California State University, Stanislaus students awarded the 2014-2015 Middle Class Scholarship (MCS) were officially notified by the Financial Aid and Scholarship Office on Oct. 15.
“We just received the list from the California Student Aid Commission,” Noelia Gonzalez, Admissions and Financial Aid Director, said. “This program may help up to 1,400 students at CSU Stanislaus, however, we have to manually review each one to determine if they are eligible.”
The MCS is in its first year and is said to increase over a four-year span. By the 2017-2018 school year, the award shall reach it’s maximum award amount totaling up to 40 percent of statewide mandatory fees and tuition.
“The Middle Class Scholarship is a new program in the 2014-2015 academic year that provides undergraduate students with family incomes up to $150,000 a scholarship to attend University of California (UC) or California State University (CSU) campuses,” Gonzalez said. “Students must file the FAFSA or the Dream Act application in order for campuses to determine eligibility.”
MCS recipients will see the funds in their student accounts and those who are eligible for a refund will receive a check. Students who have signed up for direct deposit will see the refund deposited directly into their bank accounts along with a confirmation email from Student Account Receivable and Collections.
“The funds will first go to pay for fees,” Gonzalez said. “If a student has already paid their fees, we will issue the funds to the students and they can use the money to pay for living expenses. For the Spring semester, students will be have their grant disbursed prior to the beginning of the term along with their other financial aid.”
In order to become a recipient of the MCS for the 2015-2016 school year, students can apply in one of two ways.
“Students can begin applying for the scholarship after January 1, 2015 for the 2015-2016 academic year,” Gonzalez said. “It’s important that students file their FAFSA or Dream Act application by March 2 of every year.”
For more information on the MCS scholarship or the application process, students can visit www.CSAC.ed.gov or www.studentaid.gov.