Bruin Financial Aid Letter
Your Bruin Financial Aid Letter (BFAL) is the official notice of financial aid eligibility for the academic year. Any time UCLA Financial Aid & Scholarships updates your award, a new Bruin Financial Aid Letter will be created and you will be notified to access it through the Bruin Financial Aid Portal.
Students can access their Bruin Financial Aid Letter by navigating to the “Financial” tab in the Bruin Financial Aid Portal and clicking on the “College Financing Plan” on the lower left-hand side of Section 1. The BFAL outlines key details such as housing status, net cost, loan interest rates and fees, and includes helpful resources and a glossary to support understanding of the aid package.
Your Bruin Financial Aid Letter will indicate the housing status that UCLA Financial Aid & Scholarships has on file. If your housing status is incorrect, you may inform our office by using the Bruin Financial Aid Portal and selecting “Documents - Upload a Non Requested Document” and select “Appeal: Housing Adjustment.”Please have copies of your rental agreement and canceled checks available to be submitted upon request. If housing verification is requested and you are unable to provide the necessary documentation, your budget will be adjusted and you will be billed for grants and/or loans received in excess of your eligibility.
NOTE: All Graduate and Professional students are awarded with an off-campus budget, thus revisions are never necessary.
We will start releasing academic year Bruin Financial Aid Letters late March for newly admitted First-Years, and late-April for newly admitted Transfers, and late-May for continuing students. Students interested in attending Summer will receive their Summer Bruin Financial Aid Letter in May.
For more information about summer awarding, please visit our Summer Aid webpage.
How Your Financial Aid Is Calculated
We calculate your financial aid by starting with your Cost of Attendance (COA) and reviewing your eligibility for different types of financial aid. Your total financial aid and other educational resources generally cannot exceed your Cost of Attendance.
1. Determine your Cost of Attendance (COA)
Your Cost of Attendance is an estimate of the total cost of attending UCLA for the academic year. It includes:
- Tuition and fees
- Housing and food
- Books and supplies
- Transportation
- Personal expenses
- Health insurance
Some of these are direct costs billed by UCLA, while others are indirect costs, such as estimated living and personal expenses.
Learn more on our Cost of Attendance page.
2. Review your Student Aid Index (SAI)
Your Student Aid Index (SAI) is calculated using information from your FAFSA or California Dream Act Application, as applicable. We use the SAI, along with other eligibility criteria, to determine the types and amounts of financial aid you may be eligible to receive based on Federal, State, and Institutional policy.
3. Determine your Financial Need
For need-based financial aid, your financial need is generally determined using this formula:
Financial Need = Cost of Attendance − Student Aid Index
As need-based aid is awarded, each award reduces your remaining financial need. Need-based aid may include grants, Federal Work-Study, and Federal Direct Subsidized Loans.
4. Build your financial aid offer
Depending on your eligibility and the availability of funds, your financial aid offer may include:
- Gift aid: Grants, scholarships, and certain waivers that generally do not need to be repaid
- Work opportunities: Such as Federal Work-Study, which allows eligible students to earn money through employment
- Loans: Federal student or parent loans that must be repaid
NOTE: All students have a "self-help" component in their budget, which is offered in work and loan opportunities.
5. Account for outside aid and other resources
Scholarships, fellowships, stipends, tuition assistance, fee waivers, and other educational benefits you receive from sources outside your original financial aid offer may affect your eligibility for other financial aid.
Your total financial aid and other applicable educational resources cannot exceed your Cost of Attendance, and certain types of need-based aid cannot exceed your remaining financial need.
If we learn about additional funding after your financial aid has been offered, we may need to adjust your financial aid package to keep your total funding within these limits. Depending on your circumstances and applicable financial aid rules, this could result in a reduction or replacement of certain types of aid.
6. Understand your Net Cost
Your Net Cost is the Cost of Attendance minus applicable grants and scholarships:
Net Cost = Cost of Attendance − Grants and Scholarships
Net Cost represents the amount that may need to be covered through other resources, such as savings, family contributions, earnings from work, or student and parent loans.
For definitions of common financial aid terms, visit our Financial Aid Terminology page.