UC Davis students needing help to pay for summer classes can apply for $1.4 million in grants recently made available by the campus.
Funding for the UC Summer Sessions grants is expected to come from the 2002-2003 state budget, which in its preliminary version provides $8 million for UC Davis to expand its summer classes and resources.
The $1.4 million aid piece should remain in the final budget, set to be approved by the Legislature this summer, said Vice Provost for Undergraduate Studies Patricia Turner, who is helping coordinate summer school expansion on campus.
"Everyone assures us that both sides (Gov. Gray Davis and the California Legislature) want this in the budget," she said.
Summer school financial aid is especially important to students who receive federal funds to pay for school during the year. For the most part, full-time students have exhausted that aid by the time they enroll in summer courses, said Turner and Lora Jo Bossio, director of the UC Davis Financial Aid office.
As it made summer plans earlier this year, the office was buoyed by the fact that Summer Sessions had allocated $400,000 to student aid this year. Last year, only $100,000 in summer aid was available, Bossio said. Now, with even more money available, the office has extended the summer aid application deadline.
"It's basically first-come, first-served until we run out of funds," Bossio said.
Students who receive federal Pell grants will get priority eligibility for the money, followed by other aid recipients.
UC Davis will pay course fees and a $111 summer registration charge for eligible students taking at least six units per summer session. Students taking less than six units at UC Davis, though eligible for course aid, must pay the registration fee, Bossio said.
The office has spread the word about the new funds through an e-mail sent to students on financial aid and a few The California Aggie ads. This week the office will mail a letter to students.
Through last week, the office had received applications from 2,187 students, Bossio said.