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Middle Class Scholarship

 

The Middle Class Scholarship (MCS) provides undergraduate students with a scholarship to attend a University of California (UC), California State University (CSU) or California Community College Bachelor’s degree program. Administered by the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC), to be considered n for the Middle Class Scholarship, students need to complete the annual Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or the California Dream Act Application by March 2nd each year. In addition, students must also meet certain annual income/asset requirements and other financial aid standards.

If you are selected to receive a Middle Class Scholarship, you will be notified by CSAC. You can monitor your award by creating an account at https://mygrantinfo.csac.ca.gov/. Next, the school will confirm current eligibility once all other Federal, State, Institutional and outside scholarships are added to your academic year financial aid offer. This typically begins late in the Fall quarter and is updated through the Winter quarter. Once updated, students are sent email notification to review their updated financial aid on the financial aid portal on TritonLink.

Eligibility Requirements

When determining eligibility, CSAC takes into account the Student’s total cost of attendance and all available resources awarded to the student.

The student’s “available resources” consist of three collective factors:

  • Other available gift aid/ resources that the student is eligible for (i.e. federal, state, institutional or scholarship aid),
  • A self-help student contribution of $7,898 (applied to all students), and
  • If Dependent, a household income of over $100,000.

The student's “available resources” will be deducted from the student’s total cost of attendance to determine the MCS award. Under this formula, MCS amounts may vary widely among students. If the student’s combined grant funding from federal, state, institutional, and private sources is already greater than or equal to the amount of their MCS eligibility, the student will be ineligible for the scholarship. In some instances, students receiving a Cal Grant may also be eligible for MCS funds.

Please note: MCS amounts may be reduced at any time during the academic year if a recipient receives additional federal, state, institutional or private funding after the MCS is offered. Students' financial aid offers may be updated throughout the year based on late scholarship awarding, eligibility changes or corrections to the financial aid application, including housing and enrollment changes. As a result MCS amounts may be adjusted multiple times, including after funds are disbursed and refunded to student accounts. The MCS may also be subject to adjustment based on withdrawing after the start of the quarter, or if a student already received an MCS for a second repeated course once initially passed.

Students are notified to review their financial aid offer and student account on TritonLink when there are changes to their financial aid.

For more information on MCS please visit the CSAC website at https://www.csac.ca.gov/middle-class-scholarship.