Departmental Program Award
Students may receive payments, reimbursements, awards, or other forms of financial support while attending UC Merced. Different administrative offices process these transactions depending on their nature, including scholarships, fellowships, grants, loans, stipends, prizes, or compensation
Work Study
Financial Aid Data Request
There are 3 Financial Aid Dashboards available on the IRDS website to assist campus strategic planning efforts and faculty grant proposals. If you need additional data, please complete the Financial Aid Data Request form.
Departmental Program Award
Welcome UC Merced professional staff members! We look forward to assisting you so that you can assist our students. On this page, you will find information on processing departmental awards. Please refer to the Departmental Program Award Box folder for additional resources.
Students may receive payments, reimbursements, awards, or other forms of financial support while attending UC Merced. Different administrative offices process these transactions depending on their nature, including scholarships, fellowships, grants, loans, stipends, prizes, or compensation.
For administrative purposes, student financial support falls into one of two categories:
- Non-need-based employment/compensation
- Financial aid
Regardless of how an award is labeled (scholarship, grant, loan, stipend, prize, etc.), it is considered financial aid unless it qualifies as non-need-based employment or compensation.
Definitions
- Scholarship: Financial aid awarded based on merit, academic achievement, special talent, or sometimes financial need. Scholarships do not require repayment.
- Fellowship: Financial aid awarded to support a student’s research, usually at the graduate level.
- Grant: Financial aid that does not require repayment and typically does not have an academic performance requirement. Grants are generally need-based.
- Loan: Financial aid that must be repaid by the student.
- Merit: Financial aid awarded based on academic performance or achievement.
- Need: Financial aid awarded based on demonstrated financial need, defined by Title IV as the Cost of Attendance minus the Expected Family Contribution.
- Prize: Financial aid awarded to a student who has won a judged competition.
- Stipend: A non-compensatory award for participation or engagement in a program, activity, or project.
- Compensation: Payment to a student for employment services rendered to the University. Compensation is paid through Payroll. If awarded based on federal financial need (e.g., Federal Work-Study), it is considered financial aid; otherwise, it is not.
The Departmental Program Award Request Form is available in our shared Box folder
