A total of 1,032 middle class students at California State University, Stanislaus were able to receive funding with the fittingly named Middle Class Scholarship, a program currently in its first year of implementation to all students in the state.

“I believe there has been a call for this group of students that were in this income bracket and who weren’t getting federal or state grant funding,” said CSU Stanislaus director of admissions and financial aid Noelia Gonzalez. “Although they had relatively higher incomes, it does not mean that they didn’t have a need for grant funding.”

As a new program, the MCS aims to reduce student fees of up to 40 percent for undergraduate students with family incomes ranging from $80,000 to $150,000.  

“We have a good size population of students that are from middle class and who are not getting anything except for student loans,” reported Gonzalez. “I believe that they should still receive something.”

For the 2014-2015 academic school year, CSU Stanislaus was able to award a total of $621,000 to eligible students. However this amount is slated to increase, as the state plans to increase spending on the MCS each year until it is fully implemented in the 2017-2018 academic school year.

According to Gonzalez, students can use these funds for living expenses or food. However, she remarked that a majority of the money will primarily be used for books.

To be eligible for the MCS, students should not receive financial aid, such as Cal Grants, Pell Grants, and other existing CSU grants. Students interested in applying must complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid or California Dream Act Application each year they desire to receive funding.

“I think a lot of students will greatly benefit from this program,” concluded Gonzalez. “It is important to support all of our students.”

For more information on the MCS, visit csac.ca.gov/mcs.asp.