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 or other private lenders.
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 four weeks before your classes begin. It normally takes 3-4 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. Please note the program cost listed on this document is an estimate based on the current course and materials fees; course fees and textbook requirements/fees are subject to change and may result in an increase or decrease to the actual program cost and amount of funding required.
- For an estimate for full-time 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 requirements below:
- Registered in an approved program. You must apply to the program of choice, be accepted, and pay the applicable certificate registration fee and/or the program deposit.
- Exception: If your program does not have 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.
- Submitted the Private Loan - Education Plan form. You will need to provide us with your quarter-by-quarter plan to complete the program.
Loan Disbursement
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 (Private Loan - Education Plan form).
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. If you are interested in applying for the scholarship, you can indicate your interest in the Brewing Certificate application.
UC San Diego Student Grant Program
We offer a limited number of student grant vouchers valued at $500 to full-time UCSD students each quarter. UCSD Extension and Concurrent Enrollment students are not eligible to receive a voucher.
Undergraduate students: please visit the Student Grant Program page here for more information.
Graduate or School of Medicine students: Unfortunately, at this time, we are not able to offer vouchers to graduate or School of Medicine students.
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 by filling out the form below:
10% Discount Request Form:
Art Institute Transfers
We have instituted a 20% discount for any of our applicable spring courses to anyone with an Art Institute transcript. The discount can be applied to multiple courses during the spring quarter. Our goal is to encourage you to continue building your portfolio and gaining knowledge in your chosen field of study. We hope you’ll allow us to help keep you moving forward. Learn More and Apply
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.
How to use your award:
- Complete the online Enrollment Request form.
- Log in to MyAmeriCorps to create a separate education award payment request for each course you are requesting to be enrolled in.
- 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.
- Boot Camp students - enter the school term and program name.
- Submit your request.
- If your authorized amount includes textbook costs, please send copies of your receipts to unex-finasst@ucsd.edu. Include your Extension Student ID in the email.
- We will send you an email confirmation with additional instructions after reviewing your Enrollment Request and AmeriCorps payment request.
Conditions of Enrollment
Submitting a request does not guarantee enrollment in requested courses. Space in courses is available on a first-come, first-served basis. For Concurrent Enrollment, you must complete all required steps in order to enroll.
Refunds
Payments made on your account, whether by you or by the National Service Trust will not be refunded if a drop request is made after the published refund deadline. If you drop a course by the published refund deadline, payments received by UC San Diego Extension from your AmeriCorps Award will be returned to the National Service Trust.
AmeriCorps Payment Request
A separate AmeriCorps Payment Request is required for each individual course in which you are requesting to be enrolled. We will not process enrollment requests until you submit a payment request.
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:
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.
To access your form, log into tsc1098t.com:
- Site ID: 11563
- Username: your Extension student ID number (accessible in your My Extension account if you don't know it)
- Password:
- the last 4 digits of your Social Security Number or Tax Indentification Number (if you have either of those on file with Extension), or
- 0000 (if your SSN/ITIN is not on file with Extension; if the last 4 digits of your SSN/ITIN does not work, please try four zeros)
If you are having issues accessing your 1098-T, or if you need a copy of your 1098-T from 2016 or earlier, contact Student Services at unex-1098t@ucsd.edu or (858) 534-3400.
Frequently Asked Questions About the 1098-T