Types of Aid Available

Financial Aid and Scholarships awards financial aid packages to those applicants for whom an official need analysis has been performed. Utilizing both need-based and non-need based funding sources, financial aid packages are provided to assist students in meeting the costs associated with attending UCLA. Financial aid packages consist of one or more of the following types of aid:

Aid

Teaching & Research Assistantships/Fellowships & Grants

The UCLA Graduate Division provides students with support funds in the forms of grants, fellowships, traineeships, teaching assistantships and graduate student researcher appointments.

Please refer to the UCLA Graduate Division Financial Support for additional information regarding these awards.

Teach Grant

The TEACH Grant program is a non-need based grant program that gives up to $4,000/year to FULLTIME STUDENTS. TEACH Grants are ONLY available to citizens and permanent residents. Reduced eligibility is calculated for less than full time enrollment in an eligible program (see ‘Eligibility Criteria’ below).

**STUDENTS MUST AGREE TO TEACH low-income elementary or secondary school for 4 YEARS. You must complete this within 8 years of finishing the program paid by the TEACH Grant. Students must teach in a high-need field as a highly qualified teacher. You must sign a service agreement to this effect every year. You must complete all required counseling prior to receiving TEACH Grant. You must have a 3.25 GPA for each quarter to maintain eligibility.

**If you do NOT meet the requirements of the service agreement, TEACH Grant will be treated as a Direct Unsubsidized Loan. Then you must repay the TEACH funds, with interest accrued from the date of disbursement.

Eligibility Criteria:
Graduate students enrolled in UCLA’s Teacher Education Program who are working toward a credential in Science, Math or Special Education.

Cal Grant Eligibility:
If you have Cal Grant A or B and plan to enroll in a teacher credential program, you may be eligible to renew your Cal Grant award for an additional year. The additional year of payment is provided to students who are seeking an initial teacher credential and cannot be used for other graduate level courses of study. To qualify, you must be enrolled in a professional teaching preparation program at a school approved by California Commission on Teacher Credentialing within 15 months of the end of the term for which you last received a Cal Grant payment. Renewal recipients who have received a bachelor’s degree should:

Enroll in a teacher preparation program at an institution approved by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing within 15 months of last receiving Cal Grant payments.
Submit a Request for Cal Grant Teaching Credential Program (TCP) Benefits Form (G-44) www.csac.ca.gov/pubs/forms/grnt_frm/G-44.pdf
File a FAFSA so your school will be able to determine your grant renewal eligibility.
The school verifies you are enrolled at least half-time in an approved teaching credential program.

Golden State Teacher Grant (GSTG)

The Golden State Teacher Grant Program (GSTG) encourages students to consider earning a teaching credential and teach in a high-need field, at a priority school in California for four years. You must complete this within five years after finishing a teacher preparation program. GSTG awards of up to $20,000 are available to students in teacher preparation programs approved by the California Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC). These include teacher internships and teacher residency programs.

What are the grant requirements?

Before accepting the Golden State Teacher Grant, all applicants must agree to the terms
and conditions of a Teaching Agreement. In addition to completing the program
requirements and passing state credentialing exams, the Teaching Agreement requires
recipients to fulfill several conditions:

Complete the Teaching Agreement. The Teaching Agreement explains the student’s obligations under the provisions of the grant. Non-compliance with the Teaching Agreement will result in partial or full grant repayment.
Maintain good academic standing while enrolled in the CTC approved teacher preparation program.
Commit to teach in the “high-need field” of special education at a “priority school” for four (4) years, within five (5) years after graduation from the teacher preparation program.
Teach in a priority school. A “priority school” means a school with a high percentage, as determined by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing (CTC) in consultation with the California Department of Education (CDE), of teachers holding emergency-type permits, based on the most recent data available to the CTC and the CDE. By January 1, 2020, the CTC shall publish a list of priority schools.
“Emergency-type permits” include, but are not limited to, any of the following:
- Provisional internships.
- Short-term staff permits.
- Credential waivers.
- Substitute permits.

List of the CTC priority schools:

Instruct in a high-need field. A “high-need field” means any of the following:
Bilingual education.
Mathematics or science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), including career technical education in STEM areas.
Science.
Special education.
Multiple subject instruction.
Other subjects as designated annually by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing based on an analysis of the availability of teachers in California pursuant to Education Code Section 44225.6.

What are the steps to apply?
Apply for a Golden State Teacher Grant. All applicants who meet the program eligibility criteria requirements will be sent a Letter of Acceptance and a Teaching Agreement.

For More Information, contact the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) Golden State Teacher Grant Program At:

Work-Study

Federal Work-Study (FWS) is a federally funded program for students who demonstrate financial need. Work-Study funds are limited and offered to eligible students based on financial need and on-time application status.
Additional information about Work-Study can be located under Work-Study and Jobs.

Native American Opportunity Plan (NAOP)

UC’s Native American Opportunity Plan (NAOP) ensures that in-state system-wide Tuition and Student Services Fees are fully covered for California students who are also enrolled in federally recognized Native American, American Indian, and Alaska Native tribes.

For additional information please visit the UC Admissions website here.

Loans

Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loans

Direct Unsubsidized Loans are federally guaranteed loans that all students, regardless or need, are eligible to receive. Interest begins accruing after the first initial disbursement. Students are not required to start making payments on this loan until six (6) months after they graduate or drop below half time.

For more information please see our Loan Guides on the Publications page.

Federal Direct PLUS Loans

The Direct PLUS Loan is a loan option for Graduate/Professional students to help pay for their educational costs. Students can borrow up to the cost of attendance minus any other financial aid that the student is receiving. Interest begins accruing upon first disbursements. Students are not required to start making payments on this loan until sixty (60) days after the loan is fully disbursed. Students may also defer payment if the student is enrolled at least half-time, or during the six (6) month period after graduation, or after the student drops below half-time enrollment.

For more information please see our Graduate Loan Guide on our forms and publications page, or our PLUS vs Private Loan fact sheet, for a quick comparison of the two types of loan.

Private Loans

Choosing how to finance your education is one of the most important decisions you will make - and the impact of that decision will follow you well beyond graduation. Once you have exhausted your eligibility for Federal and University financial aid and loans, you may need to consider applying for a private educational loan (also called an alternative loan). These loans are not federal student loans. They are offered by private lenders and are used to supplement your financial aid. The interest rates and repayment terms on these loans may vary.
Refer to the UC Preferred Lender List for lenders that have been extensively evaluated by the University of California Office of the President and found to provide competitive rates and loan terms to students.
To find out more information regarding the terms and the application process for private loans please see the Graduate Loan Guide on our Publications page. For a quick comparison of the two types of loans see our Private vs PLUS fact sheet.
UC Code of Conduct for Preferred Lender Arrangements

California DREAM Act Loan Program

California DREAM Loan

The California DREAM Loan Program allows for UC and CSU campuses to administer non-federal loans to undocumented graduate students who meet the DREAM Act Application requirements.

Students who demonstrate financial need can borrow up to $4,000 through the Dream Loan Program (up to $20,000 aggregate).

Interest rates are fixed at the same rates as Federal Subsidized Direct Loans and there are no loan fees. Please complete a DREAM Act application. Once it is received by UCLA, please contact Financial Aid and Scholarships office to determine your eligibility. If you are a professional student, please reach out to the financial aid office at your school.

Corbett Disclosure Statement

Students considering student loans need to be aware of the differences between federal student loans and private student loans:

Federal student loans are required by law to provide a range of flexible repayment options including, but not limited to, income-based and income-contingent repayment plans, as well as loan forgiveness benefits that private lenders are not required to provide.
Federal direct loans are available to most students regardless of income. Other qualification criteria do apply. For more information, please visit www.studentaid.ed.gov/eligibility
Private student loan lenders can offer variable interest rates that can increase or decrease over time, depending on market conditions.
The interest rate on a private loan may depend on the borrower's and/or co-signer's credit rating.
Private student loans have a range of interest rates and fees and students should determine the interest rate of, and any fees associated with, the private student loan included in their financial aid award package before accepting the loan. Students should contact the lender of the private student loan or their UC campus' financial aid office if they have any questions about a private student loan.

Some UC campuses offer students their own private (institutional) student loans. Students offered a UC institutional private student loan should know that:

Interest rates on UC loans will be fixed, not variable.
UC loans can have a range of interest rates.
UC loans are not awarded based on the credit history of the borrower.

Aid