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Grants

Grants

How to Get Grants

Grants do NOT have to be repaid! They are like scholarships. Learn about grants and how to get them. 

Always: 

  • File your FAFSA or Dream Act Application to be considered for UCR, Federal Pell Grants and Cal Grants. Your financial aid package will include grants whenever federal/state regulations, UCR awarding policies and available funding levels permit it.
  • Meet on-time aid deadlines to qualify for grants.
  • Submit a GPA verification form with your FAFSA or California Dream Act Application to apply for Cal Grants.
  • Register for enough classes to qualify. You must enroll at least half-time (6 to 8.5 units) to qualify for most grants. Pell Grants may be awarded for less than half-time enrollment, but UCR Grants and Cal Grants will be canceled for less than half-time enrollment. For a Federal Pell Grant or Cal Grant, you must be enrolled in at least 12 units each quarter to receive the full amount. Part-time awards are prorated for less than full-time enrollment as follows: 
3/4 time  9 to 11.5 units (75% of Pell Grant and Cal Grant)
1/2 time  6 to 8.5 units (50% of Pell Grant and Cal Grant)
Less than 1/2 time 1 to 5.5 units. (25% of Pell Grant and NO Cal Grant)

Federal, State and Institutional Grants 

  • Federal Pell Grants

    The 2024–2025 Pell Grant is based on a student's enrollment intensity, which is the number of credits they are enrolled in during the term. The student's Pell Grant and disbursement amount will be calculated using this percentage value. The Pell Grant will no longer be adjusted based on enrollment status, such as full-time or half-time. The maximum Federal Pell Grant award for the 2024–2025 academic year is $7,395, and the minimum is 10% of the maximum. Some students may qualify for more than $7,395 in Pell Grants each year through Year-Round Pell if they attend Summer Sessions.


    Learn more about Federal Pell Grants.

  • Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (SEOG)

    SEOG is a need-based grant funded by the federal government, ranging from $100 to $4,000 per academic year. Recipients must be enrolled at least half-time. SEOG is awarded to qualified undergraduate students with no prior baccalaureate degrees who have exceptional financial need. First priority is given to students with the lowest expected family contributions.

    Learn more about the Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity (FSEOG) Grant.

  • Teach Grant

    The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program provides grants up to $4,000 to students who intend to teach in a public or private elementary or secondary school that serves students from low-income families.
     

    The maximum annual award amount is established by Congress, and may be subject to change. The maximum award for 2014-15 is expected to be $3,760.

    In exchange for receiving a TEACH Grant, you must be a highly-qualified, full-time teacher in a high-need subject area for at least four years at a school serving low-income students.

    You must complete the four years of teaching within eight years of finishing the program for which you received the grant.

    You incur a four-year teaching obligation for each educational program for which you received TEACH Grant funds, although you may work off multiple four-year obligations simultaneously under certain circumstances. Read the TEACH Grant Fact sheet.
     
    UCR Teach Grant Eligibility Requirements

    You must:

    • Complete the FAFSA or Dream Act Application.
    • Be a U.S. citizen or eligible non-citizen.
    • Be enrolled as a graduate or post-baccalaureate teaching credential student in UCR’s Graduate School of Education Master of Education (M.Ed.) program or teaching credential program.
    • Be enrolled as an upperclassman (junior or senior) student in the UCR Ca-TEACH SMI program who has successfully completed EDUC 003 or EDUC 004. All other programs are ineligible.
    • Be enrolled in coursework that is necessary to begin a career in teaching or plan to complete such coursework. Such coursework may include subject area courses (e.g., math courses for a student who intends to be a math teacher).
    • Maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 throughout the academic year.
    • Sign a TEACH Grant Agreement to Serve.

    M.Ed. and teaching credential students should contact the Graduate School of Education (GSOE) for eligibility determination.

    Students will be notified by the Financial Aid Office if they are eligible to receive the TEACH Grant. Once you’ve been offered the TEACH Grant, you may accept and/or decline the award via Growl.

    Remember:
    Failure to complete the teaching obligation, respond to requests for information, or properly document your teaching service will cause the TEACH Grant to be permanently converted to a loan with interest. Once a grant is converted to a loan it can’t be converted back to a grant!


    Learn more about the TEACH GRANT

  • Cal Grants

     

    These renewable awards are offered by the State of California to residents of California who are U.S. citizens or eligible noncitizens. CSAC determines eligibility for the following grants based on academic achievement and financial need. Students must meet GPA requirements and family income and asset requirements. Renewal awards are based on continued financial eligibility and maintaining satisfactory academic progress.


    Check your Cal Grant award eligibility and/or report changes to the California Student Aid Commission.

    To apply for Cal Grants, you must submit a GPA verification form with your FAFSA or California Dream Act Application. 

    Cal Grant A
    Available to entering and continuing students who are enrolled at least half time, Cal Grant A is awarded based on financial need and GPA. Awards cover system-wide fees and range from $100 to $12,630 per academic year.

    Cal Grant B*
    Cal Grant B is initially awarded to very low-income students who are enrolled at least half-time. First-year awards are usually limited to non-fee costs: subsistence stipends for books, supplies and living expenses. A Cal Grant B award may also cover system-wide fees when renewed. Awards range from $100 to $14,302 per academic year. 
     
    Cal Grant Transfer Entitlement Award 
    The Cal Grant Transfer Entitlement Award is available to eligible students enrolled at least half-time who graduate from a California high school, enroll in a community college in the spring, and then transfer to a qualifying California institution that offers a bachelor’s degree for the subsequent fall term.

    Cal Grant Transfer Entitlement awards are based on financial need and GPA. Award amounts are the same as the Cal Grant A and Cal Grant B programs.

    Transfer applicants must complete a Transfer Entitlement Cal Grant Certification Form (Form G-6) through the California Student Aid Commission to receive this award. This form is usually available mid-March of each academic year.

    Cal Grant A or B* Teaching Credential Program Grant 
    This grant is available to renewal Cal Grant A and B recipients who are enrolled at least half-time in an approved professional teacher preparation program and within 15 months of the end of the last term in which they received an undergraduate Cal Grant award.

    Awards cover system-wide fees and range from $100 to $12,630 for renewal Cal Grant A recipients and $14,302 for renewal Cal Grant B recipients per academic year. Teaching Credential students must complete a "Request for Cal Grant Teaching Credential Program Benefits" Form G-44 through the California Student Aid Commission to receive this award.

    * Your Access Grant (formerly called Cal Grant B Stipend) will be automatically applied to your student account balance. You have the option to have your award refunded to you and not applied to your account balance; to request this, you must email the request to the Student Business Services office at sbsofc@ucr.edu and direct that your Cal Grant B Access award NOT be applied to your balance (if any) in your student account and that the entire amount be paid directly to you.  If you elect this payment option, you are responsible for any unpaid bills in your student billing account that your Cal Grant B Access award would otherwise have reduced or cleared. Conversion to a direct payment is a manual process that will only affect awards after you make the request.  A request for conversion from an automatic payments to a direct payment  must be requested  no later than 21 days prior to the start of the next term.


    Learn more about Cal Grants. 

     

  • The California Chafee Grant

    The California Chafee Grant is available to qualified foster youth and former foster youth for college courses or vocational school training. Award amounts range up to $5,000 per academic year. Chafee Grant applicants must complete a FAFSA and a California Chafee Grant Program application.


    Learn about the Chafee Grant.

  • UCR Grant

    Award amounts are determined based on family income and financial need.  

  • USHIP Fee Grant

    USHIP Grants are awarded to eligible undergraduate students to cover USHIP (Health Insurance Fees) only. Recipients must be on-time aid applicants enrolled at least half-time. Award amounts are determined based on family income and financial need.  The USHIP Fee Grant may cover the full or partial cost of USHIP depending on the students financial need. Students who waive out of USHIP Health insurance coverage will lose eligibility for the USHIP Fee Grant and the award will be rescinded.

Federal School Code: 001316