UCLA is a very prestigious university located in Los Angeles, California. Currently, it has over 30,000 undergraduate students and 13,000 graduate students. These students are some of the smartest people in the world because the admission to get into UCLA is very competitive. Roughly, out of every ten applicants, only one student gets in. However, once you do get in, you can get generous UCLA scholarships to fund your studies at this prestigious university.
So, in this article, we will be looking at the various scholarships that are offered at UCLA. But before that, let’s take a look at the cost before scholarships.
UCLA Cost of Attendance
The price tag of UCLA education is very expensive. The annual cost of attendance for in-state students is over $34,000, and that includes tuition fee over $13,000, room and board over $15,000, and personal expenses. If you are not from California, your cost of attendance is even higher, and the total is over $63,000 a year.
Only the upper-class families in America can pay that much money for educating one of their children. That’s why there are many scholarships and financial aid available at UCLA. The university even has programs to help lower-income families financially by giving them various grants and financial aid.
UCLA Scholarships
First, let’s look at the various scholarships offered at UCLA. This financial option is usually given out based on merit, which includes GPA, SAT/ACT scores, recommendation, extracurricular activities, community service, etc.
1. UCLA Achievement Scholarships
This is a scholarship for entering freshman, and the maximum award amount is $10,000 per year. Students are selected for this scholarship based on merit, but the award amount is determined by the financial need.
Therefore, to be eligible, you need to submit the FAFSA or Dream Act Application, and you must also be a US citizen or Undocumented Student. Once you fill out these forms to show your financial need, you will be automatically considered for this scholarship.
2. Regent Scholarships
This is the most prestigious scholarships available at UCLA, and students can get up to full tuition, room, and board depending on the financial need of the student. Like UCLA Achievement Scholarships, Regent Scholars are not selected based on financial need but only on academic achievements and leadership skills.
However once selected, the award amount is dependent on the applicant’s need. If you demonstrate need, it is possible that the Regent scholarships will cover full tuition, room, and board. The smallest award that you will get is $2,000 if you don’t have any need to be met.
The eligibility criteria are the same as the achievement scholarship mentioned above. You might be asked to be interviewed as part of the selection process, but you won’t need to fill out a separate application form to receive this scholarship. If you do get an invitation to interview, you definitely should because you might get the most prestigious scholarship available on UCLA campus!
3. UCLA Chancellor’s Blue and Gold Scholarships
This scholarship was established to help finance the students from the Los Angeles area who are from high schools that do not send many students to UCLA. The maximum scholarship amount is $5,000 per year. You won’t have to fill out a separate application to be eligible because they will evaluate students based on the admission application that students fill out. This, of course, has information on which high school that the student is from.
UCLA Chancellor’s Blue and Gold Scholarships has awarded millions of dollars to hundreds of students that are eligible. So, if you fit the criteria above, you definitely should apply to UCLA!
How to Apply for UCLA Scholarships
Because many of these UCLA scholarship award money based on the financial need of the applicant, you need to fill out the FAFSA if you are a US citizen or Permanent Resident or Dream Act Application if you are an Undocumented Student. These documents ask you about your financial situation and determine your need based on your answers. I would fill them out as soon as they are available!
UCLA Financial Aid
There are three main types of financial aid available at UCLA. Those are federal grants, state grants, and university grants.
Federal Grants are money from the government to help students from lower income families to fund their education. Federal grants include the famous Pell Grant, which has a maximum award of $6,000 per year. While this does not sound much, if you are eligible for Pell Grant, you are eligible for many other types of grants to fund your studies at UCLA.
State grants are money from the state of California that helps in-state students to finance their studies at a university in California. These grants include Cal A Grant, Cal B grant, Cal A&B Competitive Grant, California Middle-Class Scholarship, and Chaufee Grant. Many of these grants have income caps to be eligible, so make sure to check the Grants Page.
If you are not from California, you need to check and see if your state offers any state grants. If they do, you should definitely apply!
The third type of grants available is university grants. The source of the money is from the university itself. One of the biggest grants is the Blue and Gold Opportunity Grants.
If you are a California resident, US citizen/Permanent Resident/Undocumented Student, and is from a family whose income is less than $80,000, the university will make sure that you don’t pay any tuition. This is achieved through a combination of eligible scholarships and grants. If this financial aid does not cover tuition. this university grant will cover the rest of the students’ tuition for four years.
If you want to know more about the grants that UCLA provides, you need to check out the Financial Aid Page!
How to Apply for Grants
Fortunately, the application for grants is the same as the application for scholarships. Students will need to fill out the FAFSA or Dream Act Application depending on your status. If you are a California Resident, make sure to fill out the GPA Verification Form as well.
Scholarship Application Deadline
The deadline to submit these financial aid documents is March 2. However, it is highly advised that you submit these documents much sooner. If you finish the documents by December, you are in a great position to revise your admission applications.
I hope that this article on UCLA scholarships was helpful. If you are a California resident, I highly recommend that you visit the California University Scholarships Category because you will find the most generous scholarships for you there. If not, I highly recommend that you go to Authority Scholarships and find the state that you are from!
