Undergraduate Scholarships Information for Students

Prospective

If you're applying for admission to UC Davis, the scholarship application is included in the UC Application for Admission and Scholarships. Entering students apply between November 1 and 30. If you are a transfer applicant, a letter of recommendation is encouraged for scholarship eligibility (but is required for the Regents Scholarship); be sure to plan ahead and talk to your high school teachers, community college faculty, or community leaders about recommendation letters, which are due in early December. Second baccalaureate students are not eligible for undergraduate scholarships.

Undergraduate scholarships are awarded on a competitive basis for academic achievement and, in some cases, financial need. Scholarship criteria may also include participation in extracurricular activities; specific college or major; career interests; geographic origin; high school or community college attended; parentage; perseverance; and many other personal characteristics. Be sure to pay particular attention to the Restricted Scholarship Eligibility Codes section of the UC application in order to increase your chances for restricted scholarships.

Entering

If you've been admitted to UC Davis, congratulations! You applied for scholarships when you applied for admission. If you applied for financial aid as well, the Undergraduate Scholarship Office will coordinate your scholarship awards with your financial aid awards. You'll receive a postcard in the mail telling you to check your awards online through MyAwards at financialaid.ucdavis.edu/MyAwards. The Undergraduate Scholarship Office will begin notifying scholarship recipients in March and will continue through June. Unfortunately, due to the volume of entering student scholarship applicants, the Undergraduate Scholarship Office is unable to notify students who did not receive awards.

Current/Continuing

Undergraduates with a GPA of 3.25 or higher should reapply for UC Davis scholarships each year beginning October 1. The application is available online at financialaid.ucdavis.edu/scholarships in early October, with an application deadline early in December. Check the Web site in October for specific details and a link to the application. A letter of recommendation is required for all continuing scholarship applicants.

Reporting Scholarships to the Financial Aid Office

Whether awarded by UC Davis or an off-campus organization, scholarships are credited against any remaining need or the student's self-help and loan expectations, thus reducing the amount the student may need to borrow or work to contribute to the cost of his or her education. Students who are awarded a scholarship after reviewing their awards on the electronic Financial Aid Notice (eFAN) will be instructed to view the revised eFAN to see the changes. Because the amount of financial aid a student receives cannot exceed the need determined by the federal formula, students must report to the Financial Aid Office all additional outside scholarship awards. Students may be billed for any aid received in excess of their financial need.

Outside/Private Scholarships

A student’s scholarship search should not end with the UC application for admission and scholarships or the UC Davis continuing undergraduate scholarship application. Scholarships brought in from outside resources can further decrease the amount a student needs to contribute or borrow to cover the cost of his/her education; and with the Internet as a tool, the opportunities are endless. Just be cautious of the scholarship scams (see Non-Davis Search Tools); “If you have to pay money to get money, it’s probably a scam” (finaid.org).