First-Year Promise Programs
The First-Year Promise is Santa Clara University’s commitment to meet 100% of demonstrated financial need to cover tuition, mandatory fees, and on-campus housing & food costs for eligible admitted first-year students. The California Promise covers California residents with a total family income under $150,000 and typical assets, and the Cristo Rey Promise program covers graduates of any Cristo Rey Network high school nationwide.
How it works
We calculate what your family can reasonably contribute using the CSS Profile and FAFSA, subtract that from Santa Clara’s core costs, and cover the entire difference in your financial aid offer with a combination of federal, state, and institutional aid.
If you’re admitted and eligible, your First-Year Promise award automatically appears in the financial aid offer that accompanies your admission decision.
The award you receive the first year renews every year of your undergraduate education, for up to four years, as long as you refile your FAFSA, stay enrolled full time, and continue to meet the eligibility criteria.
100%
of demonstrated need met
$150K
income eligibility for California families
$71,358
average grants and scholarships for Fall 2026 incoming SCU Promise students
4 years
of renewable support
You qualify if you’re a California resident admitted as a first-year student, your total family income is under $150,000, and your family has typical assets (under $120,000, not counting retirement accounts). File the FAFSA and CSS Profile by the deadline for your admission round.
Graduated from any of the 41 Cristo Rey Network high schools in the U.S.? You qualify for the SCU Promise no matter what state you live in. There’s no separate income cap for Cristo Rey graduates. File the FAFSA and CSS Profile by the deadline for your admission round, and your award is calculated from your family’s demonstrated need.
How Your Award Is Calculated
Try It With Real Numbers
Example uses published 2026–27 on-campus rates for illustration only — it is not an official aid estimate or award offer. Every family’s expected contribution is calculated individually from the CSS Profile. For a personalized estimate, use the Net Price Calculator.
“This is a significant step toward our strategic goal of making Santa Clara University’s education accessible to all talented students, particularly students from low- and middle-income families.”
FAQ
What does "meeting full need" mean?
It means Santa Clara covers the gap between our core costs and what your family can afford to pay. We take the cost of tuition, mandatory fees, housing, and food, subtract your family’s expected contribution (calculated from your CSS Profile), and cover 100% of the difference with your financial aid package. The lower your family’s expected contribution, the larger your award.
Are the First-Year Promise programs guaranteed through graduation?
The California First-Year and Cristo Rey Promise programs are renewed each year for up to four years of undergraduate study. To renew, you’ll need to resubmit the FAFSA annually, remain enrolled full time, meet satisfactory academic progress, and continue to meet the program’s eligibility criteria. If your family’s financial circumstances stay about the same, you can expect the total award to stay about the same.
What do the First-Year Promise programs cover?
The California First-Year and Cristo Rey Promise programs cover the four direct costs of attending Santa Clara: tuition, mandatory fees, housing, and food, after subtracting your family’s expected contribution. Indirect costs — books, supplies, transportation, and personal expenses — are not part of the Promise calculation, though other aid (such as outside scholarships, federal aid, or state aid) may help cover them.
How is my family’s Expected Family Contribution (EFC) calculated?
Your Expected Family Contribution (EFC) comes from the CSS Profile, which looks at your family’s income, assets (including home equity), size, and number of children in college to estimate what your family can reasonably contribute toward college costs. It is calculated by Santa Clara’s Financial Aid Office using our own institutional methodology. As a result, it is not the same number as the FAFSA’s Student Aid Index (SAI).
What counts as "typical assets"?
For the California pathway, eligible families generally have total assets under $120,000 as reported on the CSS Profile, excluding retirement accounts.
I attend a Cristo Rey high school outside California. Do I qualify?
Yes. Graduates of any of the Cristo Rey Network’s 41 high schools across the country qualify for the Cristo Rey Promise. There is no California residency requirement and no income cap for the Cristo Rey pathway. You’ll still submit the FAFSA and CSS Profile so we can calculate your family’s expected contribution and your award.
Will my award include loans or work-study?
Yes, work study and subsidized loans are expected to be utilized to help cover the core costs of the Promise Program. Typically though, the majority of the award is made up of a combination of grants and scholarships. The unsubsidized direct loan can be used to cover part of your family's contribution.
Do transfer students or international students qualify?
Transfers have their own California Transfer Promise that works a bit differently than the California Promise for first year undergraduate students. To find more info please visit the California Transfer Promise page.
International students are not eligible for either Promise program.
What happens to my Promise award if I choose to live at home?
If you live nearby and plan on applying for a waiver for the on campus housing requirement, your California First-Year or Cristo Rey Promise award would be reduced dollar for dollar by the amount of food and housing otherwise included in the Cost of Attendance. The Promise award meets your full demonstrated need which is calculated as Tuition + Fees + Food + Housing minus your family's EFC. So if you are living at home, you no longer are paying for housing or a meal plan, so those components are removed from the equation.
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