Financial Aid

The following UCLA Extension programs qualify for federal student aid.

Federal Direct Loans

Undergraduate Certificates: Direct Loan, both subsidized and unsubsidized

• Pre-Medical and General Science Program

Graduate Certificates: Direct Loan, unsubsidized only

• Landscape Architecture Program
• Paralegal Training Program
• UCLA Post-Baccalaureate Program in Classics

Download the Federal Aid Guide & Application Packet (pdf)

Federal Pell Grants 

Pathway Learning and Life Skills (restricted enrollment)

Download the Pathway Application Instructions (pdf)

Important Eligibility Requirements, How to Apply, and FAQ's

Learn More: Federal Financial Aid

A grant is a form of financial aid that does not need to be repaid. UCLA Extension offers grants to U.S. citizens and Green Card holders (see eligibility requirements below) who are not otherwise eligible for federal aid programs. Our grants are awarded based on your financial need (see below) and your ability to effectively convey your educational objective.

Basis of Financial Need: Gross income cannot exceed $1,800 per month for a household of one. This threshold increases 10 percent for each additional person in the household.

For example, household size: 1 = $1,800/month; 2 = $1,980/month; 3 = $2,340/month, etc. 

Grant Eligibility Requirements

Students applying for UCLA Extension Grants are required to hold U.S. citizenship or a Green Card. 

However, the following categories of students are not eligible for a UCLA Extension Grant despite holding citizenship or a Green Card:

• High school students
• Candidates in certificate programs who qualify for federal, state, or private agency financial aid
• Students who are receiving partial and/or full tuition funding through the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) or Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA) Program
• Continuing students in degree programs at UCLA or other institutions of higher education
• Students who are in default or in pre-claims status on federal student loans
• Previously enrolled UCLA or UCLA Extension students who have academic and financial holds on their student account. Once holds have been cleared, students may reapply for a UCLA Extension Grant

Establishing Financial Need

As part of the UCLA Extension Grant application process, you will be required to submit:

• A signed photocopy of your/your spouse's 2020 Federal Income Tax Return (IRS Form 1040, 1040A, 1040EZ, or 1040TEL) with all schedules and worksheets (or that of your parents if you were claimed as a dependent). Parental tax returns are required for applicants born after January 1, 1998. An IRS filing extension does not exempt an applicant from submitting the required financial documents.
• A photocopy of your/your spouse's most current payroll check stubs dated within 30 days of the application deadline (or that of your parents if you were claimed as a dependent).
• If you are currently unemployed and/or receiving public assistance, current documentation dated within the past 30 days verifying source of income and monthly entitlement is required.

Awards

UCLA Extension Grants are awarded in the form of fee waivers of no more than $400. You will be responsible for paying the balance not covered by your fee waiver, as well as any tangible materials fees included in your tuition.

UCLA Extension Grants are not guaranteed from one quarter to the next and may not be retroactively applied to courses taken in previous quarters of enrollment. If interested in receiving future UCLA Extension Grants, you must reapply every quarter (you may apply for grants to cover up to eight courses), and you must have earned a grade of “C” or better in each grant course taken.

Academic Requirements for Extension Grants

• All courses are to be taken for credit and a letter grade. 
• Even if you withdraw from a course, the course will count as one of the eight courses you are eligible to use toward a UCLA Extension Grant. 
• You may only transfer to a course other than your grant-funded course if the course you selected is canceled or closed prior to processing your grant application. Contact the UCLA Extension Financial Aid Office for approval of course substitutions. For other assistance, contact the specific program department for your course of interest.

Course Eligibility
The following course categories are not eligible for a UCLA Extension Grant: 

• UCLA regular session courses or concurrent enrollment
• Courses numbered 700–900–999.99
• XL 10 Statistics course
• Coding Boot Camp classes/programs
• Courses in which a student is already enrolled

Planning for Your Grant Award

Once you are awarded a UCLA Extension Grant, you are eligible to apply the award toward any course that meets the eligibility criteria outlined in Academic Requirements for UCLA Extension Grants. Because your enrollment will not be finalized until your tuition has been paid in full, we recommend you plan carefully.

• Select your courses as soon as they become available for enrollment in your desired quarter. Be sure to budget for any excess dollar amount you will need to cover out-of-pocket if you exceed your $400 grant maximum. 
• Course availability is not guaranteed, so enroll as soon as you receive notice that your UCLA Extension Grant has been approved. 

Important

UCLA Extension does not reimburse enrollment fees if you receive a UCLA Extension Grant but have already paid for the class out-of-pocket. Applicants who have not received a UCLA Extension Grant in the previous two quarters will be given priority.

Private alternative education loans are continuing education loans made available by banks and private lending institutions, not by the federal government. The interest rates, fees, and repayment schedules vary from one lender to another, and eligibility is typically based on creditworthiness. Please contact lenders directly to compare loans, loan terms, and to apply for loans. 

Use UCLA School Code: 001315

The University of California Code of Conduct in Regard to Preferred Lender Arrangements (pdf)

Your maximum loan eligibility cannot exceed $6,850 per quarter and you must be enrolled in at least 6 units per quarter.

In deciding whether or not alternative loans meet your needs, consider all of the following factors:

• The legitimate educational expenses for your educational program
• Your financial resources or options without taking out a loan
• The comparative terms, conditions, fees, rates, and services of various lenders
• A reasonable self-assessment of your ability to repay the loan
• Steps to applying for a Private Alternative Education Loan
• Private Alternative Loan Supplement Form (pdf)
• Receiving your check
• SB1289 Disclosure - Understand the difference between federal student loans and private student loans

Borrowing money is a serious decision. It is a financial option to consider only after you have determined that you cannot cover the cost of your education through any other means. If you do take out a loan, be sure to read and save copies of all loan correspondence, records, and payments.

Applicants applying for courses or certificate programs are certified at the undergraduate level except for those enrolled in the following complete certificate programs, which have graduate status: Paralegal (graduate track), Landscape Architecture, and Post-Baccalaureate Program in Classics. (Note: Status and level for purposes of certification is defined by the course or program, not by prior education.)

If enrolling in summer courses, a separate loan application is required.

Deadlines

Students are encouraged to submit loan request(s) prior to the start of the quarter. We will continue to accept loan request(s) into quarter, up until 30 days prior to the end of the respective academic year. Any loan request(s) submitted after, will not be processed.

School of Dentistry

Students enrolling through UCLA Extension applying for a private loan are not eligible to apply for Dental/Medical School loans such as the MedCAP loans through Wells Fargo or the Sallie Mae Dental and Medical School Loan. The School of Dentistry programs are graduate level certificate programs.
 

Displaced or disadvantaged workers may be eligible for financial assistance for UCLA Extension certificate programs through the U.S. Workforce Investment Act.

Eligible certificate programs can be found by searching the Public Training Vendor Database under UCLA Extension. Please contact your local American Job Center to determine your eligibility and receive the required authorization.

WIOA Enrollment Instructions

1. Identify the certificate program that matches your interest and needs. Please note that some certificates are restricted and require an application for admission into the program. Consult with the program contact for requirements. 
2. Print the program curriculum listing courses required to complete the certificate program. Submit the program curriculum to your LWIA counselor. 
3. Once you have been approved for WIA funding, schedule an appointment with UCLA Extension’s Financial Aid Office (info at bottom of page) to complete your paperwork. 
4. Schedule an appointment with the UCLA Extension certificate program advisor/representative who will help you to develop a WIOA Enrollment Plan.
5. Once your certificate advisor and you have signed your Enrollment Plan, submit it to the Financial Aid office for final signature in order to enroll in the program.
6. Once enrolled, take a copy of your enrollment verification to your certificate advisor so books and materials can be ordered for you. Books can be picked up at the program department. 
7. Sign and submit a Certification of Attendance form to the UCLA Extension Financial Aid Office for each course in which you are enrolled.  This form must be submitted during the fifth week of the quarter for the first four weeks, and again at the end of the quarter for the final four weeks. 

Important Notice

UCLA Extension does not defer fees. Applicants who are not fully funded by their work source center will be required to pay the difference in full at the time of enrollment.

For example, if a UCLA Extension certificate program fee is $5,000 and the Work Source Center funding/approved amount is only $4,000, you will be required to pay the difference in fees. In addition, students enrolling under the WIOA program are not eligible for any discounts.

WIOA Conditions

• The UCLA Extension Financial Aid Office is not authorized to approve students for WIOA funding, nor may we counsel you on your eligibility or on available WIOA funding. Please contact an American Job Center counselor to secure funding. Be sure to tell them that UCLA Extension is on the Eligible Training Providers List (ETPL).We also encourage them to review Information for Referring Counselors to confirm referral eligibility.
• WIOA funding requires all related enrollment and attendance forms (specified in the enrollment instructions) be signed and submitted or students risk being dropped from their UCLA Extension course/program. 
• UCLA Extension requires that WIOA funding recipients maintain a minimum progress standard of a letter grade C in every course. Courses may not be repeated using WIOA funding, so you will be required to pay out-of-pocket if a required course must be repeated.
• If you need to extend the date of your WIOA contract due to an emergency, approval from your American Job Center counselor must be sent in writing to the UCLA Extension Financial Aid Office.
• You will be required to submit an Extension Self-Certification of Attendance form to the UCLA Extension Financial Aid Office and provide a copy to your job center counselor.
• Your job center counselor will require a report of your academic progress. A verification of enrollment report can be printed through our Student Portal.
• Notify the UCLA Extension Financial Aid Office (info at bottom of page) immediately if you make enrollment or program changes. All UCLA Extension drop and withdrawal policies will apply.
• WIOA funds cannot be used toward parking permits.

Handshake Job Board

Upon completion of their UCLA Extension certificate program, WIOA students at UCLA Extension receive six months of free access to Handshake, the UCLA Career Center online job board. Learn more and register.

AmeriCorps is a service-mission-based organization in which more than 80,000 Americans participate at more than 21,000 locations annually across the United States, including building affordable housing, tutoring/mentoring, teaching and after-school programs, bettering parks and communities, and responding to natural disasters. After completing their terms of service, participants may be eligible to receive an AmeriCorps Education Award. 

Getting Started

1. Log in to My AmeriCorps at MyAmeriCorps website

• Create Education Award Payment Request
• Select University of California, Los Angeles Extension” as school name
• Enter the school term and your authorized amount

2. Print and submit the Education Award Payment Request

3. Download and complete the UCLA Extension AmeriCorps Reimbursement form (pdf). When completing the form, check the box indicating you wish to use your AmeriCorps Award as reimbursement for courses you enrolled in.

4. When both forms are complete, submit both forms to finaid@uclaextension.edu

Conditions

Award funds cannot be used to cover UCLA parking permits.

Important Notice

Effective Fall 2018 quarter, students will no longer be able to use the Americorps Segal Education Award as a form of initial payment for course fees to enroll in UCLA Extension courses and programs. The AmeriCorps Segal Education Award can only be used as a means of reimbursement for course fees, required books, materials and supplies applicable toward the current academic year. Students will need to pay in advance for their UCLA Extension courses. Students can use this as a form of reimbursement for course enrollment in the 2018-19 academic school year (i.e. fall through spring). Reimbursement occurs at the midpoint and at end of the enrolled quarter.

For information on VA education benefits, the Department of Defense Tuition Assistance Program (TAP) and Military Spouse Career Advancement Accounts (MyCAA), please visit our Military and Veterans Benefits page.