Get help renting your graduation cap and gown!
The Student Foundation has a way to help struggling students rent a graduation cap & gown: the UC Davis Cap & Gown Award!
This award was created through a partnership between the UC Davis Bookstore and Amazon in 2016. The awards are given out for Fall and Spring graduation and may be used at the Bookstore to rent a cap and gown.
The specific criteria to apply:
- Must be a registered undergraduate student currently attending UC Davis
- Must have a FAFSA or DREAM Act application on file
- Must demonstrate a financial need for the UC Davis Cap & Gown Award
- Must have filed for graduation from UC Davis
- Must have room in their budget determined by Financial Aid
- The UC Davis Cap & Gown Award may be awarded to students who:
- Have loans available
- Have also applied for a Student Helping Students Award
- Have also applied for a UC Davis Stores Award
Awards from the fund are disbursed through an application and review process led by a committee of students advised by staff who are experienced with financial aid and philanthropic management.
Applicants are expected to explain their circumstance in the application form, and may be asked follow-up questions by the review committee. Application and award information is kept entirely confidential. These awards are not loans and do not need to be paid back. However, please be aware an award recipient’s status might change depending on an audit of their financial aid. Funds received from the award must be used in the specific quarter that the applicant applied for. Unused funds will not roll over to any other quarter, and the applicant’s financial aid will be adjusted accordingly
Please do not order your cap & gown until you find out if you have received an award. If you receive an award then you will not need to place your cap and gown order on-line. You will pick up in the store. If you place your order on-line we may not be able to get you a refund.
Please be aware of the specific application periods. Applications outside of the application period will not be reviewed.
If you choose to download your form, please mail the completed application to studentfoundation@ucdavis.edu.
- Click Here to Read the Terms and Conditions Before Applying
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When you apply for an award from Aggies Helping Aggies, you agree to the following terms and conditions. Please read them carefully before you submit an application. All applications and relevant information will be kept confidential.
Aggies Helping Aggies offers two different awards, Student Emergency Relief Aid (SERA) and the UC Davis Cap & Gown Award. Students are able to apply for both awards at the same time, except all requests for graduation expenses aid must be submitted through the UC Cap & Gown Award. The SERA award does not currently support cap and gown aid, so two separate applications must be filled out in this case. Please make sure you are applying for the correct one or your application may not be considered.
**Due to the transfer to Inclusive Access, we have discontinued the Bookstore Award. Please contact inclusiveaccess@ucdavis.edu for more information about the program.**
Student Emergency Relief Aid (SERA)
Applications for the SERA award are open during the academic year and can be submitted anytime during the quarter. Each student can only be awarded once during their UC Davis career.
Criteria/Requirements to Apply:
Must be facing a personal financial emergency (see below for examples)
Must be able to show documented proof of a personal financial emergency
SERA cannot cover loan debt or the expenses of anyone besides the student applying
Must be a registered undergraduate student currently attending UC Davis
Must have a FAFSA or DREAM Act application on file
Must not have already received an award from this program
Must not have any unused financial aid offers (from the University) outstanding, including loan offers
How to Apply
Choose the corresponding option when applying for an award. If you would like to apply to SERA, please select the option for “facing a financial emergency.” If you would like to apply to the Cap and Gown Award, please select “cap and gown.”
The awards directors of Aggies Helping Aggies must receive all applications before the deadline posted for that quarter. Failure to meet the criteria for the award you are applying for may result in a request for more information, a referral to other services, or denial of your application. Applications received outside of the open application period for either award will not be reviewed. -
UC Davis Cap & Gown Award
Students can receive the UC Davis Cap & Gown Award for the quarter that they are graduating. The application is now open.
Apply here.