Two new “promise” financial aid commitments are a significant step forward in the University's goal of meeting financial need for all talented students

Beginning next academic year, Santa Clara University has committed to meeting the full demonstrated financial need of admitted first-year students who qualify for Cal Grants, as well as those who graduated from the national Cristo Rey Network high schools.

The commitments, named the Santa Clara University California Promise and the Santa Clara University Cristo Rey Promise, represent guarantees that students from these two groups will be supported to attend Santa Clara University for their four-year academic careers:

• Cal Grant recipients: Students who qualify for the awards from the California Student Aid Commission, which are based on family income, GPA, and other eligibility requirements.
• Cristo Rey graduates: Students who graduated from any of the 40 Cristo Rey Network college preparatory schools across the U.S.

“This is a significant step toward our strategic goal of making Santa Clara University’s education accessible to all talented students, particularly students from low- and middle-income families, who aspire to attend Santa Clara,” said Santa Clara University President Julie Sullivan. “Ensuring that our exceptional educational experience is accessible to all promising students who want to make our world a better place, is one of the most tangible ways we activate our Jesuit mission and values.”

“We are excited to enter this new chapter in our longstanding partnership with Santa Clara University,” said Cristo Rey Network President and CEO Kelby Woodard. “Their commitment to meeting the full demonstrated financial need of students from all 40 Cristo Rey schools is a testament to Santa Clara's dedication to provide access to a world-class education, regardless of financial barriers. This milestone celebrates 15 years of collaboration, rooted in our shared values of academic excellence and social justice. Together, we are paving the way for Cristo Rey Network graduates to thrive in college and achieve their dreams.”

The Promise aid complements other initiatives Santa Clara has undertaken to reach historically underserved students, including:

• Partnering with the Posse Foundation to offer full-tuition scholarships to select student leaders of diverse backgrounds from the Los Angeles area
• Joining the 130+-member American Talent Initiative, which collectively aims to enroll 50,000 additional talented low- and moderate-income students at colleges and universities with strong graduation rates by 2025.
• Co-launching the CA Private College is Possible initiative, which provides students, families, and counselors with valuable information they need when applying to independent California colleges and universities.
• Expanding the University’s community-college Transfer Admission Agreements to include guaranteed admission to all three undergraduate schools of SCU for eligible students from 43 community colleges.
• Committing to becoming a federally designated Hispanic-Serving Institution, defined as institutions where at least 25% of enrolled undergraduate students are Hispanic. The most recent incoming class of students was 21% Hispanic or Latiné/x.
• Launching the SCU-Peninsula College Fund (PCF) Transfer Scholarship Program, a pilot program providing selected community college students with wraparound services and aid from PCF and Santa Clara, to ensure a successful transfer to Santa Clara.

“Our Promise aid will turn the dream of becoming a Bronco into a reality for many hardworking, lower- and middle-income students who have excelled academically and set their sights on Santa Clara,” said Eva Blanco Masias, vice president for enrollment management. “This Promise commitment makes Santa Clara possible, whether students are admitted Early Decision, Early Action, or Regular Decision.”

The Promise aid is part of a larger scholarship commitment at Santa Clara University, including the recent completion of the University’s largest-ever, $1 billion Innovating with a Mission comprehensive fundraising campaign, which raised $280 million for scholarships. In its new Impact 2030 strategic plan, SCU has committed to raising an additional $500 million for scholarships.

How to Apply for Promise Aid

Students must complete financial aid applications by their admission application submission deadlines, including 2025-26 FAFSA (when it becomes available) as well as the College Scholarship Search (CSS) Profile, in order to qualify for the new Santa Clara University Promise financial aid. The Promise aid will cover demonstrated need after students have secured other grant, scholarship, federal aid, loans, and work-study aid.

The deadline to apply for admission for next year is Nov. 1 for Early Action and Early Decision I applicants. Regular Decision and Early Decision II applicants must apply by January 7, 2025.

Students who may qualify for state aid under the California Dream Act do not meet the requirements for the California Promise aid at Santa Clara. Transfer students are also ineligible to participate in the Promise opportunity, since this extends to first time, first year SCU students only.

About Santa Clara University

Founded in 1851, Santa Clara University sits in the heart of Silicon Valley—the world’s most innovative and entrepreneurial region. The University’s stunningly landscaped 106-acre campus is home to the historic Mission Santa Clara de Asís. Ranked among the top 15 percent of national universities by U.S. News & World Report, SCU has among the best four-year graduation rates in the nation and is rated by PayScale in the top 1 percent of universities with the highest-paid graduates. SCU has produced elite levels of Fulbright Scholars as well as four Rhodes Scholars. With undergraduate programs in arts and sciences, business, and engineering, and graduate programs in six disciplines, the curriculum blends high-tech innovation with social consciousness grounded in the tradition of Jesuit, Catholic education. For more information see www.scu.edu.

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