The Office of Financial Aid

Scholarship Recipient Next Steps

• When does Financial Aid process my scholarship?

  UCR Scholarships

  When you are selected for a scholarship, your Department/College submits a request to our office indicating the term and amount for which the scholarship will be awarded as well as how it's divided.

  Financial Aid will process it, usually in 2-3 weeks. During the busy season of June through October, it may take 4-5 weeks to see your scholarship processed.

  You will receive an email from the Financial Aid Office when the scholarship is added. You will also see a message posted on the "Notifications" tab in R'Web, under the Financial Aid section.

  If you need an update on the status of your scholarship, please start with your college and/or department. Financial Aid can only give you an update if the award request is submitted by your department/college.

   

  Outside Agency Scholarships

  Once the check is received by the Main Cashier's Office at UCR, it will take about 3-4 weeks to process before you see the scholarship appear on your financial aid offer.

• Can I have more than one scholarship?

  Yes, as long as the amount fits in your budget and does not cause an "overaward." An overaward is when a student receives a total amount of aid that exceeds their cost of attendance or when the total need-based aid exceeds their financial need (as determined by the financial aid application). This is a federal regulation that requires compliance. 

• How does my scholarship affect my financial aid offer?

  Federal regulations determine how we process your scholarship. We are limited in how we can add it due to the Cost of Attendance (COA) and other financial aid you are receiving. It may require adjustments to other aid.

  The purpose of the scholarship also matters. Financial Aid applies your scholarship based on what it is meant to cover, such as tuition, fees and other expenses. The department awarding the scholarship decides what the scholarship is meant to cover. Students may only receive one tuition paying award.

• What is the Cost of Attendance?

  Due to federal regulations, the Cost of Attendance determines the maximum amount of financial aid that a student is eligible to receive. It is based on a student's start date at the University of California, their residency status (CA resident or non-resident), and their housing status (on campus, off campus, or living at home). If you already have financial aid that is awarded to you up to your maximum/Cost of Attendance, then we need to reduce other aid to fit in your scholarship. When possible, we will reduce loans or work-study (if you're eligible) first.

  At times, we may encourage students to submit a Cost of Attendance appeal. This would be to try to increase the Cost of Attendance based on certain allowable expenses. If we can make more room, then we may be able to fit in the scholarship with little to no adjustments to your other aid. You can find more information about the appeal and possible documentation required in the Financial Aid section of R'Web (under the Notifications tab) if you are a current student.

• My Middle Class Scholarship was reduced after I got a scholarship. Why?

  The Middle Class Scholarship is determined after you are awarded any federal aid, state aid, and institutional aid. The California Student Aid Commission may re-calculate the award when a student receives a new scholarship if the total of all of their institutional and external scholarships exceeds $8,154. This dollar amount is the "self-help student contribution" that CSAC uses in their formula. However, the new scholarship and/or stipend may impact your Middle Class Scholarship immediately if the fund source is different – federal or state instead of institutional. The UCR Financial Aid Office will make the adjustments as required by CSAC. For more information about the Middle Class Scholarship and how it's calculated please visit this link.

• Will I get a refund?

  A scholarship doesn't automatically mean "extra money." Scholarships are always considered part of your financial aid package.

  There are four possible outcomes when your scholarship is processed:

  1. Refund: Even if the entirety of a scholarship/stipend is awarded to you, it will first go through Student Business Services to pay off any existing Student Account balances. Student Business Services will issue a refund to the recipient if a credit remains. 
  2. Reduced loan debt: Sometimes a student won't receive a refund because the scholarship/stipend was required to first reduce/remove loan offers. The student may not receive a refund, but their loan debt is reduced. 
  3. Revision of other grant funding: If needed, a scholarship/stipend may reduce a grant, dollar for dollar. The Financial Aid Office tries to avoid this option as much as possible. A Cost of Attendance Appeal will be considered. If an appeal is not possible, a reduction of other grant funds may be necessary. 
  4. Return the funding: When the scholarship/stipend exceeds your financial need/cost of attendance and there are no other options, the funding must be returned to the scholarship donor/campus department/academic unit. The Financial Aid Office will exhaust all available options before getting to this step, but we cannot award more than the proven financial need based on the financial aid application.