<p>In my aid package I got a university grant of about $5000. I’m wondering if this grant will last for the duration of time I’m at UCD or is it only for the first year to convince me to enroll (“crack-dealer method”)?</p>
<p>It’s given based on need each year. I got a grant both last year and this year, but the amount changed because my family’s EFC changed.</p>
<p>I think all freshman get $5000 for some odd reason.</p>
<p>Is it only for freshman year? Or will I continue to get that $5000?</p>
<p>I read somewhere that some schools give a bit more generously the first year so the financial aid package would look more attractive. However, it’s only for the first year and students are more willing to shell out or borrow that extra amount rather than change schools after their later years. I’m wondering if that’s the purpose of the “university grant”.</p>
<p>It’s pretty pointless to find out more but I’d like to find out now so in the event that I don’t get that $5000 next year I won’t be in such a shock and at least expect to find ways to make up that money.</p>
<p>You’ll continue to get that $5000, but the University Grant amount varies for each student per year. My university grant amount is around $12,900 for the upcoming school year while for this past year, it was around $14,000. </p>
<p>And grants aren’t like loans–you don’t need to pay back grant money.</p>
<p>Yea keep getting that money, or at least I am for next year.</p>
<p>For us the cost of attendance (per UC Davis) went down from freshman to sophomore year so our grant went down.</p>
<p>Students with financial need who live in the residence hall will get an extra $3500 (as of 11-12) on their university grant. (This offsets what I would consider the artificially high cost of dorm/dc, while having full-fare students pay the higher price. It’s a method of cost shifting, in my opinion.)</p>
<p>It’s important to note that when you decide not to live in the dorms later on, your grant will go down by the $3500. You’ll still save a little money by living off-campus, but not nearly as much as you think you will save because of the loss of the grant money.</p>
<p>@ beebthe1: my grant money actually went up when I moved out. I only had around $1740 in university grant money when I lived in the dorms, which is significantly less than what I got in grant money for the upcoming school year and last year.</p>
<p>From personal experience I can state that not all freshman get grants.</p>
<p>@sopranokitty: Of course university grant money can go up or down from year to year based on a variety of factors including EFC, other grants, GPA qualifier, timeliness of paperwork, SHIP waiver, availability of work-study, etc.</p>
<p>But the point about living in dorms is this. All other factors being the same, in a single given year, a student with remaining need who lives in the dorms will receive $3500 more in UG (university grant) than a financially-identical student who is not living in the dorms.</p>