’s demonstrated financial need. Students who receive scholarships are also eligible for financial aid. In fact, most scholarship and award recipients also receive need-based financial aid.

How Do I Apply?

The first step is to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). You can complete this form anytime after January 1 st of the year you will be attending and every year thereafter. Complete this form every year by the priority filing date of March 1 st to ensure that you will receive all the aid for which you are eligible.

There are two ways to complete this form. The preferred method is to complete the form on-line. This is the quickest way to get your results (usually 3-5 days from start to finish) and provides instant feedback if something appears incomplete or incorrect. If you choose this method, you must first obtain a Personal Identification Number (PIN) for the student and a separate PIN for one parent. This PIN allows you to electronically sign the form. Each PIN can be obtained by going to www.pin.ed.gov. After completing the on-line application, you will receive your PIN through the e-mail address that you provided in 1-2 days. Once you have your PIN information, you are ready to complete the FAFSA on the web at www.fafsa.ed.gov. After completing this on-line application, you will receive your results (called a Student Aid Report or SAR) in 2-3 days through the e-mail address that you provided.

The second way to file is to complete a paper version of the FAFSA. This form can be obtained through your high school guidance office, a local college financial aid office, or by calling 1-800-4-FED-AID. This method usually takes 3-6 weeks to receive results.