Applying For Aid: Freshmen Undergraduate Students

Applying For Aid

We encourage all students to complete a financial aid application. A Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) constitutes the basic financial aid application.

In addition, you may be required to submit other supporting documents. The supporting documents vary according to your particular situation.

The following links contain descriptions of the financial aid process and tips for applying.

On all documents you send to us, please be sure that your (the student's) name and UCI Student ID number are printed on the top of each document. Be sure that all copies and entries are legible. If DHS immigration documentation is required, be sure to photocopy both sides of the document.

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Aid @ UCI - Our Philosophy
Paying for the cost of a UCI education requires a partnership among parents, students and the University. Each partner has responsibilities to fulfill in meeting that cost. We at UCI do not want anyone to be denied an education because of the lack of financial resources.

THE UNIVERSITY ROLE

As a partner in financing your education UCI has two important roles:
- to administer a variety of financial assistance programs and
- to provide sufficient support to students to pursue their education
All eligible students and parents can receive some type of financial assistance, regardless of the family's income and assets. In order for UCI to determine your eligibility for specific programs you must complete and submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). With this information we can determine your eligibility for grants, scholarships, loans and work-study.

THE FAMILY'S ROLE

The purpose of financial aid is to supplement a family's ability to meet the cost of attending college. Parents are expected to help with the cost of attending UCI, to the extent they are able.

The information collected on the FAFSA determines a family's ability to contribute toward a student's education. Their responsibility for contributing toward your cost of attendance is determined by federal standards, which take into account parental income and assets (excluding home equity), family size, and the number of family members in college (excluding parents). This federal determination is part of the financial aid process, and UCI encourages all families who believe they will need any type of assistance (including student and parent loans) to complete the financial aid application.

It is essential that parents carry out their part of the partnership, otherwise students will have to carry a heavier financial burden.

THE STUDENT'S RESPONSIBILITY

Just as your parents and UCI are partners in helping you meet the cost of education, you too have a responsibility in financing your education. As a student, you reap the benefit from your education so it makes sense that you have an important role.

You will be responsible for completing your financial aid application materials and submitting them by the deadlines as well as reading and completing the information you receive from UCI.

You may also be expected to take out student loans and work part-time in addition to researching and applying for scholarships.

While UCI and your parents will help you finance your education, it's up to you to apply for financial aid and to submit all documents.
What's My Aid Eligibility? (How Much Can I Get?)
Cost of Education minus Expected Family Contribution = Aid Eligibility

Your aid eligibility is determined by what it costs to attend UCI and what your family is expected to contribute towards those costs.

The expected family contribution is determined using the information you provided on the FAFSA. That information is put into a standardized federal formula to determine your family's ability to pay your educational costs. If you are a dependent student both your and your parent's information will be used to determine your expected family contribution. If you are an independent student only your information will be used.

Your aid eligibility is the difference between what it costs to attend UCI and what your family is expected to contribute. For example, a student living on campus with costs of $24,000 and a family contribution of $5,000 would be eligible for $19,000 in financial aid.

How Will My "Aid Eligibility" Be Met?

Once your aid eligibility is determined our office will put together a financial aid award that usually includes a combination of the following funds. Some funds require you be eligible (have financial need), others don't. Of course, if you don't complete your financial aid file on time you may not receive all of these types of awards.
- Grants -- Must have financial need. Do not have to be repaid.
- Student Loans -- Must be repaid with interest, usually after graduating or withdrawing from college.
- Scholarships -- Awarded based on grades and other achievements.
- Work-Study -- Earned through part-time employment.
You will be notified of your eligibility. Every qualified student is eligible for some type of assistance, either need-based aid or unsubsidized/parent loans.

In addition to the parent and student contributions described above, we consider other resources such as grants and scholarships from outside agencies, veterans' benefits, tuition waivers, and/or tuition remission plan fee waivers.

To determine your "aid eligibility", we deduct your family's expected contribution and the amount of these resources from the cost of attending UCI. The remainder (if any) is the aid eligibility our office will attempt to meet.

If I Don't Qualify for Need-Based Aid, Do I Have to Complete My Financial Aid File?

Yes. You will be notified of any documentation we will require for processing any type of financial aid, including an Unsubsidized William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan or the Federal Direct PLUS Loan, which are not based on financial need. Don't wait for us to ask for documents, refer to "My Aid Application Status", and/or your SAR for required documentation we may need.
Am I Eligible?
In order to receive financial aid you must:
- be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen,
- be registered with Selective Service (if required),
- attend a participating school,
- be working toward a degree or certificate,
- be making satisfactory academic progress,
- not owe a refund on a federal grant or be in default on a federal educational loan, and
- have financial need (except for Unsubsidized Direct and Federal PLUS Loans)
Deadlines
Don't miss out on thousands of dollars in grants, lower interest loans or work-study! Meet all deadlines and get a Certificate of Mailing from the U.S. Postal Service when mailing any documents to our office.

These deadlines determine which students will be considered for UCI Grants, Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG), work-study employment, and lower interest loans.

Don't wait until the deadline to provide the requested information! By submitting documents well in advance of the deadlines, you allow time for any corrections or unforeseen problems which might otherwise delay the receipt of your financial aid.

January 1st: First day to submit FAFSA and supporting documentation

March 2nd: Priority deadline to complete FAFSA

March 2nd: Deadline to mail Cal Grant GPA Verification Form to the California Student Aid Commission

Two Weeks - Any documents requested by our office must be submitted to our office by the deadline indicated (we'll always give you at least two weeks to respond).

September 15, 2009 * Registration Fees for fall quarter, 2009 must be paid by this date.
Completing My File
The following are helpful tips for completing the FAFSA and any additional documents we may request.

FREE APPLICATION FOR FEDERAL STUDENT AID (FAFSA)
All applicants must complete a FAFSA.
* Priority Deadline: March 2 *

You should complete your FAFSA online at www.fafsa.ed.gov. To assist in completing the FAFSA online you may wish to use the FASFA on the Web Worksheet. If you are unable to complete the FAFSA on the Web you may call 800-4FED-AID and request a paper application be sent to you or you may download a copy at http://fsa.ed.gov/fafsa/fafsa_options.html.

Read the detailed instructions included with the application prior to completing the form.

Information from this form will be forwarded to UCI electronically from the central processor. Therefore, it is critical that our Federal school code 001314 and/or University of California, Irvine, be indicated on your FAFSA.

PROOF OF MAILING
You should get a Certificate of Mailing from the U.S. Postal Service if you mail the FAFSA.

If you file your FAFSA online, you will need to print out the signature page (if you do not have a Personal Identification Number) and you and one of your parents (if you are dependent) will need to sign the signature page and mail it to the address indicated. Once your FAFSA is submitted via the Web, you will receive a confirmation number. You should print out the confirmation page from your computer as proof that you submitted your FAFSA.
Cal Grant GPA Verification Form
This form must be completed by all first-time applicants for a Cal Grant.
* Priority Deadline: March 2nd *

High school seniors should have the form completed at their high school.

Students transferring from another college should have the form completed by the last college attended.

Current UCI freshmen must submit their official high school transcript with the GPA Verification Form to our office by February 20th. If you have completed at least 24 units of college credit prior to fall quarter 2007, but did not take all those units at UCI, attach official academic transcripts for all colleges previously attended with the GPA Verification Form.
Other Documents
If any additional documents are required to complete your file, you will be notified by our office. You must return these documents by the date indicated to maintain your eligibility for priority funds.

CITIZENSHIP DOCUMENTATION

The U.S. Department of Education will match student alien registration numbers with Department of Homeland Security (DHS) data for verification of eligibility for federal financial aid programs. If there is no match, we will need to obtain confirmation of your immigration status.

The U.S. Department of Education will also match citizenship status with Social Security Administration data. If there is no match, we will need to confirm your citizenship status.

If you need to confirm your citizenship or immigration status you will need to submit one of the following documents to our office. Check your Student Aid Report (SAR) to see if this information is required. This information must be submitted each year that it is requested.
- U.S. Passport
- U.S. Birth Certificate
- Temporary Residency Card
- Certificate of Naturalization
- U.S. Noncitizen National, Alien Registration Receipts Card (Form I-551 or I-151)
- Departure Record (Form I-94)
SELECTIVE SERVICE CONFIRMATION
If your Student Aid Report (SAR) indicates your Selective Service status must be confirmed or that you have not registered, you must provide our office with proof of your registration.

If you did not register with Selective Service, but because of your age can no longer register, provide our office with documentation of your status from Selective Service along with a letter from yourself indicating why you failed to register. The phone number for Selective Service is (847) 688-6888.

DEFAULT/REFUND CLEARANCE
If your Student Aid Report (SAR) indicates you are in default or owe a refund, we cannot evaluate your financial aid application until we receive written verification that your default status has been cleared. Updated information on your default must be submitted each year. NOTE: It is your responsibility to provide the verification that the default status has been cleared.

ENROLLMENT VERIFICATION OF FAMILY MEMBERS FORM
Selected students who indicate on their FAFSA, that there will be other members of their household attending college, on at least a half time basis between July 1, 2009 and June 30, 2010, will be required to verify that student's enrollment in college by completing the Enrollment Verification of Family Members Form. Parents attending college cannot be included in the number of family members attending college.

Application Checklist
- File FAFSA by March 2, 2008
- New Cal Grant applicants file the GPA Verification Form by March 2, 2008
- Submit any requested documents by the deadline indicated
- On any documents you send to us, please be sure that your (the student's) name and UCI Student ID number is printed on the top of the documents
- Be sure that all copies and entries are legible
- If DHS immigration documentation is required, be sure to photocopy both sides
- Apply on the internet! Check out the FAFSA on the Web at www.fafsa.ed.gov
Am I Dependent or Independent?
According to federal regulations, an independent student is:
- at least 24 years old by December 31 of the award year, or,
- an orphan or ward of the court, or,
- a veteran of the Armed Forces of the United States, or,
- a graduate or professional student, or,
- a married student, or,
- a student who has legal dependents other than a spouse
If you do not meet at least one of these criteria when you answer the questions in Step Three of the FAFSA, you are considered a dependent student and your parents must complete Step Four of the FAFSA.
A Note About Your Address
It's important to keep your addresses updated.

Once we receive your FAFSA information, all future correspondence regarding your application will be sent to the permanent address we have on record at UCI for you until fall quarter begins. At that time, correspondence will be sent to your campus/local mailing address.

We also will communicate with you via e-mail so it is important you check your e-mail regularly. We will send messages to the address provided on your admission application until you receive your UCI student e-mail account.

Make sure your email doesn't get lost in your spam or junk mail folders. You should set your email to allow email from 'finaidmail@uci.edu'. Check with your email provider on how to make these changes.

To Change Your Address:
- New undergraduate applicants to UCI must notify the Undergraduate Application Processing Service of a new address in writing: University of California, Undergraduate Application Processing Service, P.O. Box 4010, Concord, CA 94524-4010.
- Current UCI students should change their address on StudentAccess
- Students should also leave a forwarding address with the U.S. Postal Service. You will be held responsible for the information in communications from any University office sent to the last address given.
- Use your Student Aid Report (SAR) to update your address with the U.S. Department of Education or logon to their website to update your address, www.fafsa.ed.gov so you will receive a reminder to complete your FAFSA next year.

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University of California, Irvine

Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships

Federal School Code 001314

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