UC Berkeley Launches Groundbreaking Middle-Class Financial Aid Plan

December 14, 2011 -- UC Berkeley Chancellor Robert J. Birgeneau announced today a new financial aid program to help middle-class families pay for the growing cost of an undergraduate degree.

For families whose gross income ranges from $80,000 to $140,000 annually and who have typical assets, the new plan caps the contribution parents make toward the total annual cost of a UC Berkeley student’s education at 15 percent of their total income.

The groundbreaking initiative, named Berkeley MCAP (Middle Class Access Plan), is the first program in the nation at a public university to extend comprehensive financial aid to this category of middle-class families. The University is launching this initiative in recognition of California’s high cost of living, the challenges these families face, and the significant tuition increases of recent years. UC Berkeley will begin making MCAP awards in academic year 2012-13.

Read the full announcement.

Read the Frequently Asked Questions.

Read more about Berkeley MCAP.

The announcement is being made in December to ensure that families have time to assess the program's impact before the 2012-13 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) becomes available in January. We encourage eligible families of both currently enrolled and prospective students to file a FAFSA if they wish to be considered for Berkeley MCAP.