Estimates, Visa Letters, & Drop-In Advising

Request an Estimate

We understand that finances are important to your decision to study abroad or away. Our office provides estimates to students of the total amount of aid they may be eligible to receive based on their program of choice and the total cost of participation. Students can request estimates before they apply and/or after. 

To request an estimate, please complete our Estimate Request Form and email it to: finaid.specialprograms@ucsc.edu. Make sure to provide all the information requested on the form. Please note: It can take up to 2-3 weeks for the estimate request to be processed. 

Request a Visa Letters

Some programs require a letter stating your finances and aid to accompany your application for an entry visa to your host country. If this is the case, please complete our Visa Letter Request Form and email it to finaid.specialprograms@ucsc.edu. Note: Due to COVID 19 physical letters are not currently available, and we can only provide digital letters via email.

Drop-In Advising (Virtual)

We welcome the opportunity to assist you and answer any questions you may have regarding your financial aid for your program. Virtual one-on-one drop-in advising appointments are available every Tuesday from 12pm-2pm. These appointments are meant to assist students with questions after they have received an estimate from our office. Appointments will be held virtually and are limited to 20 minutes. To book a drop-in advising appointment, click herePlease provide your program information and your student ID and first and last name on your request. After you book your appointment, you will receive a confirmation email from our office which will include meeting details. 
 
To better assist you, we encourage you have the following handy:
-A list of questions you have 
-Your financial aid estimate

Scholarship Certifications

Some scholarship agencies may require students to submit an aid estimate along with their scholarship applications and/or require our office to certify scholarship applications for students. To be prepared, we encourage students to:

-Request an aid estimate for their program

-Complete the OAS Authorization to Release Information Form and email it to finaid.specialprograms.edu. Without this form on file, we cannot provide any financial aid related information to the scholarship agency. The OAS Authorization to Release Information Form is not available on MyAid Verify. Student can access the form here: https://financialaid.ucsc.edu/archive-forms-pubs/21-22-forms/2022_oas_auth_release_form1.pdf