About taking courses toward degree requirements
For the most part, information on what courses will count toward your major is not available via self-service online. Each course you wish to apply to your degree requirements must be reviewed. This is a normal process but it does take a little time. Courses are reviewed using a course approval form based on the school that would normally offer a course in that area. Course Approval Form:
Because it can take as long as 6-8 weeks during the semester for SSHA, in particular, we encourage students who can acquire syllabi in advance to submit them early for an earlier decision.
Keep in mind that not every program or even every course in a program will have syllabi (or equivalent) available in advance and you should plan an appropriate level of flexibility accordingly.
If you have questions about how to find courses, usually the best place to start is the "Courses & Credit" tab of the program:
About summer financial aid for study abroad
UC Merced study abroad advisors will often encourage students who depending heavily on financial aid to consider semester and academic year options, as they tend to have lower net costs than summer programs for these students. Alternatively, students who depend less heavily on financial aid may find summer to be more competitive in terms of net cost.
Summer financial aid can be tricky for many UC Merced students. There are six (6) primary sources of financial aid that students use for study abroad:
- Cal Grant
- Pell Grant
- Institutional aid (i.e. Bobcat Grant, Bobcat Scholarship, and/or UC Regents Scholarship)
- Federal student loans (or Cal Dream Loan)
- Parent PLUS loans
- Competitive scholarships (e.g. Gilman, Freeman-ASIA)
Essentially, without access to Cal Grant and Pell Grant funding during the summer, many students have access solely to Bobcat Grant, any unused student loan eligibility from the previous academic year, Parent PLUS loan (if parents qualify), competitive scholarships, and potentially other sources of financial aid based on eligibility.
For Bobcat Grant, students must apply using the Summer Financial Aid Application, which typically opens in early March. In best-case scenarios for study abroad, we see students receiving around $2,800-3,000. Students should be prepared to fill the remaining costs for the program with other available sources of financial aid and/or personal funding.
