To be eligible for GSP, a student must meet all three of the following general criteria:
1. Enrollment at UC Merced
The student must either:
- Be currently enrolled at UC Merced, or
- Have submitted a Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) as an incoming student.
2. Meet at Least One of These Conditions
The student must meet at least one of the following:
- Lived in foster care or under legal guardianship before age 18
- Receives AB-12 funding (Extended Foster Care)
- Eligible for a Chafee Grant
- Eligible for McKinney-Vento services prior to SIR at UC Merced (support for students experiencing homelessness)
- Eligible for Independent Living Skills Program (ILSP) services
3. Identify with One of the Following Categories
The student must identify with at least one of the following experiences:
- Foster Youth: Youth who have been in foster care at any time, regardless of age or how long they were in care.
- Emancipated Minor: Youth under the age of 18 who were legally on their own or acted independently through an informal arrangement.
- Unaccompanied Homeless Youth (McKinney-Vento): Youth who meets the McKinney-Vento definition of homelessness and was unaccompanied prior to submitting their Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) at UC Merced.
- Transitional Housing Recipient- Youth who has received support from transitional housing programs including programs such as THPP, THP+FC, and THP+
- Extended Foster Care or AB 12 Recipient- Recipient of program which allows eligible youth in the child welfare and probation systems to remain in foster care until age 21.
- Probation Youth - Youth who was deemed to have violated the law and placed under the jurisdiction of the court and removed from the home.
- Legal Guardianship or Voluntary Placement Agreement (VPA): Youth who was subject to a legal guardianship or VPA through child welfare services.
- Kinship Care: A student who was raised by relatives or kin, either through a formal placement or an informal arrangement.
- Dependent or Ward of the Court: Youth declared a dependent or ward of the court, supervised through child welfare or probation
- AB 1055 Recipient/Tribal Court Dependent: Youth recognized/determined to be a dependent by a tribal court, consortium of tribes, or tribal organization.
- Orphaned Youth: Youth with no living or known legal parents or guardians prior to age 18.
GSP recognizes that these circumstances may overlap or change over time and approaches eligibility determination with flexibility, care, and respect for student privacy. If you feel you may qualify but don't meet any of the criteria above email guardianscholars@ucmerced.edu.
