The Middle Class Scholarship continues to be a benefit to many Sacramento State students by providing financial support to eligible students attending universities across California.
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The MCS is a scholarship that provides financial assistance to people who want to continue their education at a California State University, University of California, or California Community College bachelor’s degree program.
Director of Financial Aid and Scholarships Tina Lent said the idea of the MCS is to help students, specifically middle-class students, fill the void to reduce financial aid.
“After changes were made to the MCS a lot more students received the Middle Class Scholarship,” Lent said. “We try our best to not have students stressed about their financial responsibility so it does not negatively affect their academic performances.”
To be eligible for the MCS students must be a California resident, must be enrolled at a UC, CSU, or community college and meet a specific financial and academic requirement to be eligible for the MCS.
To apply for the MCS students must fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid or the CA Dream Act Application. According to the CSU website, the California Student Aid Commission uses data and the applications received from FAFSA and CADAA to determine which students are eligible.
The FAFSA application can be found at the official website and is due no later than June 30, 2024 at 11:59PM.
Lent recommends students who are not eligible for financial aid or the MCS to apply to as many scholarships as they can.
“The best opportunities are scholarships; there are hundreds,” Lent said. “ Some scholarships are based on financial aid, some not. Some are based on academics and some not.”
Communications major Irene Regalado, said she has received the MCS but still had to take out several loans due to the scholarship not covering all her college expenses.
“The MCS is a wonderful opportunity and I would encourage all students to apply,” Regalado said. “I do not believe enough scholarship opportunities are provided since the criteria for eligibility significantly narrows the student population that have accessibility to the funds.”
Other students, like communications major Macy Childs, said she pays for her tuition all out of pocket due to her not being eligible for MCS.
“There are a lot of opportunities but not enough because there are many many students at this university,” Childs said. “Based on the scholarships I have seen there are very few winners and they have specific criteria that many students don’t meet.”
Alex Fakai, a fourth-year computer science major, said they believe the school doesn’t use student tuition for things that will benefit students.
“I feel like especially for international students like myself, the fees are already so expensive,” Fakai said. “ The school should work on providing more funding or scholarship opportunities for all students.”
Scholarships for the 2024-2025 school year are now open on the Sac State website until March 3.
