Financial Need

The basic premise behind need-based financial aid programs is that students and their families, to the extent they can contribute, have the primary responsibility for financing the cost of the student's education.

Your family is expected to use its resources to make higher education a priority. Our job is to evaluate your resources and calculate how much aid, if any, you will need for the next academic year. Below is the federal formula used to calculate your eligibility for need-based financial aid:

After we subtract your EFC (Expected Family Contribution) and outside resources from the Standard Student Budget, the remaining amount (if any) is your eligibility for need-based aid.

Once "need" is determined, the Financial Aid Office will award grants, loans, and other funds for which you qualify.

Due to funding limitations, UCSC cannot always fully meet students' need. Students with "Remaining Need" or those who do not qualify for need-based aid because their EFC and Outside Resources are greater than their Cost of Education may be eligible to apply for non–need-based loans.