<p>Aunt Bea and SBVett: You are both demonstrating knowledge of being “financially independent” or what it takes to be considered an independent student.</p>
<p>All that means is that you are no longer under your parents care and therefore not a dependent student.</p>
<p>At my CC we have those same requirements except one different one, if you are over 18 and have been self-supporting for one year or more you qualify as an independent student".</p>
<p>And that has absolutely 0 to do with CA state residency lol
All that has to do with is for financial aid purposes whether you need to provide your parents taxes along with yours to determine how much financial aid you can get.</p>
<p>Which by the way can easily be side-stepped through a loophole in CA law. One of the things that would make you eligible as independent in CA would be considered being a “ward of the court” and CA law states that when any judicial official (a judge) makes any decision for the care or disposition of a minor (in this case between the ages of 13 and 18) he or she will temporarily be considered a “ward of the court” because that judicial official has made a decision for their well-being or to complete disposition of a juvenile delinquency case.</p>
<p>So basically if you’re between 13 and 18 and get a traffic citation, name change, parents divorced, or anything that would give a judge good cause to make a decision for you then you were considered a ward if the court. And the wording on both the FAFSA and all CA schools paperwork always states, “If you have ever, since your 13th birthday been a ward of the court or both parents are deceased…”</p>
<p>So it’s actually easy to be considered a ward of the court and be an independent student lol</p>
<p>But CA residency is completely different and if your CC considers you a resident then 99.9% of times so will a 4 year. And to top it off you stated that you wanted to become a CA resident so there you go you just follow what you need to do, getting a place here, (you don’t need a CA bank, most banks like chase and Wells Fargo are nationwide), utilities, and probably a job.</p>
<p>Then you’re good, hope I helped in settling this squabble about residency.</p>
<p>I’m not at a UC yet so I can’t speak to their living costs or financial aid there as I said before 1 year hear and you’ll be a resident as SBVett said “366 days”</p>
<p>But I can speak to my own experience at my CC and I currently get between $10,000 and $11,000 in free grants and work-study that I don’t have to pay back every year. So I feel it’s very easy and they want you to go to CC’s. whether you go in Flordia or CA you’ll get the Federall Pell grant which is $5600 a year and depending on your circumstance possibly more.</p>
<p>There are always postings on my campus for people that live within a mile or two seeking a roommate and they ask for $450-$600 a month, most jobs near my CC pay about $9 an hour to start and that’s like subway and target and places like that.</p>
<p>Life’s what you make it don’t be afraid to shoot for the stars.</p>
<p>Matt: you’re right, you don’t know because you don’t attend a UC here in CALIFORNIA. I have one child that does and I’m a tax-paying California native. </p>
<p>What you are propositioning here is deceptive to Twiggy, and it starts her out with lies. </p>
<p>I go to a CC and am a California Native (though the Chumash are the natives to CA not you or me) and I pay taxes in California as well.</p>
<p>I don’t see what you are upset about, the grants at CC’s come from the federal government with very few scholarships. And Twiggy has expressed interest in actually moving to CA not for educational purposes but to actually become a Californian.</p>
<p>I’m assuming your child is not from put of state and therefore you are not familiar with the processes AT ALL.</p>
<p>You claim independence is necessary for in state tuition COMPLETELY FALSE, I have 3 friends who go to UC’s who are dependents and receive in state tuition, as I said earlier it has nothing to do with residency.</p>
<p>And I am stating the facts, I’m not being deceptive at all I am simply providing mine and my friends experiences in conjunction with educational rules and guidelines. Being considered a “ward of the court” is a factor that automatically makes an individual considered independent not only at California CC’s but at UC’s as well. It’s not my fault that the California state legislature makes laws and definitions the way they do but if you feel there is a problem then I would take it up with them. </p>
<p>Please elaborate on anything I am incorrect or misleading in any way, yeah it’ll take a year to become a resident, and yeah housing is expensive but that’s what roommates are for to subsidize costs, jobs for college students are abundant there are employers at my campus every week seeking college students for work, the climate here is one of the BEST in the world, and we are a fun state to live in.</p>
<p>Aunt Bea: There are no shortcuts or cutting corners, you must play with the hand you are dealt and abide by the rules given, some rules tend to work more in favor with people’s hand’s than others.</p>
<p>You know what the original intent of “ward of the court” was and is meant to be. Loophole or not, it’s a deceptive way to get in. Since you’re very comfortable with espousing legal opinions, it just shows to everyone what level you’re willing to abide by and stoop to, to get ahead in this world.
CC’s in California do have jobs: for low SES types of jobs and vocational needs.</p>
<p>KARMA</p>
<p>You just don’t think like an old-school Native Californian. It’s called “entitlement” and Karma will get you every time you legally advise someone to go this route. It’s also called “Malpractice”.</p>
<p>It isn’t malpractice, it’s not doing anything wrong.
I intend to practice law one day and there is nothing unethical or bad about letting a person know about laws that have been passed many years ago by the California state legislature.</p>
<p>Take this for example: You get a red light camera ticket you go to court and want to excercise your constitutional right to confront your accuser, now because your accuser is in fact not human and cannot testify against you and your constitutional rights cannot be infringed upon you are supposed to have the charges dismissed.</p>
<p>Now just because you exercised a right that you have in your favor does that make you unethical or a bad person? No, of course not. The law is designed to help everyday people.</p>
<p>I know what the legislature stated that it was and is, if they meant it to be something else then they would have provisioned it as such.</p>
<p>Again it isn’t my fault that the rules and benefits happen to way into student’s favors in this situation.</p>
<p>News flash: this isn’t the old school this is the new generation and the laws and rules governing CCC’s are what they are, if you have an issue with them then please feel free to right your local representative.</p>
<p>Sorry if I’m harsh but the law is the law and you are trying to tell someone not to use it in their favor when it could substantially assist them, I think that would actually be considered malpractice.</p>
<p>Twiggy: there are many things that will come into play in determining residency <em>for tuition purposes</em>. You are welcome to pay CA taxes anytime you want, or get a state ID, they won’t stop you. But it doesn’t end there when it comes to residency <em>for tuition purposes</em>. It also depends on your age, if your parents have been declaring you as a dependent on their taxes and they are FL residents, your marital status, etc.
I will tell you my situation just as an example. I am a US permanent resident, the only state I’ve ever lived in the US is CA. I have been married since I was 19, and moved here because of my marriage. Since I got married, I’ve been considered financially independent, even though I was only 19. I have a job unrelated to school and have always paid CA taxes. I have only filed CA taxes since moving here. Got a driver’s license as soon as I moved here too. And I will tell you, though, that because I started attending a cc right when I got here, I went through some considerable trouble proving to UCI that I was a CA resident and eligible for in state tuition, that I hadn’t just moved here to go to school. They approved it, in the end. I will tell you, though, that SDSU denied my residency status for tuition purposes because they judged I didn’t have enough ties to the state to demonstrate intent to stay. Like seriously, I’ve never even lived in another US state, lol.
I know my situation is different than yours, but keep in mind schools have their own criteria for determining how they charge tuition, and you will have to meet a lot of their requirements and show proof.
As far as “loopholes”, there are many sneaky ways you could get your way if you wanted. Marry someone from CA, join the military and try to get stationed here, become a ward of the court. Those ways are, <em>in my opinion</em>, dishonest if you only want to get in state tuition at any cost. These “faster” ways exist to protect and benefit specific people - wards of the court, spouses, military members and their families, and so on, not to be misused or abused.
Depending on your financial situation, dependent of your parents or not, you may be eligible for pell grants and other types of federal aid. I think UCI offers need based grants to non-resident students, too (although I am not 100% sure, and don’t know about the other UCs). It would be different to get cal grants, though, or to qualify for the Blue and Gold opportunity.
Anyway, the best thing you can do, if you’re really worried about finances, is to call the UCs or CSUs you consider attending and ask what is each of their criteria. In all honesty, no one here will be able to give you a definitive answer, even though we are all well intentioned, trying to help you. Give the schools a call (including ccs), weigh your options, and good luck, I hope you end up where it makes you happy :)</p>
<p>Thank you I definitely learned alot from this thread and other sources and as sbvett said i shall just weigh my options at this point … I will apply to Florida And California schools, and a CCC (assuming I figure out which one to apply to, I have a whole state to pick from Lmao) @sbvett that’s a pretty amazing story ! … As of now the UC I’m looking at are UCD UCSD UCI but if I go the community college I would want to look at UCB UCLA UCSD … I messed up alot in high school (never really cared untill junior yr) so I know ill do tons tons tons better in college … And the fact that’s its a community college and I really hate to sterotype but their not known for being exactly completely challenging (atleast in Florida not at all) so I know I can do much better. But thank you all for your advice I truly appreciate it</p>
<p>Ps. Lets not fight on here, there’s no point, no ones opinion is going to change :)</p>
<p>Just for clarification being a “ward of the court” does not in any way establish residency and I never said that it did in case that there was any confusion.</p>
<p>Being a ward of the court only makes it so that your parents tax documents are not requested during the financial aid process if you are under 24.</p>
<p>It is not doing anything different it is solely based on something that happened to you between the ages of 13 and 18.</p>
I definitely learned alot from this thread and other sources and as sbvett said i shall just weigh my options at this point … I will apply to Florida And California schools, and a CCC (assuming I figure out which one to apply to, I have a whole state to pick from Lmao)
! … As of now the UC I’m looking at are UCD UCSD UCI but if I go the community college I would want to look at UCB UCLA UCSD … I messed up alot in high school (never really cared untill junior yr) so I know ill do tons tons tons better in college … And the fact that’s its a community college and I really hate to sterotype but their not known for being exactly completely challenging (atleast in Florida not at all) so I know I can do much better. But thank you all for your advice I truly appreciate it</p>