<p>I just learned that I was accepted as a Mechanical Engineering major at UCLA! Seeing as I received a Scholarship at UCSB, UCSC, and UCSD, my immediate reaction was to check my financial aid package. And that's where things got weird. I did get some awesome and generous financial aid:</p>
<p>Scholarship Recognition Award: $16,788
(Described as "one-year, non-renewable scholarships awarded to
entering freshmen and transfer students who completed their FAFSA before the March
2nd priority filing deadline. These awards are made to recognize stellar academic
achievement, as evidenced by admission to UCLA, to assist students who demonstrate
significantly high financial need. Eligibility for the Scholarship Recognition Award is
based on the students Cost of Education minus Parent Contribution (if dependent) or
Student Contribution (if independent) minus the self-help component. Awards are
based on financial need, availability of funds, and start at $100.")</p>
<p>Federal Pell Grant: $5,645</p>
<p>UC grant to purchase USHIP (health insurance): $1,323</p>
<p>For a total of $23,756, leaving me with an out-of pocket CoA of $8,600/yr.</p>
<p>What I find peculiar is that I did not receive a Cal Grant for UCLA. According to CSAC, I should receive a Cal Grant award of $12,192/yr if I were to attend UCLA, meaning I would essentially get a free ride for my first year. But for some reason, this award did not show up on my ePAL Financial Aid Estimate. It has for other UCs. Does anyone know what is going on here?</p>
<p>I’m pretty sure you got your Scholarship Recognition Award combined with your Cal Grant. This is my financial aid package (about same as yours)<br>
SCHOLARSHIP RECOGNITION AWARD $4,593
FEDERAL PELL GRANT $4,395
CAL GRANT A $12,192
UC GRANT TO PURCHASE USHIP $1,323</p>
<p>Is anyone else missing their financial aid info? It says they haven’t received my FAFSA, which I sent in late January. Is this just a delay, or something I should worry about?</p>
Students did not provide a Social Security Number on the UC Admissions Application (not a required field) or mistyped their SSN. Unfortunately, the financial aid office needs that information to be able to link your admissions information to the FAFSA. If this is the case, please contact UCLA Admissions on Monday to provide your SSN for input into our system.
Students sometimes enter the incorrect school code for UCLA. Please double check your FAFSA (at FAFSA.ed.gov) to be certain that UCLA is properly listed.
Thank you and congratulations on your admissions to UCLA!</p>
<p>nejworld - That’s what I thought, or that the Scholarship Recognition Award covered the difference if my Cal Grant failed to go through.</p>
<p>Amoureux - at UCD, my financial aid pacakge didn’t show up for a few days. I wouldn’t worry unless it remained that way until next week.</p>
<p>mazdarx7 - Thanks! Other UCs did have the Cal Grant in my Financial Aid Package, so I’ll think I’ll wait over the weekend and see if anything changes. Thank you!</p>
<p>And to everyone else, I’m sorry you guys didn’t get the best financial aid packages - but they are based on income and where you live. I have lived in CA my entire life, and recently, a hospitalization has prevented my parents from working, so we have zero income. You can’t expect to get a Cal Grant if you’re OOS. I also applied to U-Mich. If I get in there, I would not be complaining if I were expected to pay full tuition.</p>
<p>At least you guys didn’t get $0.00 from UCLA in FA</p>
<p>Same boat here - while it is nice to be accepted no FA/scholarship means my D will not be attending. We’re one of those families stuck in the middle who don’t qualify for FA but certainly can’t pay full sticker OSS tuition. Fortunately she already has a full tuition scholarship elsewhere.</p>
<p>StaigerTiger- I am fairly certain that OSS students and their families know they dont qualify for Cal grants. Heck, I don’t even know what it is exactly. My D applied to UCLA knowing there was only a slight chance for some type of merit scholarship. We do have a right to be slightly disappointed that she did not receive one.</p>
<p>I understand that! I think UCLA expects everyone to take some form of hardship to pay for their education. They don’t expect you to pay the full CoA, they expect you to pay part of it, and make up the difference with another option, such as student loans. Rich folks have to take the burden of paying all of the tuition without any need-based aid, and I will probably have to take out loans and get a work-study job because it’s unlikely my family will be able to pay much at all. That being said, I do think the scale isn’t really fair, especially for middle-class families, and $55,000 is altogether ridiculous. My comment on Cal Grants was meant to point out that everyone would have to deal with OOS tuition at some institution; it’s not as if I have some special privilege just because I live in California. Congrats on the full tuition scholarship, that’s great news!</p>
<p>StaigerTiger, I am having the same problem as you. I e-mailed UCLA today, so hopefully they respond soon or correct the issue I don’t think the Cal Grant is supposed to be combined with the Scholarship Recognition Award because they are different, and my peers have both the Scholarship Recognition Award and Cal Grant A listed separately.</p>
<p>Will do If we get our Cal Grant of 12k we’ll have a few extra bucks too. I’d actually have 35k in grants. Do you know what might happen to that extra money? I was thinking it might be transferred to next years financial aid.</p>
<p>Mazdarx7 told me that it would be subtracted from our Scholarship Recognition Award However, maybe not the full amount? I’m not sure; if we’re given significant financial aid we are expected to pitch in for the rest of it (which is why I might shoot for some scholarships!). Even though I got even better deals at a few other UCs (I’d only be expected to pay $3900/year altogether for UCSD!) $8600 isn’t terrible for a UCLA education. MissySanoli, what’s your major?</p>
<p>Can anyone explain EFC to me? If I don’t take loans or work, does that mean that my family only has to pay the EFC amount? I’m a little confused lol</p>
I don’t think the Cal Grant is supposed to be combined with the Scholarship Recognition Award because they are different, and my peers have both the Scholarship Recognition Award and Cal Grant A listed separately.</p>
However, maybe not the full amount? I’m not sure; if we’re given significant financial aid we are expected to pitch in for the rest of it (which is why I might shoot for some scholarships!). Even though I got even better deals at a few other UCs (I’d only be expected to pay $3900/year altogether for UCSD!) $8600 isn’t terrible for a UCLA education. MissySanoli, what’s your major?</p>