The University of California (UC) Regents approved the UCI University Hills Area 12-2 project to add 4.4 acres of campus land for the construction of approximately 82 for-sale townhomes at the UC Regents meeting held from Jan. 22-23. The Board of Regents also discussed how changes in the Free Application for Financial Student Aid (FAFSA) form last year impacted students from mixed-status families.
University Hills is a faculty and staff residential community located on UCI’s campus and is the “largest on-campus, for-sale workforce housing community in the nation,” according to a report to the Finance and Capital Strategies Committee. This area is currently occupied by a 50-unit apartment complex known as Las Lomas that would be demolished for construction of the new townhomes.
The townhomes would be consistent with the designs of the previously approved Area 12-1, a project comprising 104 for-sale townhomes currently under construction, on east Los Trancos Drive. This project aims to meet the demand for affordable housing as 270 Academic Senate faculty currently make up the University Hills waitlist.
With a range of 1,395 to 2,477 square feet, three to five bedrooms and three to 4.5 bathrooms, the average price of an Area 12-2 townhome would be $685,000. Comparable homes in the Irvine area typically range from $895,000 to $3.1 million; this lower price would “support recruitment and retention of faculty and staff.”
“We’re here to request your approval of us moving forward and continuing to provide more housing for our fantastic community,” Chancellor Howard Gillman said to the UC Board of Regents.
The Mortgage Origination Program (MOP) provides eligible UC employees first deed of trust loans with an adjustable interest rate for purchasing real estate. Eligible employees include Academic Senate members or those working under the Senior Management Group. 2024-2025 Student Regent Josiah Beharry asked the board “to look into expanding the MOP plan to represent non-represented staff,” as UC staff may have more of a financial disadvantage to faculty.
Staff Advisor-designate to the Regents Mayté Frías proposed “getting completely rid of the distinctions between faculty and staff and just basing it on income,” similar to how government agencies run affordable housing programs. Gillman said this idea is “an ongoing topic of conversation” and discussed the need for all campuses to evolve their plans to serve broader members of the community.
The Academic and Student Affairs Committee discussed the experiences of students from mixed-status families across the UC who were impacted by the revised 2024-2025 FAFSA form. A document to the committee detailed student challenges, from inputting a social security number to making corrections after form submission.
UCI students voiced concern over impacts on student preparations for housing and course arrangements after experiencing a weeks-long financial aid delay before the start of the fall 2024 quarter due to FAFSA complications. The Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships extended the fall 2024 quarter fee deadline by a month as a result.
“The good news for [the 2025-2026 FAFSA form] is that many of the technical challenges and delays that we experienced this year have been resolved,” Associate Vice Provost of Student Financial Support Shawn Brick said. “UC campuses are already receiving FAFSA data for ‘25 to ‘26.”
Beharry asked about how UC financial aid offices are approaching the possibility of President Donald Trump’s administration using FAFSA form data to target undocumented families.
Researchers from the National College Attainment Network have also expressed concern over whether undocumented immigrants’ data will be protected. The California Student Aid Commission has promoted the California Dream Act Application (CADAA) form, which is available for undocumented students and students from mixed-status households, as an alternative option for those uncertain about the FAFSA form.
“We are using the same sort of approach that the California Student Aid Commission is taking, which is these are the pros and cons to filling out these two forms,” Brick said.
The UC Student Association President Aditi Hariharan discussed the delays in financial aid disbursements and how students at UC Santa Cruz and UCI have been impacted at the Jan. 23 committee meeting. The Jan. 22 meeting discussed the financial aid item, stating “in all cases, the campus secured the student’s enrollment, and all State and University aid was disbursed.” Hariharan said, however, that students on the ground have yet to receive disbursements which may impact enrollment, housing and academics.
“I urge the UC, especially the Santa Cruz and Irvine campuses, to ensure that financial aid offices are sufficiently staffed and equipped to handle the number of students that they serve to ensure that these issues do not follow on to the next year,” Hariharan said.
She further discussed how the CADAA form only allocates state financial aid, meaning undocumented students would not be eligible for federal aid such as the Pell Grant or other federal loans. Hariharan expressed that under the UC’s Education Financing model, UC institutional aid could be used to fill in these gaps.
“I strongly urge the UC to work with state partners and campus leaders to allocate the necessary funding to support these students from mixed-status families by back-filling this aid,” Hariharan said.
Camelia Heins is a News Intern for the winter 2025 quarter. She can be reached at cheins@uci.edu.
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