Congratulations on your admission to the University of California, Irvine!

As a new Anteater, you and your family may have questions about financial aid. That’s completely normal — and we’re here to help.

We’ve put together answers to some of the most frequently asked questions we receive from newly admitted students. These resources are designed to help you and your family better understand how financial aid works at UC Irvine and support you in making informed decisions.

Please keep in mind: the information provided is general and may not apply to every student or every situation.

Welcome to the start of something great — and Zot! Zot! Zot!

Newly Admitted Undergraduate Students

• What is the deadline to apply for financial aid?

  A. The state priority funding deadline for 2025-26 was extended to April 2, 2025. Although the state priority funding deadline may have passed, you can still apply for federal financial aid by completing a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by May 1, 2026.

• How do I view my financial aid offer?

  A. You will receive an email when your financial aid offer is available to review. Once received, log into ZotAid and click on the “Financial” link in the top menu bar. Your financial aid offer and cost of attendance will display on this page. Click on the “Messages” link in the top menu bar to view/print a PDF of your award offer.

• How much will I have to pay out of pocket?

  A. The amount paid out of pocket varies by student. Everyone is budgeted with a standard cost of attendance, which includes direct and indirect costs.
  

  • Direct Costs: You will be billed through your Campus Billing ZotAccount for all of the direct costs you will owe directly to the university, including tuition and fees. This will also include housing if you’re living in university housing. 
  • Indirect Costs: You will also have indirect costs that will not be charged by the university, like books, transportation, clothing, food (outside of the residence hall contracts or meal plans), and other living expenses. The cost of your indirect expenses often depends on you and your personal choices. We encourage you to estimate your indirect costs by developing a budget or spending plan for the year.

  The combination of these direct and indirect costs make up your cost of attendance and are an indicator of how much total funding you will need for your educational expenses for one year.

  To estimate what you may owe, subtract your financial aid from your cost of attendance. We strongly encourage students:

  • Do this calculation by term because your costs can vary by quarter or semester. For example, new students may have costs for Orientation in the fall that they may not have in the winter.
  • Do not include your work study offer in the amount of aid that you subtract from your cost of attendance. These funds have to be earned through work and will not be disbursed at the start of each term like grants and loans.

  For billing or payment questions, please refer to Campus Billing or review your ZotAccount. You will receive your fall bill mid-August, and payments are due each term by the fee deadline. If you are enrolled full-time and have completed all financial aid requirements, your aid will automatically credit to your bill.

• What is net cost?

  A. The net cost to attend UC Irvine is your cost of attendance minus any gift aid (grants and scholarships) you are offered. The net cost represents the amount of funding you may need in addition to your gift aid, to meet all of your educational expenses for one year.

  UC Irvine offers a Net Price Calculator, in accordance with federal regulations, for families to estimate their out of pocket cost.

  The net cost can be met through a number of resources, like outside scholarships, earnings from work-study, loans, family contributions, etc. Note: The net cost is an estimate of how much funding you may need beyond the grants and scholarships you’ve been offered and not the amount of tuition and fees you will owe to the University.

• How do I submit my documents?

  A. Log in to your ZotAid portal and click on the “Documents” link in the top menu bar. Click Submit on a document with a Requested status in order to complete and submit it. If the document was not requested, click on the “upload a non requested document” link in the top paragraph. We cannot accept or open email attachments.

• How do I accept my financial aid?

  A. Any grants and scholarships you are offered are automatically accepted for you.

  Work-study must be accepted if you wish to pursue a work-study job. You must submit a Work Study Acceptance Form on the Documents link in the top menu of ZotAid. Work-study funds are not disbursed up front. To receive these funds, you will need to find a work-study job and begin earning this award through a paycheck.

  You can accept your loans on ZotAid. Click here for step by step instructions. Only accept what you need to borrow. Loan amounts are annual, and will be disbursed equally across each term. We encourage you to review our loan webpage for information on borrowing and your responsibilities as a borrower.

• How do I give someone else (parent, spouse, other third party) access to my financial aid information?

  A. In ZotAid, complete and submit the Consent for Release of Financial Aid Information form on the “Document” link in the top menu bar. Authorization can be revoked at any time by notifying our office. 

  To create a parent account in ZotAid to act on behalf of a student, follow these step-by-step instructions.

• Is the Consent to Release Financial Aid Information document required?

  A. No. Only submit this document if you wish to grant a third party (parent, spouse, other person) access to your financial aid information. This form will stay in a Requested status on your Documents tab in ZotAid, but it is never required. Once submitted, authorization can be revoked at any time by contacting our office.

• Is the Federal Funds Authorization Form required?

  A. Yes. All students who receive financial aid must complete a Federal Funds Authorization Form in order for their financial aid to be applied to the tuition and fee charges on their ZotAccount.

• How do I change my housing plan option?

  A. All entering students are assumed to live on campus. You must confirm your housing plans by completing and submitting a Housing Plan document on the “Documents” link in the top menu bar of ZotAid. The Housing Plan document is due August 8, 2025. If you do not submit your Housing Plan document to our office, your housing type will change to Commuter/At Home, your cost of attendance will be revised, and your financial aid offer will change based on your new cost of attendance.

• How will my financial aid change if I change my housing option?

  A. Your cost of attendance is the estimated average and reasonable cost of completing an academic year at UC Irvine. It serves as the foundation for determining your financial need as well as the amounts and types of financial aid, including grants and scholarships, that can be offered to you. The cost of attendance varies based on your housing type, which means if your housing plan changes, your financial aid offer will also change. This includes a prorated adjustment to your grants and scholarships that aligns with your housing type changes.

  All entering students are assumed to live on campus. You must confirm your housing plans by completing and submitting a Housing Plan document on the “Documents” link in the top menu bar of ZotAid. The Housing Plan document is due August 8, 2025. If you do not submit your Housing Plan document to our office, your housing type will change to Commuter/At Home, your cost of attendance will be revised, and your financial aid offer will change based on your new cost of attendance.

• How will I receive my financial aid?

  If you have enrolled full-time (waitlisted units do not count), completed all of your financial aid tasks and submitted all required, requested documents your financial aid (excluding work-study earnings and some private loans) will disburse to your ZotAccount no more than 10 days before the start of the term. All of your accepted financial aid will first pay the charges on your bill on your ZotAccount.

  If the amount of financial aid you receive exceeds the amount of your tuition and fee charges, you will receive a refund for the remaining amount around the first day of the term. If the amount of your financial aid is less than the amount of your bill, you will be responsible for paying the remaining balance before your financial aid will disburse. Note: For refunds, we strongly encourage students to sign up for Direct Deposit (a.k.a. Electronic Funds Transfer [EFT]).

• Why did my original financial aid offer change?

  A. Adjustments to your financial aid offer may happen throughout the year for several reasons. The most common reasons include corrections to your application information during verification, receipt of additional financial aid or outside scholarships, or you made a change to your housing type on your Housing Plan document in ZotAid.

  UC Irvine reserves the right to adjust offers to correct any awarding errors. Changes to qualifying information or revisions of federal, state, or institutional policy or funding may result in updates to aid eligibility and adjustments of financial aid offers. Information is subject to change.

• How do I remain eligible for financial aid?

  A. Financial aid regulations require that students meet specific eligibility requirements, including Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) to receive financial aid. Please review all eligibility requirements, including our SAP policy for more information.

• I have additional questions about financial aid. Where can I find more information?

  A. Financial aid offers, when available, and other application information can be found in the ZotAid portal. You will also check for missing information or tasks required to complete your application, or upload documents.

  If you have additional questions, please contact us so we can help.

  And we hope to see you at Celebrate where we will answer many questions in person at our financial aid presentation.

Scholarships

• How will my financial aid be impacted if I receive an outside scholarship?

  A. Outside scholarships are coordinated with your financial aid offer per federal regulation. You are required to report expected or received funds by uploading the scholarship notification document on the Document tab in your ZotAid portal, including awards paid directly to you.

  The total of your financial aid awards, including your outside awards, cannot exceed your Cost of Attendance. If you receive an outside award, your financial aid awards will be adjusted based upon the conditions of the outside award.

  To ensure our students maximize the gift aid they’ve been awarded, we typically reduce need-based loans and work-study awards first to "make room" for an outside award. Note that the terms of some outside awards may not allow for this. For example, Cal Grant and Cal Vet Fee Waiver both pay toward tuition so you can only be awarded one type of tuition award. If the amount of your outside award(s) exceeds the amount of need-based loans and work-study in your package, then other gift aid is reduced.

  Outside awards are awarded and disbursed evenly between terms unless donor instructions state otherwise. 

• How do I apply for scholarships?

  A. Scholarships are awarded based on merit and financial need. To be considered for need based scholarships awarded by the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships Office, simply complete either the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or the California Dream Act Application. There is no additional application to complete to be considered for need based federal, state or university grants.

  UC Irvine also awards campus wide and external scholarships. To apply for these scholarship opportunities, visit Scholarship Universe and create a profile. Entering Freshmen can apply from May 1- May 31 after submitting a Statement of Intent to Register.

  We also strongly encourage all students to apply for outside scholarships. To start searching for outside scholarships, take a look at the scholarship search page on our website.

  Note: All outside scholarships must be incorporated into your financial aid package per federal regulation. Typically, need-based loans and work-study are adjusted before university grants and/or scholarships. Exceptions apply based on awarding and/or funding restrictions. Report all outside awards in the “Documents” link of ZotAid, including awards paid directly to the student, by clicking on the “upload a non requested document” link in the top paragraph.

State Grants

• The California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) says I’m eligible for a Cal Grant award. Why don’t I see it in my aid offer?

  A. Awarding a Cal Grant requires confirmation of many eligibility requirements for entering students, including graduation from a California high school, establishing California residency and/or completing verification. We review income verification information on a first-submitted, first-served basis throughout the summer. We also coordinate with both the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and the Registrar to confirm the high school completion and residency information over the summer as you are submitting documents to these offices. If we cannot confirm this information, we will contact you directly by email to provide the necessary documentation, and/or post Documents or Tasks to your ZotAid portal. Please respond to all requests for information promptly.

  Once we document your eligibility for Cal Grant, we will update your financial aid offer. Note: Cal Grants generally replace university grants and scholarships, dollar for dollar. Most students will not receive Cal Grant in addition to the grants and scholarships that are currently in the financial aid offer. This allows us to maximize our limited institutional funding and ensures access to a world class education for our neediest students.

• I am eligible for the Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan. Why don’t I see it in my aid offer?

  A. The Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan is a University of California systemwide award designed to ensure that California resident students with an annual income of less than $80,000 receive enough in grants and/or scholarships to cover their UC systemwide tuition and fees, up to their calculated financial need (if less than the amount of systemwide tuition and fees).

  The plan combines all sources of scholarship and grant awards you receive (federal, state, UC, and private) to count toward covering your fees. Therefore, most students will not see an award on their financial aid package named Blue and Gold. Instead you will see a combination of different awards adding up to, or exceeding, the amount of systemwide tuition and fees. If, for example, you receive a Pell Grant, a UCI grant and private scholarships that don't fully cover your systemwide tuition and fees, your Blue and Gold award will make up the difference if you have financial need. At UC Irvine, however, most students awarded gift aid receive more than the amount of systemwide tuition and fees.

• Am I eligible for a Middle Class Scholarship (MCS)?

  A. The Middle-Class Scholarship program, administered by the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) is available for new, transfer, and returning undergraduates, with family income and assets not exceeding certain amounts (subject to California State Budget Approval).

  Scholarship award amounts will vary greatly by student. Award amounts will be based on the cost of attendance for the school of the student’s choice and the following program requirements: other available gift aid that the student is eligible for (i.e. federal, state, institutional, or scholarship aid), a self-help student contribution of $8,154 (applied to all students), and a parent contribution for dependent students with a household income of over $100,000. These three factors collectively, are referred to as a student’s “available resources.” These amounts are deducted from the student’s total cost of attendance to determine the MCS award. Under this formula, award amounts will vary widely among students, with each student’s award reflecting their costs and available resources.

  The final award amount will be based on the number of students eligible for the MCS statewide and the funding allocated by the State Budget. Pursuant to Education Code section 70023, MCS award amounts may be reduced at any time during the academic year if is determined that the funds appropriated are insufficient to cover the cost of the projected MCS awards.

  Students selected to receive an MCS award will be notified by the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC), by mid to late August, and be able to view the award amount in their ZotAid portal in December.

  If you have any questions regarding your MCS eligibility for the award year, please review your WebGrants 4 Students (WG4S) account which provides secure and easy access to your awarding status.

Residency

• Are non residents eligible for UC Irvine grants and scholarships?

  A. In accordance with UC Regents policy, newly admitted, nonresident and international students are not eligible for need-based University gift aid. AB540 students are considered California residents for need-based University gift aid awarding purposes.

• How do I establish California residency? 

  A. UCI determines residency based on information students provide in the mandatory Statement of Legal Residence (SLR) form. Official residence determinations are made only after the student's SLR is reviewed and any requested documentation is received by the University Registrar's Office. General guidelines on establishing residency can be found here: https://www.ucop.edu/residency/establishing-residency.html

  Students with specific eligibility questions should contact a Residency Officer at the Registrar’s Office. Residency Officers can be reached in person, via telephone at 949.824.6124, or via email at regres@uci.edu.

  Note: Financial aid offers are based on self-reported residency information until your residency status is confirmed by a Residency Officer. Your financial aid awards may change significantly if you are classified as a nonresident.