Affording a UC

<p>I am a current junior living in Florida, but I would love to be able to go out of state. I have always felt at home in California, primarily because I have a lot of family out there. I have looked into the UC's, but obviously, they are really expensive. UC Santa Cruz (around 50k a year) has been particularly appealing to me because of its mix of D3 athletics and great academics (I am a swimmer and am in contact with the coach there). My dad makes a little over 100,000 a year, and I am hoping for some sort of scholarship and financial aid. So my question is, being realistic, is there any way we could afford for me to go here if I did get reduced tuition? (I know its sort of a ambiguous question, sorry)</p>

<p>Not likely…here’s the problem.</p>

<p>Your EFC is going to be about $25k. Then UCs require that OOS students pay the “oos portion” of tuition is ADDITION to COA…so $25k EFC + $20k OOS tuition portion.</p>

<p>So, your family would have to pay around $45k per year. The remaining cost (of about $5k) would be covered in a student loan.</p>

<p>So that’s half of my dads salary, probably too much. My parents said that if they could offer us enough to where it could reduce the cost to around in state tuition, it would be okay. Can schools even offer that much money in scholarships/financial aid? Annoying thing is, since it’s a D3 school, they technically cant offer an athletic scholarship…</p>

<p>If you’re talking about other “non-UC” schools, then it could be possible. OOS publics won’t give you much/any need based aid. As I showed you, a UC wont’ likely work for you because of their rules about aid for OOS students (EFC + OOS tuition portion)</p>

<p>However, some schools give good merit for high stats. What are your test scores and GPA?</p>

<p>And ask your parents what exactly they mean. Do they mean the cost of a Florida public MINUS Bright Futures? An instate Florida public would be about $20k (for tuition, room, board, books, fees)…so with Bright Futures, it might be about $15k. So, what do your parents mean? $15k? $20k per year? Ask them. Because even paying 1/5 of your dad’s income for college may be more than they can pay if they don’t have college savings.</p>

<p>COA for UC Santa Cruz is more like $55K, and it is likely to keep going up each year.</p>

<p>“My dad makes a little over 100,000 a year, and I am hoping for some sort of scholarship and financial aid. So my question is, being realistic, is there any way we could afford for me to go here if I did get reduced tuition?”</p>

<p>Well,100,000 a year is a lot of money. You won’t qualify for many (possibly any?) need based scholarships because 100,000 is by no means poor… You’ll have to pay the out-of -state tuition, and if you’re planing on dorming you’ll need to add another 10,000.</p>

<p>Yep, from what I’ve read I have to agree, getting any significant aide from the state of Cali is tough to impossible.</p>

<p>Please do your own research but I believe if you put in a couple years at a Cali CC then you will qualify for instate tution and it will also help you get accepted to a UC or CSU. </p>

<p>GL</p>

<p>if you’re planing on dorming you’ll need to add another 10,000.</p>

<p>You’d have to add more than that…R&B at the UCs is quite high…even if you get stuck in one of their many triples.</p>

<p>Florida has very low tuition, and Bright Futures makes the amount you spend even lower. University of Florida is highly competitive nationally with many other top public universities. Cost of living is very reasonable too.</p>

<p>Why not go to the top in-state university and pay the big bucks for your graduate school? (which is what really matters)</p>

<p>I’ll definitely look into what you guys are saying/recommending. People have also recommended moving out there for a year to establish residency, living with my grandparents or aunt and uncle, and then attending college. So, I have a few options, but I’ll just have to do more research. Thanks for all the replies!</p>

<p>Putting in “a couple of years at a CC” is NOT a guarantee that instate tuition and fees will be available to this OOS FAMILY. </p>

<p>Living with your aunt and uncle (or any other relative besides your PARENTS) will not put you in line for instate tuition at the UCs. Domicile is based on where your PARENTS reside.</p>

<p>I suggest that you get your bachelors in Florida, with an eye on California for grad school or a job later on.</p>

<p>You will not be able to establish residency for tuition purposes in the way anyone has suggested to you.</p>

<p>There is a loophole of sorts if you establish financial independence for two years and residency with the intent to make California your permanent home for the foreseeable future (and not that you moved for academic related reasons). But it means zero outside assistance. You have to actually prove financial independence. It’s just so unlikely considering how expensive Cali is to be able to accomplish such a thing on your own. In addition, the burden of proof that you moved to Cali to be a resident and not to gain in state tuition rates is on you and the decision will be at the whim of whoever is approving your request.</p>

<p>Even if your parents decided to uproot themselves and move (which would be the easiest way for you), it would have to happen before you turned 18. California is purposefully difficult to get in state tuition. I’d forget about that ever happening. California just seems far too expensive for you and, in my opinion, is not worth the OOS cost.</p>

<p>In addition, the state grant that assists residents would never be available to you as you would not have graduated high school as a California resident.</p>

<p>The Calgrant would also be unavailable because this family income is $100,000 which exceeds the income theshold.</p>

<p>Again please do your own research, but if you go to a Cali CC for a couple years and live with relative that MIGHT make you a resident. see below. (Please cite authority if you don’t agree).</p>

<p>From the CA student aide commission:
[California</a> Student Aid Commission - Who is considered a California resident?](<a href=“http://www.csac.ca.gov/doc.asp?id=929]California”>http://www.csac.ca.gov/doc.asp?id=929)</p>

<p>Who is considered a California resident?
Cal Grants and other state financial aid programs are for California residents only.</p>

<p>If you’re under age 18 and unmarried as of the application deadline of the state aid program you’re applying to, you’re considered to be a California resident if one of the following applies:</p>

<p>one of your parents is a legal California resident as of the program’s application deadline
you’ve lived for two years with a responsible non-parent adult and that adult has been a legal California resident for at least one year immediately before the program’s application deadline
one of your parents is in the U.S. Armed Forces, stationed in California and on active duty as of the first day of college classes
If your parents are living out of the country, you’re considered to be a California resident if you’re under age 18, unmarried and have been living under the direct care and control of a California resident for at least two years before the application deadline of the state aid program you’re applying to, or if your parents have maintained their California residency during their absence from the state.</p>

<p>All married students, regardless of their age, and all unmarried students age 18 or older, must establish their own residency. If you’ll turn 18 on or before the application deadline of the state aid program you’re applying to, you must have lived in California for at least one year immediately before this date to be considered a California resident.</p>

<p>If you aren’t a California resident, you should still submit the FAFSA to apply for student aid from the federal government, your college and your state.</p>

<p>People have also recommended moving out there for a year to establish residency, living with my grandparents or aunt and uncle, and then attending college</p>

<p>no…that won’t work in Calif. There’s a reason why Calif is tight in this area…too many would try this. Living with relatives won’t work. You’d have to marry, be much older, etc, to establish residency for instate rates.</p>

<p>Soso, the student would need to move to CA PRIOR to their 18th birthday AND live with responsible other adult or relative for two years prior to enrolling in college. </p>

<p>This would mean that the OP would need to move pretty soon. </p>

<p>I do not believe this residency establishing option is available if you try to do it after age 18.</p>

<p>There’s almost no reason to waste two years of your life trying to establish residency so that you can attend a UC. Even some student going to a far less prestigious school like FAU would be ahead of you by the time you graduate, with two more years of experience or a graduate degree.</p>

<p>(See below) “Note: This requirement makes it extremely difficult for most undergraduates who do not have a parent living in California to qualify for classification as a resident at a UC campus. This includes transfer students from community colleges and other post-secondary schools in California.”</p>

<p>Thumber: Difficult but not impossible. It appears the UC system has a set of independence loopholes for the under 24. (BTW-Aything you can do to actually help the OP, would be appreciated. I have a relative in a very similar situation as the OP). </p>

<p>From UC San Diego
[Criteria</a> to Establish Residence for Tuition Purposes](<a href=“Criteria to Establish Residence for Tuition Purposes”>Criteria to Establish Residence for Tuition Purposes)</p>

<p>Criteria to Establish Residence for Tuition Purposes
Learn about UC’s criteria for determining who is a California resident for tuition purposes.</p>

<p>This is one of a series of pages on residence for tuition purposes. To see a complete list of topics and read them in order, see Menu: Residence for Tuition Purposes.</p>

<p>Who is a California resident?
If you are an adult student (at least 18 years old), you can establish residence for tuition purposes in California if:</p>

<p>You are a U.S. citizen
You are a permanent resident or other immigrant, or
You are a nonimmigrant who is not precluded from establishing a domicile in the United States. Nonimmigrants who are not precluded from establishing domicile in the U.S. include those who hold valid visas of the following types: A, E, G, H1, H4, I, K, L, O1, O3, R, or V
To establish residence for tuition purposes, you must satisfy 3 conditions:
1.Physical presence
2.Intent to become a California resident
3.Financial independence

  1. Physical presence
    You must be physically present in California for more than one year (366 days) immediately prior to the residence determination date of the term for which resident classification is requested. You must have come here with the intent to make California your home as opposed to coming to this state to go to school.</p>

<p>Physical presence within the state solely for educational purposes doesn’t constitute the establishment of California residence, regardless of the length of your stay. Continuous physical presence isn’t mandatory, but a student who leaves California after establishing residence must demonstrate that he/she intended to remain a California resident, and that his/her principal place of residence has been in California. It’s the burden of the student to clearly demonstrate retention of California residence during periods of absence from the state.</p>

<p>The physical presence requirement will be extended until the student can demonstrate a concurrence of both physical presence and intent for one full year.</p>

<p>Back to top</p>

<p>2) Intent to become a California resident
Demonstrate through objective documentation that your physical presence was coupled with the intent to make California your permanent home. Intent is evaluated as an independent element of residence, separate from physical presence, and is demonstrated by establishing residential ties in California, and relinquishing ties to the former place of residence.</p>

<p>You must demonstrate your intention to make California your home by severing your residential ties with your former state of residence and establishing those ties with California. If these steps are delayed, the one-year duration period will be extended until you have demonstrated both presence and intent for one full year.</p>

<p>Indications of your intent to make California your permanent residence include:
California driver’s license or a California ID Card
Voter registration card or affidavit from Registrar of Voters
California-based bank accounts or CA branches based in other states
California car registration and car insurance card
Paying California income taxes as a resident, including taxes on income earned outside California
Housing contracts, monthly rental agreements, lease or proof of property ownership
Credit and memberships with California merchants, religious affiliations, clubs, gyms
Proof of your belongings moved into California such as moving van, bill of lading
Proof of utilities established in your name such as phone, gas, electric, and cable TV
Designating California as your permanent address on all school, employment, and/or military records
The absence of these indicia in other states during any period for which you claim residence can also serve as an indication of your intent. Your intent will be questioned if you return to your former state of residence when the university is not in session. Documentary evidence is required and all relevant indications will be considered in determining your classification.</p>

<p>Back to top</p>

<p>3) Financial independence
Students under age 24 who didn’t attend the university prior to fall 1993 and are not dependent on a California resident parent who meets the university’s requirements for residence for tuition purposes (one year physical presence with intent to remain in the state), also must meet the university’s financial independence requirement in addition to the 366-day physical presence and intent requirements.</p>

<p>Note: This requirement makes it extremely difficult for most undergraduates who do not have a parent living in California to qualify for classification as a resident at a UC campus. This includes transfer students from community colleges and other post-secondary schools in California.</p>

<p>Effective winter 2005, registered domestic partners are included in rules that apply to spouses.</p>

<p>You are considered financially independent if you meet all of the following criteria. You:
Are unmarried, and
Student was not claimed as an income tax dependent by any individual for the two tax years immediately preceding the term for which resident classification is requested, and
Student is self-sufficient. He has supported himself for two full years prior to the residence determination date of the term he proposes to attend the University through his own resources, such as employment, commercial/institutional loans in his name only, financial aid and saving from earnings, all of which require official documentation (note: the two years required for self-support might not coincide with the two tax years he must not have been claimed by any individual). Budget Worksheet (PDF)<br>
To verify financial independence (self-sufficiency/ self-support), the student must document his or her income and verify that he or she was not claimed as an exemption by parents or anyone else for the two years prior to the request for residence.
The student is also required to present a budget showing how he or she is able to be supported by the funds claimed.
Self-support is defined as money which can be officially documented that the student has earned through his or her own employment, commercial loans, financial aid, savings and/ or other loans obtained with the student’s own credit, without a cosigner. Parent PLUS loans cannot be considered self-support.
Loans or gifts from relatives, associates, or friends, regardless of the terms, are considered financial assistance and cannot be included as student income when determining self-support. Non-institutional loans or funds that are “gifted” to the student by a relative, associate, or friend, through a “college fund,” savings, trust, or other financial vehicle, will not be considered if the funds were established after the student’s 14th birthday.
If the student’s income is a trust account established prior to the student’s 14th birthday, the student must also verify that he or she has complete control of the trust, that the funds available at the time of origination were sufficient to allow the student to be entirely self-supporting, and that the trust has been in use to support the student. Copies of yearly beginning balances, withdrawals, deposits, and ending balances of the trust account(s) will be required. Non-verifiable income cannot be considered.
Residing in California with an aunt, uncle, grandparent, or friend who provides the student with room and board cannot be considered self-support, even if that person meets the UC residence requirement. “Bartering” for free room and board or other services or necessities will be considered financial assistance.
The financial independence requirement will not be a factor in residence determination if you are a student who is financially dependent upon a California resident parent who meets the university’s requirements for residence for tuition purposes (one year physical presence with intent to remain in the state).</p>

<p>Financial independence will be implied for residence determination if you meet one of the following criteria. You:
Have natural or adoptive parent(s), upon whom you are financially dependent, who meet the requirements for California residence for purposes of tuition and fees, or
Are at least 24 years of age by Dec. 31 of the calendar year of the term for which classification is requested, or
Are a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces, or
Are a ward of the court or both parents are deceased, or
Have a legal dependent other than a spouse or registered domestic partner, or
Are a married student, or a registered domestic partner, or a graduate student or professional student, AND you were not claimed as an income tax deduction by any individual for the one tax year immediately preceding the term for which resident classification is requested, or
Are a graduate or professional school student who was not claimed as an income tax deduction by either parent or any other individual for the tax year immediately preceding the term for which classification as a resident is requested, or
Are a graduate or professional student who is employed at UC 49% or more time (or awarded the equivalent in university-administered funds, e.g., grants, stipends, fellowships) in the term for which resident classification is requested, or
You reached the age of majority (18 years) in California while your parents were residents (for tuition purposes) of this state AND California resident parents leave the state to establish a residence elsewhere, AND you continue to reside in the state of California after the parents’ departure.</p>

<p>Thumper: I saw :). It was just a general comment that if the student did somehow establish financial independence, they’d have no available aid from the state to assist them.</p>

<p>sosomenza: The catch is proving intent. They list several things that are necessary to proving intent, but it is not limited to these things. One can have satisfied all listed elements and still be denied if there’s even one iota of doubt that the student moved for academic purposes only. It’s a huge financial and time risk for the student.</p>

<p>Also not all systems are the same. The CSU system, for example, requires three years of financial independence. Not two like the UCs. CCCs are different as well. You know, because Cali just likes to have a plethora of different sets of rules between institutions rather than a uniform system. It’s a weird state. I love it, it’s been my home for almost three decades, but it’s a weird state.</p>

<p>I just don’t feel it is something someone should suggest to anyone. Cali is not a cheap place to live and the OP would have to do so without assistance from anyone to have any sort of glimmer of hope of being approved as a resident for tuition purposes. It’s a highly unlikely scenario. Further, on a more personal note, the state is broke. In state tuition is supposed to be a benefit for legitimate residents. We can’t go subsidizing all OOS students as well.</p>

<p>I get you’re just trying to help the OP see other options. I’m not trying to rip on you or sound snarky or anything. I just don’t think it’s a good option to suggest to anyone. Residency changes are not handed out with even an ounce of ease and even if the OP did obtain one, the OP would be left carrying the bill by their lonesome and still supporting themselves for general living expenses.</p>

<p>sosomenza - </p>

<p>None of the very lengthy passages you quoted make California schools affordable for the OP. Yes, she might eventually be able to qualify for in-state tuition. But have you looked at the cost of in-state tuition??? Sorry, but it’s not cheap. And, as noted by Kender, above, the OP would never be eligible for Cal Grants because those are available only to students who have both attended and graduated from high school in California.</p>

<p>So, even if the OP were eventually able to qualify for in-state tuition, she would never qualify for state financial aid . . . which means that California state schools would remain unaffordable to her.</p>