Relief Funding  •  Funding Notification

Service & Support Updates

​Given the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 crisis, we want to express our continued commitment to your well-being and our dedication to your success while attending UC Davis. Financial Aid and Scholarships staff will be working daily to ensure there is readily available support for all students, especially those in need. 

​What We Are Doing

Financial Aid and Scholarships, Aggie Compass Basic Needs Center, AB 540 Center, and Guardian Scholars Program are collaborating closely to provide support to our students with emergencies related to the COVID-19 pandemic. We are providing online, email, and phone advising for financial aid inquiries. Please call us at 530-752-2804, Mon-Thu, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. or via Contact An Expert. We are responding to all inquiries within 7-10 business days.

For those in need of financial assistance as a result of COVID-19, please visit CARES Act FAQs and Economic Crisis.

What You Can Do

Activate Direct Deposit to receive refund and emergency funding in your bank account electronically.

If you expect to receive a paper refund check, please review and update both your local and permanent addresses in your MyAwards to reflect your current mailing address and avoid mailing delays.

Expected Family Contribution Appeal

If you or your family has experienced a loss of income as a result of COVID-19, Financial Aid and Scholarships will consider revisions to financial aid for families directly affected, including eligibility for federal financial aid programs for any domestic student and state or university aid for California students. To see what your projected award may look like, use the Financial Aid Net Price Calculator

Emergency Loans

Students experiencing a temporary shortage of funds may request an Emergency and/or Short-Term loan. Requests are limited to costs related to educational expenses as found in the Cost of Attendance. For eligibility requirements and application steps, visit Emergency and Short-Term Loan Programs.

Funding Updates

COVID-19 Relief Funding Available

On March 27, the federal government signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act into law, and established the Higher Education Emergency Relief Fund (HEERF) which provides emergency funding to higher education institutions. Half of the HEERF dollars must go directly to students in the form of emergency grants for expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the COVID-19 crisis. The campus received $16.9M for direct student support.

Awards will be emergency grants for expenses related to the disruption of campus operations due to the COVID-19 crisis.

Awarding Framework

UC Davis distributed the CARES Act Emergency Financial Aid Grant to eligible graduate/professional students and undergraduate students based on the percentage of their respective spring quarter/semester enrollment. The estimated total number of eligible students is 23,807. UC Davis used the following methods to determine which students receive Emergency Financial Aid Grants.

Graduate and Professional Students
We have equally disbursed funding among eligible graduate/professional students, up to $600 per eligible student. 

Undergraduate students
We have distributed awards to eligible undergraduate students, based on need, as determined by the 2019-20 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) with an emphasis on providing additional support to the neediest populations.

Which students are eligible to receive funds?

Federal regulations require schools to confirm that a student receiving any CARES Act Higher Education Emergency Relief Grant meets the following requirements: 
     • Is a US Citizen or an eligible noncitizen
     • Has a valid Social Security number
     • Is registered with Selective Service, if you’re a male (you must register between the ages of 18 and 25)
     • Is not in default on a federal student loan
     • Does not owe money on a federal student grant
     • Is a currently enrolled student
 
Additional information can be found at Financial Aid Eligibility Requirements.

Awarding Amounts

Awards will be distributed to eligible undergraduate students based on need as determined by the 2019-20 FAFSA with an emphasis on providing additional support to the neediest populations as follows (per student):

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS*
     • Pell Grant recipients: $1,000
     • Students receiving grants other than Pell Grant: $750
     • Students eligible for Subsidized Direct Loans only and not receiving grants: $500

Funding for eligible graduate/professional students will be distributed equally amongst the population as follows (per student): 

GRADUATE/PROFESSIONAL STUDENTS*
     • Graduate Studies: $600
     • School of Education: $600
     • School of Law: $600
     • School of Management: $600 (not available to Online MBA students)
     • School of Medicine: $600
     • Veterinary Medicine: $600

The Summer CARES Act Emergency Relief Grant is funding from the CARES Act Emergency Relief act that has been allocated for undergraduate students taking summer courses based on the percentage of enrollment. Awards will be distributed to eligible undergraduate students based on need as determined by the 2019-20 FAFSA with an emphasis on providing additional support to the neediest populations. Funding will be distributed equally amongst the population as follows (per student): 

UNDERGRADUATE STUDENTS*
     • Students with Financial Need: $400

*Undocumented AB 540 students will receive relief funds from institutional emergency grants equivalent to the awards provided to Title IV eligible students. See the Additional COVID-19 Support section.

International students are not eligible for federal CARES Act funding, however, institutional resources are being made available to provide emergency grants to international students in crises. The maximum award will not exceed $1,000 per student.

Program Updates

Work-Study

Work-Study students are eligible for the one-time CARES Act Emergency Relief Grant in addition to the one-time federal and institutional Work-Study grant in which a portion or all of the remaining Work-Study balance scheduled for spring quarter will be converted to a one-time Work-Study grant for all eligible undergraduate students. The amount of the one-time Work-Study grant will be based on hours worked during the winter quarter. For details on the Work-Study grant, see Work-Study Guidance.

SAP

The transition to a Pass/No Pass (or Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory) grading system has the capacity to affect students' Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) requirements. Due to the migration to online instruction for the spring quarter, the deadline to decide which grading option was preferred was extended to the last day of instruction for spring 2020, June 4, 2020. More information can be found at SAP Frequently Asked Questions.