Merced College

Traditional-aged students are post-secondary students under 25 years old who enroll directly from high school; non-traditional students are typically 25 years of age or older, who may have delayed post-secondary education enrollment, are financially independent of parents, work full-time, and/or have dependents other than spouse; special populations refers to students who must overcome barriers that may require special consideration and attention to ensure equal opportunity for success and in an educational setting.

Traditional-aged students

AB540 included, DREAMers included

Geographical range of eligible students: all local students, all statewide students, all students nationally.

Statewide

First-dollar programs provide tuition assistance regardless of federal financial aid. Last-dollar programs provide tuition assistance after considering federal financial aid (e.g., Pell Grant). Plus programs provide some kind of monetary support for expenses other than tuition.

Last Dollar Plus

Certificate or Associate Only

One year = two semesters; Two years (Associate Degree) = four semesters. A Promise that may go up to a Bachelor's degree level will be 4+

4 semesters semester(s)

Public

None

CSA programs often have specific names such as "College Kick Start" so be sure to check any college savings accounts you have to see if they are CSAs.

No

Yes

Full-Time

Must be a first-time student

No

Full-time status is defined as 12 or 15 credits per semester (24 or 30 per year). Part-time is less than those levels.

12 credits per semester

While in college, what GPA do you need to keep the Promise? (Satisfactory Academic Progress, or SAP, is usually 2.0)

2.0 GPA

None