MESA

To qualify for MESA, you must:

• Designate Riverside City College as your home campus.
• Intend to transfer to a four-year institution and not already hold a Bachelor's degree.
• Be a First-Generation College Student, meaning your parents did not obtain a bachelor's degree in any country
• Have a residential status of U.S. Citizen, Resident, or AB 540/DACA.
• Declare as a calculus-based major in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM)
• Plan to take Calculus I or above STEM courses

AND One of the following:

• Must be a recipient of financial aid, such as the CA Promise Grant, Pell Grant, Cal Grant, CA DREAM Act, Federal Work-Study, CalFresh, GI Bill, TANF, or another need-based/subsidized Financial Aid
• Household income at or below 150% of federal poverty guidelines. (US Dept. of Health & Human Services): https://aspe.hhs.gov/poverty-guidelines
• Parent/Guardian/Student is a TANF (Welfare) recipient
• Current or former foster youth
• TRIO Program participant (Talent Search, Upward Bound, Student Support Services)
• EOPS/CARE/CalWORKs Program participant.

If you are able to answer “YES” to all the questions, it is highly likely that you are eligible for the MESA Program! If you are not sure, you are encouraged to still submit a MESA interest form.

If accepted into the program, students are expected to complete:

• Attend a MESA Orientation once per semester.
• Complete an Academic Progress Report each semester.
• Meet with a MESA counselor twice a semester.
• Update your educational plan every semester.
• Participate in at least one MESA event or workshop per semester.
• Complete a minimum of two MESA tutoring sessions each month.
• Apply to at least one scholarship, research opportunity, or internship each year.
• Maintain a minimum GPA of 2.2 or higher each semester.
• Apply to FAFSA/CA Dream Act every year.
• Must take at least one course at Riverside City College per semester (Fall/Spring).