Middle Class Scholarship deadline extended for California students

Students who have not filed their financial aid forms for the year may still qualify for some state grants, as officials last week extended the deadline to apply for the Middle Class Scholarship.

The California Student Aid Commission extended the deadline after overestimating the number of students who would apply and qualify for the scholarship.

“We are trying to cast a wider net,” said Patti Colston, a spokeswoman for the commission.

With the extension, students have until June 30 to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid, or FAFSA, to apply for the scholarship, Colston said. Students do not need to fill out additional documents to qualify for the grant.

Under the current formula, students can be reimbursed for previous quarters of financial aid, even if they apply at a later date, Colston said.

Though the commission expected more than 150,000 students in University of California and California State University schools to receive the scholarship, it only gave out grants to about 73,000 students this year, Colston said.

This is mostly because many students who filed the application were disqualified because they receive need-based aid of more than 40 percent of their tuition, Colston said.

With the current structure of the scholarship, students whose families make between $80,000 and $150,000 a year and receive need-based aid of less than 40 percent of their tuition are eligible. The scholarship pays up to 14 percent of tuition and fees.

In upcoming years, the amount of funds given out will increase and cover up to 40 percent of tuition and fees.

To be eligible for the scholarship, students also have to maintain satisfactory academic progress, such as taking sufficient units and meeting a minimum GPA requirement. They also have to be California residents or qualify for aid through Assembly Bill 540.

Addrita Das, a second-year psychobiology student, is one of thousands of UCLA students receiving the scholarship. Although she said the scholarship came as a surprise to her, she ended up paying the same amount of money for tuition this year after the university reduced her institutional aid.

Das said even though she understands the university reducing its aid, she thinks the university and the commission can do better in communicating with students.

“It was a total amount of money that I was expected to pay anyway, but it wasn’t the best way,” Das said.

When Das spoke about the problem at a meeting hosted by Assemblyman Al Muratsuchi (D-Torrance), Colston said the commission did not know about students’ financial aid decreasing.

Colston said the California Student Aid Commission will meet with representatives from the UC and CSU to address cases such as Das’ and find ways to increase its outreach efforts, such as free workshops on completing FAFSA applications.

Compiled by Jeong Park, Bruin senior staff.

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