Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)
Because UC San Diego Extension courses and programs do not qualify for federal student aid administered by the U.S. Department of Education, you do not need to submit your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
Enrollment Verification for Loan Deferments
You may qualify to have your previous student loans deferred while you are attending UC San Diego Extension if you have registered in an Extension program that:
- Is at least one academic year long
- Is designed and approved to prepare you for employment in a recognized occupation
- Requires at least 18 units
- You are attending a minimum of six units toward your certificate program each quarter (subject to loan servicer or lender requirements).
To request an enrollment verification for loan deferment
Submit an In-School Deferment form with the borrower’s portion completed and signed:
Private Education Loans
Although federal student loans cannot be applied to UC San Diego Extension courses and programs, you may be eligible to use private education loans offered by a select group of preferred lenders approved by the University of California. These loans can help cover the costs of enrollment fees, certificate fees and required textbooks/materials.
Eligibility is usually based on your creditworthiness. We encourage you to compare lenders by reviewing current interest rates, repayment options, service fees and other details that may be important to you. We also encourage you to research loan options offered by your personal bank.
Application tips
When applying for a student loan with a UC preferred lender, we encourage you to:
- Apply early. You should try to apply at least six weeks before your classes begin. It normally takes four weeks for your first loan disbursement check to be available.
- Verify that you are applying for the right type of student loan. See the preferred lender list above for the correct loan product title.
- Choose the correct grade level. For loan purposes, Extension students are considered fifth-year undergraduate students. You will need to reapply for your loan if you have selected a different grade level.
- Choose the right school. For both Sallie Mae and Wells Fargo, choose University of California, San Diego Extension. We can also be identified using the ScholarNet School Code: 78005600.
- Include only course fees, certificate fees and required books/materials in your application. We cannot certify housing or living expenses for part-time programs, however we can certify housing or living expenses for full-time programs. Additionally, we can certify the cost of required prerequisites. For an estimate of how much to request, refer to the Cost of Attendance. For an estimate for fulltime programs or programs requiring special equipment, please contact the Financial Assistance Coordinator at unex-finasst@ucsd.edu.
Requirement for Loan Approval
Loan Certification
If your loan application is pre-approved, your lender will contact us to certify your loan. We will only certify your loan if you meet the requirement below:
- Registered in an approved program. You must apply to the program of choice, be accepted, and pay the applicable certificate registration fee.
- Exception: If your program does not require you to pay a certificate registration fee, you must instead forward your acceptance letter to the Financial Assistance Coordinator at unex-finasst@ucsd.edu before we can certify your loan.
- Concurrent Enrollment – Loans will only be certified for students enrolling through the UC San Diego College Readmission Concurrent Enrollment Program. Contact the Financial Assistance Coordinator at unex-finasst@ucsd.edu for additional instructions.
Loan Certification
When we certify your loan, we will schedule the loan to be released in several payments, or “disbursements”, throughout the academic year. This disbursement schedule will be based on the program you are registered in, or can be based on your individual plans of enrollment.
Before we can certify your loan, you will need to provide us with your quarter-by-quarter plan to complete the program. Submit the Private Loan Supplementary Form with the details of your completion plan to the Financial Assistance Coordinator (email: unex-finasst@ucsd.edu) as soon as your loan has been pre-approved by your lender.
Once your loan has been certified and details finalized by the lender, your loan checks will be sent to the Extension Financial Assistance Coordinator for distribution.
Email unex-finasst@ucsd.edu for more information about financial assistance.
Scholarships
Learn about scholarships that are administered by UC San Diego Extension. Through merit scholarships, UC San Diego Extension offers financial assistance to continuing education students with outstanding promise and potential to improve the quality of life in San Diego and beyond.
Two types of scholarships are offered. Merit scholarships are based solely on academic achievement as reflected in your application. Restricted scholarships are awarded on academic merit plus additional criteria such as demonstrated financial need, field of interest or leadership. If selected, you may need to provide supporting documentation to verify how you meet the restricted criteria. All personal and medical information remains confidential. Click on the links below to learn about the particular scholarship and how to apply online.
For more information on Extension scholarships, please contact us at unex-scholarships@ucsd.edu.
Karl Strauss Brewing Scholarship
With special thanks to the Karl Strauss Brewing Company, an annual full (100 percent) scholarship for the UC San Diego Extension Brewing program is awarded to one applicant for admission each fall. Details can be found here.
UC San Diego Student Grant Program
We offer a limited number of student grant vouchers to full-time UCSD students each quarter. UCSD Extension and Concurrent Enrollment students are not eligible to receive a voucher. Each voucher is good for up to $500 off of one Extension course, and you are responsible for paying anything over the voucher amount at the time of enrollment. Early enrollment and 10% discounts do not apply.
Undergraduate students: you can pick up your voucher in the La Jolla Extension Student Services office during the weeks specified below. Vouchers are distributed on a first-come, first-served basis, while supplies last. You must come in person and show your UC San Diego student identification card to receive a voucher.
- Fall 2017: Sept. 25 - 29, 2017
- Winter 2018: Nov. 13 - 17, 2017
- Spring 2018: Feb. 26 - March 2, 2018
- Summer 2018: May 21 - 25, 2018
Summer Quarter ONLY: If you are enrolled full time in the spring and will be enrolled full time in the fall, you are eligible for a voucher, even if you are not enrolled full time in the summer. If you are graduating in the spring, you are not eligible for a summer voucher.
Graduate students: you can pick up your voucher from Graduate Division, located on the fourth floor of the main campus
Student Services Center building. Please see Graduate Division for rules and regulations regarding voucher distribution.
If you are a Skaggs School of Pharmacy or School of Medicine student, you can pick up your voucher from your respective office of student affairs. Please see the School of Pharmacy or School of Medicine for details.
Email
studentgrant@ucsd.edu or call (858) 534-3400 for more information about the UC San Diego Student Grant Program.
Discounts
UC San Diego Extension offers a 10 percent discount, up to $50 per quarter, on eligible courses to eligible students. Discounts do not apply to certain programs, including but not limited to: travel study programs, food and beverage courses, executive programs, the Concurrent Enrollment program, career counseling and assessment testing, scholarships or courses with fees of $75 or less. The following UC San Diego-affiliated persons are eligible to receive the discount:
- UC San Diego fulltime matriculated students
- UC San Diego faculty and their spouse or domestic partner (this includes post-doctoral appointments)
- UC San Diego career status staff and their spouse or domestic partner (casual or contract employees are not eligible)
- UC alumni
- Osher Lifelong Learning Institute members
- Chancellor’s Associate members
- UC San Diego Alumni Association members.
To receive the discount, you must present proper identification and proof of group member status prior to enrollment. You will not receive a refund for the 10 percent discount if identification and proof is presented after your initial enrollment. You can submit proper identification and proof in one of the following ways:
San Diego Workforce Partnership
If you are currently unemployed or underemployed, you may qualify for state-supported vocational training. Many of our certificate programs are approved for funding through the State of California Employment Development Department (EDD).
Visit the San Diego Workforce Partnership website to learn more.
Segal AmeriCorps Education Awards
If you are a former AmeriCorps member and have successfully completed your service, you may be eligible for a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award. The award can be used to cover your educational expenses at UC San Diego Extension. You must pay for your educational expenses up front, and we will reimburse you when we receive your award.
How to use your award:
- Register and pay for your courses and purchase the required textbooks.
- Log in to MyAmeriCorps to create an education award payment request for each course.
- Select: "University of California - San Diego Ext" for your school.
- Enter the school term and section ID of the course (e.g. FA15 - SID 123456, Fall 2015 - SID 123456) and your authorized amount. The authorized amount may include the cost for your required textbooks.
- Submit your request.
- If your authorized amount includes textbook costs, please send copies of your receipts to unex-finasst@ucsd.edu.
- Wait for confirmation that your request has been accepted.
Tax Credits
Some of your educational expenses may be tax deductible or qualify for tax credits. To see if your payments are tax deductible, or for more information on education tax credit, please see the list of resources below:
Click here for instructions on how to access your electronic 1098-T
American Opportunity Tax Credit
The American Opportunity Tax Credit is an education tax benefit for qualified education expenses paid for an eligible student for the first four years of higher education. It allows taxpayers a credit of up to $2,500 (per student, per year).
Lifetime Learning Credit
The Lifetime Learning Credit is an education tax benefit that allows taxpayers a credit of up to $2,000 per year, per taxpayer.
Form 1098-T Tuition Statement
You will receive a Form 1098-T tuition statement for every year you pay qualified tuition and expenses. You can access your form at 1098t.com, using either your Social Security number (if you have it on file with UC San Diego Extension) or your student ID number (accessible in My Extension). If you are having issues accessing your 1098-T, contact Student Services at unex-reg@ucsd.edu or (858) 534-3400.