Cal Lutheran expands UC price-matching

Students admitted to any campus now get scholarship

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The program was designed to show students who thought they could only afford a public university that an education at a private school with smaller class sizes and lower faculty-student ratios was within reach.

Photo: Michael DeTerra

(THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — Sept. 17, 2021) California Lutheran University is expanding its Public Price Promise program to match the costs of all University of California undergraduate campuses. The nearly $30,000 scholarship provides a private education at a public price.

The scholarship already was available to freshmen and transfer students who also were accepted to UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UCLA, UC San Diego or UC Santa Barbara. Starting with the fall class entering Cal Lutheran in the 2022-2023 year, it will expand to those who were accepted to UC Merced, UC Riverside or UC Santa Cruz.

“By inviting those admitted to these additional campuses, we can provide a broader scope of options to a more diverse group of students who may not have initially placed Cal Lutheran on their lists because they didn’t think a private education was attainable,” said Michael Elgarico, dean of undergraduate admission and outreach.

The scholarship awards students the difference in average cost of attendance between Cal Lutheran and UC schools. For the 2021-2022 year, the value of the scholarship is $28,182. The amount is slightly more than the difference in the tuition, fees, books and living expenses for full-time residential students attending Cal Lutheran, which is currently $65,186, and the average price of attending the UC colleges, which is $37,655. The 2022-2023 scholarship award amount will be announced in spring after the universities have set their tuition and fees.

Since the program’s inception in 2008, 814 students have received more than $51 million in scholarships. There are currently 193 students receiving Public Price Promise scholarships.

The program was designed to show students who thought they could only afford a public university that an education at a private school with smaller class sizes and lower faculty-student ratios was within reach. It has led other universities to adopt similar programs.

The Public Price Promise is open to all students applying for the traditional undergraduate and Bachelor’s Degree for Professionals programs. It has no income requirements, and it is open to out-of-state and international students as well. Students also can receive federal, state and institutional aid based on need to further reduce the cost.

If students make satisfactory academic progress and meet GPA requirements, they can renew the scholarship each year. The award amount increases if the difference in the cost of attending Cal Lutheran and a UC goes up, but it never decreases. Students entering as freshmen can renew the scholarship for four years, and transfer students can receive the scholarship for a maximum of two years depending on their grade level at enrollment. 

For more information, visit CalLutheran.edu/promise or contact the Office of Undergraduate Admission at 805-493-3135 or admissions@callutheran.edu.

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