<p>I’m wondering if anyone knows if you had to fill out the FAFSA in order to be considered for UC Regents. Has anyone been invited to apply for Regents or received Regents at a UC and did not fill out the FAFSA?</p>
<p>The Regents scholarship at Davis is not awarded based on need, so I don't think that would make a difference. </p>
<p>To clarify, the value of the Regents scholarship varies depending on need - a student with no need would still receive the minimum annual stipend (It was $7500 last year) - however, a student with need would have all the need paid. That means a free ride in some cases.</p>
<p>No matter how wealthy one's parents, it is always a good idea to fill out a FAFSA. Depending on many factors, even students from wealthy families may be deemed to have financial need.</p>
<p>And, if you don't fill out the form you'd never know.</p>
<p>more info here: <a href="http://admissions.ucdavis.edu/finances/regents_scholarship.cfm%5B/url%5D">http://admissions.ucdavis.edu/finances/regents_scholarship.cfm</a></p>
<p>I just realized this is a UC thread, not just Davis. Each UC has different criteria - the info mentioned here is related to Davis only. Davis has the best regents scholarship program of all UCs.</p>
<p>anxious_mom,</p>
<p>Could you please elaborate on this? My daughter got the Regents from both UCD and UCI. UCI offers more for no-need students. She needs to make a decision very soon.</p>
<p>Thanks.</p>
<p>I'm not as familiar with Irvine's regents program - the last time I compared the two programs was two years ago, when my son received Regents at Davis. </p>
<p>With the UCD Regents the no-need scholarship is a certain dollar amount. Beyond that, if a student has "need" UCD pays the full amount of need as a grant - ie, free money - and up to a full free ride.</p>
<p>UCD publishes the total "cost of attendance" - say for someone living in the dorm for next year the total cost of attendance is $23,219 (including fees, dorm room and board, transportation, books, living expenses, etc). And, say the EFC on the FAFSA is $5000. UCD will give the Regent's Scholarship of $7500, and then a grant for the remainder of the full cost minus the EFC.</p>
<p>Thus the student would receive the Regents scholarship ($7500) plus a grant for $10,719 for a total of $18,219 for the year. </p>
<p>As long as the student keeps up their GPA and progress, the Regents scholarship is in effect for the whole four years. If fees rise, the grants increase. One can even study abroad, and continue the Regents support.</p>
<p>In addition to the financial aspect,there are other great perks of the Davis program. As a Regent's scholar, your student should really consider the Integrated Studies Honors Program (IS) at Davis. It really is a great program, and unlike anything offered at the other UCs. IS has been around for over 35 years, and provides the benefit of an "Oxford-style" small residential, learning community, which is generally not possible at a large, research University. It is a great way to fulfill the GE requirements in small, seminar style classes. The best faculty teach these courses which are on contemporary and interesting subjects. The Regents "peers" in the program will all be the very top students, all of whom will have declined their acceptance at the highest ranked UCs and or/ Ivys or top LACs for this opportunity. Year in and year out, top students at our local high school would decline admissions to the most elite of colleges, and attend IS. That is what my son did and had no regrets.</p>
<p>anxious_mom,</p>
<p>Thanks for the information, especially your note of students declining elite colleges to join ISHP. My daughter is in the process of deciding to pass CAL, UCLA, UCSD and join the Honors program at either UCI or UCD (she only applied to these five schools), while her high school peers pressure her to choose the more prestigious school. This helps her make her dicision more easily.</p>
<p>I'm in the CHP at UCI, turned down Cal for it. She should go where it makes the most sense to go wherever that may be..17-18 year old high school kids/peers don't always know what they're talking about and I'm one to believe that you should go to a place where you feel comfortable and feel like you'll get a good education, not just somewhere that will make the most people think you're super smart. This tends to be the minority position here on CC.</p>
<p>^ I agree.</p>
<p>yackityack,</p>
<p>You are absolutely right. You have a lot of good posts on CC, providing valuable information on UCI and insightful opinions. I wonder if you are in the student discussion panel on the Honors Experience Day on March 11, 2006?</p>
<p>^^Actually I wasn't but I was helping out that day so it's possible that if you were there you saw me.</p>
<p>how do you get into regents? do they send you a letter or what?</p>
<p>If you get it you'll know when you get your acceptance. Actually they send a letter a few weeks before I believe. At least for UCI.</p>
<p>regents must be pretty exclusive. man i wished i got regents</p>
<p>They differ for campuses. For all the UC campuses, except Berkeley and LA, they'll notify you when they accept you. You'll find it in your financial aid letter, and they'll also send a letter by mail.
For Berkeley, if you're selected as a semifinalist, you're invited to go interview mid-March, and they choose from there.
For LA, if you're selected as a semifinalist, you're asked to submit an essay (on what you want to do with your future? I forget what it was) and two recommendation letters.</p>