Low-income students are defined as those who qualify for Pell Grants (federal aid awarded to students from families with household incomes of $50,000 or less).
UC's record on successfully serving low-income students stands apart from any other research university in the nation.
Among the thousands of bright and hard-working students that UC educates, 72,500 undergraduates — 40 percent of the student body — come from low-income households, a number that no other top-tier university comes close to matching. To put that figure in perspective: UC educates eight times as many low-income students as the entire Ivy League combined.
Among the 2013 freshman class, 46 percent of California students are first-generation college-going students.
These students don't only enroll in large numbers: They also go on to achieve academic success and graduate at high rates, approaching those of their more affluent peers who often come from higher-performing high schools and face fewer family and financial pressures.
Enrollment
- 72,500 low-income students are enrolled at UC.
- 9,300 low-income students are enrolled at the entire Ivy League combined.
- 40 percentof UC students are from low-income households.
- 25 percent of UC students are first-generation college-going students.
- 30 percent of entering UC students transfer from community colleges.
UC serves students from all walks of life. Among California residents in the 2013 freshman class, 46 percent were first-generation college students, and 25 percent came from homes in which English is not the primary language.
Graduation rates
- 78 percent of low-income UC students earn a degree.
- 82 percent of all UC students earn a degree.
The cost of attending UC
- 52 percent of UC students' tuition is fully covered by financial aid programs.
- 71 percent of UC students receive some form of financial aid.
Student borrowing
- 48 percent of UC students graduate with no debt.
- Among UC students who borrow, the average student dept upon graduation is $19,751.
- Nationally, the average student debt upon graduation is $26,600.
