<p>I will be a freshman at Califronia State University, Chico in 2008-09. I just graduated from high school with a 3.08 GPA and an IB Diploma. My EFC is $0.00 the tuition is a little of $6,000 and the dorm (including meal plan) is $12,200 I also will need to consider books and supplies and pocket money fro day to day expenses. But wait, there's more...</p>
<p>Due to being a Spring admit, I will be attending Butte Community College for the Fall 2008 semester and Chico for the Spring 2009 semester. The CC gave me a BOG Fee Waiver which means my tuition is waived for the 1st semester. This is Chico area's community college, not my area which is some 4 hour drive away.</p>
<p>The dorm I'll be living in is called Craig Hall and serves students of both schools, but is not owned or operated by either, it is privately owned and operated. Will this fact make hurt me as far as aid is concerned? The living expenses are my biggest concern.</p>
<p>What are my options? Will aid be avaliable? I don't care if it's loans I'm willing to borrow.</p>
<p>Have you filed FAFSA? If not do so ASAP (assuming you are a US citizen or permanent resident). If your EFC is 0 you should be eligible for a full Pell grant which is $4731 for the 2008-2009 year (it would be divided between the semesters). Additionally you should be eligible for loans. </p>
<p>Living off campus you should still be eligible for financial aid. It would be based on the schools COA which includes an amount for room and board (which may be higher/lower/or the same depending whether you are on or off campus).</p>
<p>to swimcatsmom:</p>
<p>Yes I filed the FAFSA back in Febrauary and I met the deadline for my state's Cal Grant award but the schools (both of them) required that I submit additional paperwork so I have yet to hear about the aid they will offer me. I only know that I have a Cal Grant of $1,551 and I was told from Chico's office that I will be offered a "generous" package but no specific dollar amounts were disclosed. And I am a US citizen and have lived in California since birth and graduated from a California high school. The start date for fall semester is August 25th at both schools.</p>
<p>The first thing that you have to consider is that you can not get financial aid from both school at the same time.
Because you are attending a CC first, they should be able to give you half of the original amount they allocated to you if you were going to attend full-time. However, do not expect this to be a big amount. I have zero EFC and I had to go through CC with only $5,000 per year in aid and a fee waiver.
The fee waiver definitely helps because even if you take as much as 21 units, you don't pay anything. Some CC even reduce your parking permit fee, health fee, etc.</p>
<p>Now, as for CSU Chico. If they are like other CSUs that I have dealt with. They would be reserving you at least half of the amount that you would have been awarded if you attended them in Fall. For example, if you would have been originally awarded $15,000 to cover Fall and Spring. They'd split the amount in half and just give you the Spring part. One of the CSU transfer counselor that I have talked to told me that as long as you meet the deadlines, you should be okay and awarded aid.</p>
<p>As for the Cal Grant, you'd have to tell them where to send your money. You should be able to get it this Fall to cover your other school related expenses.</p>