Meeting the cost of an undergraduate education is a significant investment. At UC San Diego, we are committed to providing a comprehensive need-based financial aid program that makes it financially possible for admitted students to attend. Our admission program is need-blind, meaning, financial status will not affect the admission decision.
UC 2025-26 Priority Filing Deadline
If the FAFSA and CADAA are released as planned, the State and Institutional priority deadline for the 2025-26 academic year is extended to April 2, 2025.
How to Apply for Financial Aid
The first step to apply for financial aid is to submit the appropriate application, ideally by the priority deadline.
The FAFSA is available for US citizens and eligible non-citizens (ie, permanent residents).
The California Dream Act Application is available for undocumented students who qualify for the AB540 fee exemption.
Notes:
2024-25: If your financial circumstances have changed compared to the 2022 income information reported on your 2024-25 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or CA Dream Act Application, you can file a Special Circumstances appeal with UC San Diego. Please visit Forms for details.
2025-26: If your financial circumstances have changed since you submitted your 2023 income information on the 2025-26 FAFSA or CA Dream Act Application, you may be eligible to submit a Special Circumstances appeal to UC San Diego. The appeal form will be available in late summer 2025.
Topics for Prospective Undergraduates
Eligibility & Enrollment Requirements - Learn what you need to do to be eligible to receive and keep undergraduate financial aid.
Packaging Policy - Learn how the Financial Aid and Scholarships Office calculates how much financial aid you're eligible to receive, and in what order awards are made.
How You Receive Your Financial Aid - Link to resources that can help you manage your financial aid award.
Timeline - Use this timeline to keep track of important filing deadlines and other events during the year before you enter UC San Diego.
Cost of Attendance - Use this estimated cost of attendance to help decide how much money you'll need to attend UC San Diego and how much financial aid you may need to meet that goal.
Summer Session - Enrolling in the appropriate summer session classes can help you make faster progress toward your degree.
Useful Checklist
- FAFSA filers: Create your FSA ID at StudentAid.gov
Your FSA ID is your username and password for your StudentAid.gov account. You and anyone contributing to your online FAFSA form* will need an FSA ID.
- Gather the Information You Will Need to Complete the Financial Aid Application
You and anyone contributing to your FAFSA or CADAA will need 2023 income tax returns (if eligible to file), records of investments and assets, Social Security Numbers*, child support information (if applicable), and other personal information. Learn more about FAFSA requirements for 2025-26 here.
- Talk with your Contributors and Learn About Consent to Direct Data Exchange
All contributors must provide consent for Federal Student Aid (FSA) to verify their identity and to access their Federal Tax Information (FTI) from the Internal Revenue Services (IRS) regardless of the 2023 filing status. All contributors will need to answer questions about income and assets as appropriate.
- Research and Apply for Scholarships
One of the best ways you can spend your time as you await the financial aid application is to research and apply for external scholarships. Scholarship searches and applications do take time, but every scholarship dollar received helps reduce the cost of your education and may minimize the amount of loan you borrow. Note: If you are not yet a UC student, your admissions application will act as your scholarship application for the first academic year. You are still strongly encouraged to apply for external scholarship opportunities in addition to any aid you may be offered by the institution.
- Fulfill Institutional Requirements
Submitting your FAFSA/CADAA is the first step to financial aid consideration, but your institution may request additional documentation in order to provide a financial aid offer. Please be sure to submit any document requests by your institution's priority deadline to avoid any delays.
- Submit your FAFSA or CADAA by the extended April 2, 2025 priority deadline to receive 2025-26 financial aid offers in time to make an informed college choice!
Blue & Gold Guarantee
The Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan is the University of California’s commitment to covering your UC systemwide tuition/fees if you are a California resident, your family’s total income is less than $80,000 and you qualify for need based aid. Blue and Gold will cover only the tuition/fees that are not covered by existing gift aid.
Video Resources
Videos focus on applying for financial aid and offer tips on other methods of financing your education.
