Glossary

Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan

A Financial Aid Initiative for University of California Undergraduates

The goal of the new “Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan” is to ensure that UC systemwide tuition does not deter the half of California households with incomes below $80,000 from aspiring to a UC education.

Under the Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan, UC will provide that financially needy undergraduates with family income up to the median for California households ($80,000) and who are enrolled in their first four years (two years if a transfer student) will have UC systemwide tuition covered by scholarship or grant awards.

Eligibility

To be eligible for the Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan, students must:

  • Be a California resident.
  • Submit a financial aid application and provide any requested documentation to verify income and other eligibility criteria by campus deadlines.
  • Apply for a Cal Grant (if not already a recipient).
  • Have financial need (as determined for federal need-based aid programs).
  • Have income below $80,000 as determined for federal need-based aid programs. This is a measure of parents’ income for dependent students. It is a measure of student’s (and spouses, if applicable) income for independent students.
  • Be in their first four years (two if a transfer student) of University undergraduate attendance.
  • Be enrolled in an academic year term (summer is excluded).
  • Meet campus basic requirements for UC grant assistance (e.g., be an on-time applicant, be enrolled at least half-time, meet campus satisfactory academic progress standards, not already hold a bachelor’s degree, not be in default on student loans, etc.).

No student will receive more scholarship and grant support than the calculated financial need.

Integration with Other UC Aid Programs

All sources of scholarship and grant awards (federal, State, institutional, and private sources including outside agency scholarships) will count towards covering tuition and meeting the Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan commitment.

In addition to the minimum funding under the Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan, undergraduates with sufficient financial need will receive additional grant support to help defray other educational expenses (e.g., books, living expenses, transportation, etc.).

Effective Date and Activation Plans

The majority of students who meet the income eligibility standard will already have sufficient grant and scholarship support to cover full UC systemwide tuition based on our standard financial aid packaging guidelines. Thus, we do not plan to identify students needing additional grant funds to meet the Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan guidelines until mid-to-late fall quarter.