2025-2026 UCDC Estimated Budgets
| QUARTERS |
Fall 2025 |
Winter 2026 |
Spring 2026 |
| UCI Tuition & Fees |
Same as on campus |
Same as on campus |
Same as on campus |
| Books |
$496 |
$496 |
$496 |
| Living |
$2,035 |
$2,035 |
$2,035 |
| Housing |
$4,107 |
$3,787 |
$4,107 |
| Personal |
$1,147 |
$1,147 |
$1,147 |
| Transportation |
$953 |
$953 |
$953 |
| Healthcare |
$1,226 |
$1,226 |
$1,226 |
| Estimated Budget |
$9,964 |
$9,644 |
$9,964 |
Cost Breakdowns & Details
- UCI Tuition & Fees: For the academic year program, your UCI tuition & fees for UCDC are the same as what you pay for your regular quarter on campus. See the UCI Campus Estimated Budget source for more information.
- Books: Per-term cost for books and supplies.
- Living: Per-term cost for grocery, snacks, and phone. This figure is an estimate, and will vary based on personal needs and spending habits.
- Housing: Per-term cost for housing at the UC Washington Center, paid through UCI Housing.
- Personal: Per-term cost for personal expenses plus an allowance for professional clothing.
- Transportation: Includes cost of booking own round-trip airfare, plus a ground transportation allowance which factors in sightseeing travel to locations outside of D.C.
- Healthcare: Per term cost of system average UC SHIP estimate (subject to change after UC SHIP finalizes their premiums for the year).
Financial Aid Information
- All UCDC Participants are encouraged to complete a FAFSA by the priority deadline in early March to ensure that you are considered for any financial aid for which you may be eligible.
- Financial Aid eligibility criteria are the same when studying on UCDC or at UCI. All UCI financial aid (grants, scholarships, and loans – except work-study) is available to qualified UCDC students.
- The UCI Financial Aid Office adjusts aid awards to meet the modest increase in cost of the UCDC Academic Internship Program. Upon selection, UCDC will provide participant names to the Financial Aid Office, who will recalculate awards based on the estimated costs above.
- Participants who are eligible for the Pell Grant (including undocumented students) may be eligible for a UCDC Scholarship, typically in the amount of $1,000, although the amount of funding available can vary each year. More information will be provided upon acceptance to the program. All participants are strongly encouraged to apply for other UCI Scholarships and external scholarships to help fund their participation on UCDC. Scholarships received to attend UCI should be applicable to UCDC, since you are enrolled at UCI while in DC.
- Subsidized Unpaid Interns Program (SUIP) – Starting in Fall 2023, SUIP (offered through the UC Washington Center) will provide UCDC students $1,000 if their internship is unpaid or make up the difference if it pays less than $1,000.
