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Applying for Aid

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Applying for Aid

Whether or not you think you’ll qualify for need-based financial aid, we recommend that every new and continuing (undergraduate and graduate) student apply — it’s the only way you'll be considered for every type of aid possible. Don't wait until you're accepted to UCR to apply for financial aid!

The first step in the process of receiving financial aid is determining which application you should use. 

If you are a U.S. Citizens, Legal Permanent Residents, Eligible Non-Citizens (per FAFSA), and T visa holders should use the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

  FAFSA FILER
If you are AB 540/ SB 68 eligible California residents who are Undocumented individuals, DACAmented individuals, U visa holders and TPS holders should use the California Dream Act Application (CADAA).

CADAA FILER

 

FAFSA FILER Process
  1. Create an FSA ID that allows you to sign your FAFSA® form electronically. Find out how to get an FSA ID and what to do if you forget your FSA IDImportant note: Beginning with the 2024-25 aid year, all contributors on a student's FAFSA (student, spouse, parent(s) and step-parent(s)) must have an FSA ID. 
  2. Fill out the FAFSA at fafsa.gov The simplified 2024–25 FAFSA is expected to be available for students to complete in December 2023 with a priority deadline of May 2. Late applications can be submitted after May 2, although CSAC administered grant aid may not offered to late applicants. Include UC Riverside’s school code: 001316. Additional FAFSA Resources.
  3. Make Sure Your FAFSA® Form Was Processed three to five days after the electronic application was completed. Visit fafsa.gov and log in with your FSA ID username and password to review your Student Aid Report and to add the school code of any additional schools you are considering. If you submitted a paper FAFSA form, you can check its status after it has been processed (roughly 7–10 days from the date mailed).
  4. Make sure your Cal Grant GPA verification was submitted (new undergraduate students). Most California high schools and California community colleges automatically submit students' GPAs for Cal Grants. Check with your school to make sure; if they don't automatically submit your GPA, download the Cal Grant GPA Verification Form and have your school submit it to the California Student Aid Commission. The Cal Grant GPA Verification Form must be completed and filed (postmarked) by March 4, 2024.
  5. If you are selected to receive a Cal Grant, you will receive a California Aid Report. You can check the status of your Cal Grant application at WebGrants for Students.
  6. If you’re an entering new student, you should check MyUCR for any updates to your financial aid. If you’re a continuing student, you should check R'Web.
  7. Check your email often. Adjust your filters so that emails from finaid@ucr.edu always get through.
  8. Admitted entering students should expect to receive an email with instructions to review their preliminary Financial Aid Offer approximately one week after the students is notified that they have been admitted to UCR.

Additional FAFSA Resources

 

CADAA FILER Process 
  1. Fill out the California Dream Act Application (every year!) between January 1 and the priority deadline of May 2. Late applications can be submitted after May 2, although CSAC administered grant aid may not offered to late applicants. Include UC Riverside’s school code: 001316.
  2. Sign the CA Dream Act Application electronically with your PIN and have your parent sign with their assigned Parent PIN (both PINS are issued on your behalf by the California Student Aid Commission).
  3. Make sure your Cal Grant GPA verification was submitted. Most California high schools and California community colleges automatically submit students' GPAs for Cal Grants. Check with your school to make sure; if they don't automatically submit your GPA, download the Cal Grant GPA Verification Form and have your school submit it to the California Student Aid Commission. The Cal Grant GPA Verification Form must be completed and filed (postmarked) by March 4, 2024.
  4. If you do not have legal immigration status, fill out an fill out an affidavit stating that you have filed or will file an application to legalize your immigration status as soon as you are eligible to do so.
  5. If you are selected to receive a Cal Grant, you will receive a California Aid Report. You can check the status of your Cal Grant application at WebGrants for Students .
  6. If you’re an entering new student, you should check MyUCR for any updates to your financial aid. If you’re a continuing student, you should check R'Web.
  7. Check your email often. Adjust your filters so that emails from finaid@ucr.edu always get through.
  8. Admitted entering students should expect to receive an email with instructions to review their preliminary Financial Aid Offer approximately one week after the students is notified that they have been admitted to UCR.

Additional CADAA FAQ

Federal School Code: 001316

 

Your Privacy and Security

The University of California, Riverside has strict security and confidentiality policies and procedures in place to protect the integrity and confidentiality of student records.

The University of California, Riverside has not now, or in the past, shared any information which would indicate a student's immigration status, either documented or undocumented. Our campus adheres to the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) (20 U.S.C. § 1232g; 34 CFR Part 99), a Federal law that protects the privacy of student education records.

Pursuant to section 502 of the California Penal Code and Public Law 99-474, Title 18, United States Code unauthorized access to applicant information will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

 

Additional CADAA Frequently Asked Questions 
  • Is it safe for me and my family to provide the information that is on the CA Dream Act Application?

    Q. Is it safe for me and my family to provide the information that is on the CA Dream Act Application?
    A. CSAC and UCR will use the information you provide ONLY to determine if you are eligible to receive state and institutional aid. Out offices abide by the FERPA policy in place at UCR and we encourage students to reach out to us if they have any concerns or reservations which might prevent you from being able to complete the financial aid process successfully.

  • Where can I go to get assistance if I have questions while I am completing the CA Dream Act Application?

    Q. Where can I go to get assistance if I have questions while I am completing the CA Dream
    Act Application?
    A. On the home page, www.caldreamact.org, go to “California Dream Act Information &
    Resources”. This page lists all the available options for getting additional assistance.

  • Where can I go to get assistance if I have questions while I am completing the CA Dream Act Application?

    Q. Where can I go to get assistance if I have questions while I am completing the CA Dream
    Act Application?
    A. On the home page, www.caldreamact.org, go to “California Dream Act Information &
    Resources”. This page lists all the available options for getting additional assistance.

  • Why does CSAC ask for income information from the year before I go to school?

    Q. Why does CSAC ask for income information from the year before I go to school?
    A. The law requires that this information be used. Studies have shown that verifiable income
    information from the prior tax year is more accurate than projected income information and
    provides a reasonable basis for determining family financial strength in calculating the
    amount a student can afford to pay toward the cost of their education.

  • What should I do if my family has unusual circumstances?

    Q. What should I do if my family has unusual circumstances?
    A. If you or your family has unusual circumstances that you feel impacts your ability to pay for
    school (such as loss of employment, loss of benefits, death, or divorce), complete the CA
    Dream Act Application normally and submit it as instructed. Once your Financial Aid Offer is prepared, you will have the option to request a Change of Income appeal, to adjust data elements used to calculate your EFC.

  • What should I do if I have a special circumstance and cannot get my parent’s data to report on the CA Dream Act Application?

    Q. What should I do if I have a special circumstance and cannot get my parent’s data to report
    on the CA Dream Act Application?
    A. If you are considered a dependent student by the application but have no contact with your
    parents and are unable to provide your parents data on the CA Dream Act Application, you may
    have a special circumstance. If you are completing the CA Dream Act Application online, answer
    the questions to the best of your ability then sign and submit the form for processing. If you are
    completing a paper application, complete as much of the form as you can, sign, and submit it for
    processing. Your application will be incomplete, and no EFC will be calculated, however, ONLY the
    financial aid office at the first school listed on your CA Dream Act Application will still receive
    your data. Contact our office for further assistance to complete your application.
    Note: Not living with your parents or the fact that your parents do not want to provide their
    information on your CA Dream Act Application are not considered special circumstances.
    Examples of special circumstances are when your parent or parents are incarcerated, or
    you had to leave home because of an abusive situation.

  • If I live with an aunt, uncle, or grandparent, should that relative’s income be reported on my CA Dream Act Application?

    Q. If I live with an aunt, uncle, or grandparent, should that relative’s income be reported
    on my CA Dream Act Application?
    A. Generally, no. You can only report your birth parents’ or adoptive parents’ income on
    your CA Dream Act Application. Only if a relative has adopted you and is now your
    adoptive parent can you report that person’s information on your CA Dream Act Application. However,
    you must report for question 45(J) any cash support given by relatives except food and
    housing.

  • I’m going to get married this summer. How do I answer the question that asks if I am married?

    Q. I’m going to get married this summer. How do I answer the question that asks if I
    am married?
    A. You must answer based on your marital status on the day you complete and sign your CA
    Dream Act Application. Answer “Yes” if you are married on the day you complete and sign
    your CA Dream Act Application, otherwise, answer “No.” If you answer “No” and then marry
    after you originally file your CA Dream Act Application, you cannot change your answer. If you
    are still married when you apply in future years, you will file as a married student at that time.

  • If my parents are divorced, whose information do I need?

    Q. If my parents are divorced, whose information do I need?
    A. Report the information of the parent with whom you lived the most during the 12 months
    preceding the date you completed the CA Dream Act Application. It does not make a
    difference which parent claims you as a dependent for tax purposes. If you did not live with
    either parent or lived equally with each parent, the parental information must be provided
    for the parent from whom you received the most financial support during the preceding 12
    months or the parent from whom you received the most support the last time support was
    given.

  • I am entering financial information for my mother and stepfather on the CA Dream Act Application. Should I give my father’s Social Security number (SSN) and last name, or my stepfather’s?

    Q. I am entering financial information for my mother and stepfather on the
    CA Dream Act Application. Should I give my father’s Social Security number (SSN) and last
    name, or my stepfather’s?
    A. If they have an SSN, you should provide the SSN and last name of the same person or
    people for whom you are reporting financial information. In this case, provide the SSNs and
    names of your mother and stepfather. If they have Individual Taxpayer Identification Numbers
    (ITIN), provide those numbers. If they do not have an SSN or an ITIN, list all zeros in that field.

  • What should I do if my parent that I live with is remarried and my stepparent refuses to supply information?

    Q. What should I do if my parent that I live with is remarried and my stepparent refuses to
    supply information?
    A. If you are a dependent student and your parent is remarried, the stepparent’s
    information must be included, or you will not be considered for student financial aid. If
    you believe that your situation is unique or unusual, other than your stepparent simple
    refusing to provide the requested information, you should discuss the matter further with
    your financial aid administrator.

  • How does a family decide who should be counted in the household size?

    Q. How does a family decide who should be counted in the household size?
    A. Anyone in the immediate family who receives more than 50% support from a dependent
    student’s parents, or an independent student and spouse may be counted in the household
    size even if that person does not reside in the house. For example, a sibling who is over 24 but
    still receives most his/her support from the parents can be included. Siblings who are
    dependent (as defined by the CA Dream Act Application) as of the date you apply for aid are
    also included, regardless of whether they receive more than 50% of their support from the
    parents. Any other person who resides in the household and receives more than 50% support
    from the parents may also be counted, as long as they will continue to reside with
    your parents and the support is expected to continue through the award year. An unborn child
    who will be born during the award year may also be counted in the household size if
    the parents, or independent student and spouse, will provide more than half of the child’s
    support through the end of the award year. Household size and tax exemptions are not necessarily the same. Exemptions are used when filing taxes for the previous year, but household size refers to the school year that the student is applying for aid.

  • My parents separated four months ago. I live with my mother. My parents filed a joint tax return and claimed me as an exemption. Do I report income for both parents, or for just for my mother?

    Q. My parents separated four months ago. I live with my mother. My parents filed a joint
    tax return and claimed me as an exemption. Do I report income for both parents, or for just for
    my mother?
    A. Report only your mother’s income and asset information because you lived with her the
    most. Use a W-2 Form or other record(s) to determine her share of
    the income reported and taxes paid on the tax return. On the application you would enter her
    information as “Parent 1.”

  • If the student is separated but filed a joint tax return, how is the information reported?

    Q. If the student is separated but filed a joint tax return, how is the information reported?
    A. the student should give only their portion of the exemptions, income and taxes paid.

 

Financial Aid Application FAQS