University of California, Davis
PA-8: Affordability and Access

The Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan ensures that eligible California students with an annual family income of up to $80,000 will have their systemwide fees and tuition covered by gift aid. The Student Emergency Relief Aid (SERA), formally known as “We Are Aggie Pride”, is a student originated and led philanthropy program that receives assistance and guidance from the UC Davis Office of Development. It began when a group of students realized that their peers were having their ability to achieve severely disrupted by short-term financial crises that weren’t covered by financial aid. Many UC Davis students are attending school with little or no assistance from their families and may not have a funding source to fall back on in a time of need. This program was conceived to cover food, rent and other essential costs not covered by other programs to keep students on track for academic success. Awards from the fund are disbursed through an application and review process led by a committee of students advised by staff who are experienced with financial aid and philanthropic management. Applications are reviewed in the context of the immediate need stated by the applicant in relation to his or her records on financial need and other financial aid awards held by the financial aid office. Additionally, Aggie Compass is a student community space that provides fresh fruits and vegetables, CalFresh enrollment assistance and resources for emergency food and housing needs.

Collective: Student Support and Empowerment, is a program under the Student Recruitment and Retention Center. Collective provides both academic and social support to empower transfer, re-entry, parent, and all non-traditional students to succeed in higher education. Collective offers all students a safe and welcoming environment to further engage students in their educational pursuits. Furthermore, Collective offers a campus visits to expose disadvantaged students to possibilities and provide insight into the opportunities available through higher education.

These are additional programs and opportunities run by the Student Academic Success Center:

The Transfer Reentry Veterans Center (TRV) assists all transfer students (junior college or community college to UC Davis, UC to UC Davis, out of state to UC Davis), veteran and dependents-of-veteran students, and reentry students. The TRV Center strives to address the needs and concerns of the whole student. They offer a wide range of services including advising, seminars, workshops, and social events and activities.

The Bernard Osher Foundation, in recognition of the value of the UC Davis Reentry Program, has established a $1 million endowment to support scholarships for students 25–50 years old. The Osher Reentry Scholarships represent the largest award for reentry students on the UC Davis campus. The Student Academic Success Center will award eight to ten $5,000 scholarships annually to new and continuing reentry students.

The Guardian Scholars Program is a comprehensive program committed to providing services and support for former foster youth to maximize educational opportunities. Youth formerly in foster care face many challenges that impede their opportunities for higher education. For foster youth who make it to post-secondary education, the challenges are often insurmountable without the intervention of caring campus professionals who serve as coaches and mentors. Professional staff and peer advisors, in partnership with a variety of on-campus units and external agencies, work to best meet the students' academic and personal needs. Services for the students include a caring and supportive community, orientation for new students, advising, life skills training, career counseling, and leadership opportunities.

Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan Website: financialaid.ucdavis.edu/undergraduate/types/blue-gold
The Student Emergency Relief Aid Website: https://giving.ucdavis.edu/ways-to-give/student-foundation/join-aggies-helping-aggies
Aggie Compass Website: https://aggiecompass.ucdavis.edu/)
Collective Website: https://srrc.ucdavis.edu/programs/collective
The Transfer Veterans Reentry Center Website: https://opportunity.ucdavis.edu/centers/trc
The Osher Reentry Scholarships Website: https://opportunity.ucdavis.edu/centers/trc/services/scholarships
Guardian Scholars Program Website: https://opportunity.ucdavis.edu/programs/guardian-scholars

Data notes: The data provided are based on all undergraduates. Common Data Set and IPEDS were used for the percentages regarding campus affordability and graduation rates above. The estimated percentage of students that participate in or directly benefit from the institution’s policies and programs to support low-income and non-traditional students is based on the percentage of undergraduate students who are eligible under the Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan.