Funding Opportunities: Financial Aid, Scholarships, and Grants

M.Ed./MA-ASL Fellowship

Applicants are strongly encouraged to apply for the M.Ed./MA-ASL Fellowship. The fellowship application is included within the UC San Diego graduate application.

Recipients must apply for the fellowship and be admitted to one of the following programs:

• M.Ed./Multiple Subject (Summer Intensive)
• M.Ed./Multiple Subject (Professional Year, MS-2)
• M.Ed./Single Subject (Professional Year, SS-2)
• MA/ASL-Bilingual Education

First-year SS-2 candidates may apply for the fellowship when submitting the application for advancement to the SS-2 Professional Year.

To remain eligible for the fellowship, recipients must remain full-time students in good academic standing and complete all required fieldwork each quarter, including student teaching.

Aspiration Scholarship

Please note that this scholarship is available only to credential students pursuing a mathematics or science credential.

The Aspiration Scholarship supports graduate education in specific fields that enhance quality of life in San Diego County. The Jewish Community Foundation San Diego manages this program.

Award amount: Up to $30,000 throughout the student’s academic program

Applicants must be current residents of San Diego County, must have lived in San Diego County for at least one year, and must demonstrate the following:

• Strong past achievement in academics and in personal, professional, or volunteer work
• A history of helping others, especially those facing significant challenges, including evidence of building trusting relationships
• Awareness of personal strengths and areas for growth
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• A strong work ethic
• Dedication to the field of study
• A desire to use knowledge and training to enhance quality of life in San Diego County
• Financial need

For application details, review the Aspiration Scholarship information from the Jewish Community Foundation San Diego .

For questions about outside scholarship funding, review Receiving Scholarship Funds from Non-UC San Diego Organizations on the UC San Diego Financial Aid and Scholarships site.

TEACH Grant (Graduate Students)

The Teacher Education Assistance for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant Program provides grants of up to approximately $4,000 per year to students who plan to teach in a public or private elementary or secondary school that serves students from low-income families.

Student Eligibility

• Complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Financial need is not required.
• Have a UC San Diego cumulative undergraduate GPA of 3.25 or higher.
• Be enrolled as a graduate student.
• Be enrolled in coursework required to begin a career in teaching.
• Commit to teaching for four of your first eight years in a designated low-income school.
• Teach more than half of each academic year in a high-need field such as mathematics, science, foreign language, bilingual education, English language acquisition, special education, or reading specialist.

Conditions

• Recipients must agree to serve as a full-time teacher in a high-need field in a public or private elementary or secondary school that serves low-income students. Review the Annual Low-Income School Directory for Teacher Cancellation Benefits.
• Recipients must teach for at least four academic years within eight calendar years after completing the program of study supported by the TEACH Grant.
• If the service requirement is not completed, all TEACH Grant funds received will be converted to a Federal Direct Unsubsidized Loan that must be repaid to the U.S. Department of Education with interest from the date the grant was disbursed.
• Students planning to enter a teaching credential program immediately after graduation may apply for additional TEACH Grant funding (up to $4,000) during their credential year.
• Students may not receive both the Noyce Scholarship and the U.S. Department of Education TEACH Grant. If you have previously accepted a TEACH Grant, you are not eligible for the Noyce Scholarship program. Likewise, Noyce Scholarship recipients are not eligible to receive TEACH Grants.

How to Apply

• Submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
• Contact Danielle del Rosario to obtain the TEACH Grant checklist and form. The completed form will be submitted to the UC San Diego Financial Aid and Scholarships Office.
• Complete the required counseling and service agreement on the Federal Student Aid TEACH Grant Program website.

San Diego Foundation Common Scholarship Application

Students can apply for multiple scholarships through the San Diego Foundation Common Scholarship Application.

Eligibility

Even if you are not a straight-A student, star athlete, or student body president, scholarship opportunities may still be available if you demonstrate the following:

• Commitment to your education
• Potential for success in college
• Minimum GPA of 2.0
• Participation in community service, extracurricular activities, or work experience
• Current residence in San Diego County for at least one year
• Demonstrated need for financial assistance to attend school (including middle-income families)
• A completed Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or California Dream Act Application and Student Aid Report (SAR)

Applicants are encouraged to begin the FAFSA or California Dream Act Application as early as possible, since this information is required to complete the scholarship application.

Teacher Candidate Funding Resources

• Funding Your Future in Teaching (PDF) offers financial planning steps for aspiring educators and sample funding packages for those considering a California teacher residency program.
• Teacher Candidate Funding Explorer is a searchable database of federal and state funding that teacher candidates may be eligible to use on the path to a teaching credential.

Student Loan Forgiveness Resources

• Teacher Loan Forgiveness options – information about federal loan forgiveness programs available to teachers.
• Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF) – federal loan forgiveness program for individuals working in qualifying public service positions.

Cal Grant A and B

Cal Grant A and B may be available to undergraduates and to eligible students renewing the grant while earning a teaching credential.

First-Time Cal Grant Applicants

By March 2, submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or the California Dream Act Application for Dream Act–eligible students.

New applicants must also complete GPA verification. Review how to apply for or renew Cal Grants A and B .

Extending a Cal Grant for a Teaching Credential

Students may be able to extend their Cal Grant for one additional year while completing an initial teaching credential. Review how to extend a Cal Grant for a teaching credential.

Maximum award amount: Up to $12,192 for Cal Grant A renewals and up to $12,192 plus $1,551 for Cal Grant B renewals

Funded by: California Student Aid Commission

Award amounts are set by the State of California and may change. Students must be enrolled full-time, or in at least 12 units, to receive the full award.

Who Is Eligible

If you are a Cal Grant A or B recipient and plan to enroll in the Education Studies credential program at UC San Diego, you may be eligible for renewal of your Cal Grant for one additional year if you meet all of the following requirements:

• You enroll in the Education Studies credential program within 15 months of the end of the term in which you received your last Cal Grant payment
• You are seeking your initial teaching credential
• You are not using the grant for another graduate-level course of study

How to Apply

1. Submit the FAFSA and any requested documents by the required deadlines.
2. Submit the Request for Cal Grant Teaching Credential Program Benefits or the direct G-44 form (PDF) .

If you are enrolled in fewer than 12 units, your Cal Grant award may be reduced:

• 6 to 8 units: one-half of the full award
• 9 to 11 units: three-fourths of the full award
• 12 or more units: full award

Questions? Contact the UC San Diego Financial Aid and Scholarships Office.

Golden State Teacher Grant (GSTG)

The Golden State Teacher Grant (GSTG) program encourages students to pursue a teaching credential by providing financial support to eligible students enrolled in approved teacher preparation programs in California.

Review current program announcements on the California Student Aid Commission grant alerts page.

The California Student Aid Commission may award a one-time Golden State Teacher Grant of up to $20,000 to eligible students enrolled in a Commission on Teacher Credentialing-approved teacher preparation program at a California institution of higher education.

Eligibility

To qualify for the GSTG program, students must:

• Be enrolled in a California-based professional preparation program approved by the Commission on Teacher Credentialing. Review the list of approved institutions and programs.
• Maintain satisfactory academic progress.
• Be working toward a preliminary teaching or pupil personnel services credential.
• Submit a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or the California Dream Act Application.

Additional eligibility requirements and program details are available on the Golden State Teacher Grant website.

Applicants must agree to all program terms and conditions. Institutions determine financial need and final eligibility.

Application Guidance

Apply through the GSTG website after July 1 of the year you are admitted into the Education Studies program to maximize potential funding. Apply as early as possible because funding is limited.

When asked for credential type, enter: Preliminary.

If eligible, funds are distributed through the UC San Diego Financial Aid and Scholarships Office.

Questions may be directed to Maria Gomez at mcg017@ucsd.edu.

Student Loan Forgiveness and Cancellation

Teacher Loan Forgiveness

If you teach full-time for five consecutive academic years in a low-income school or educational service agency, you may be eligible for teacher loan forgiveness on qualifying federal loans.

Review current details on Teacher Loan Forgiveness options for teachers .

Public Service Loan Forgiveness

The Public Service Loan Forgiveness program is intended for borrowers who work full-time in qualifying public service employment. Borrowers may qualify for forgiveness of the remaining balance on eligible Direct Loans after making 120 qualifying monthly payments while working for an eligible employer.

Learn more about Public Service Loan Forgiveness .

Federal Perkins Loan Cancellation for Teachers

You may qualify for cancellation of up to 100 percent of a Federal Perkins Loan if you serve full-time in a public or nonprofit elementary or secondary school system as:

• a teacher in a school serving students from low-income families
• a special education teacher, including work with infants, toddlers, children, or youth with disabilities
• a teacher in mathematics, science, foreign languages, bilingual education, or another field identified by a state education agency as having a shortage of qualified teachers

Review current information on Federal Perkins Loan cancellation and discharge .