Does anyone have experience or success in this process?
Also searched the website for the forms and they aren’t even available yet
Are you instate? It makes a difference with the state grants.
There isn’t any appeal, why do you think? Do you have special circumstances like medical?
A break down of my estimated expenses for each school. So far UCR seems the cheapest and UCSB is the most expensive even though it’s the one i want to attend most . I live close enough to UCI to commute so that could be my best option even though i really don’t want to do that but… i may have to deal with it in order to afford college. Not sure which is my best option
UCI ESTIMATED NET COST: (They still haven’t posted my aid status.)
Estimated Total Cost of Attendance
Tuition and Fees $14,749.47
Room and Board+$12,947.00
Books and Supplies+$1,749.00
Other Expenses+$2,657.00
Total Cost of Attendance $32,102.47
Estimated Financial Aid
Grants$17,930.47 - $18,930.47
Self Help$8,800.00 - $9,800.00
Family Help$3,872.00 - $4,872.00
Estimated Net Price$13,172.00 - $14,172.00
Expected Family Contribution
Student Contribution $0.00
Parent Contribution+$4,372.00
Expected Family Contribution $4,372.00
UCSB UNOFFICIAL AID LETTER:
Awards
Unofficial Grants and Scholarships $23187
Cal Grant A $12294
Federal Pell Grant $2065
UCSB Grant $5828
UC Freshman Scholarship $3000
Unofficial Work-Study Eligibility $2502
Unofficial Loan Eligibility $11232
Direct Loan Subsidized $3500
Direct Loan Unsubsidized $2000
Parent PLUS Loan $3731
Federal Perkins Loan $2001
Unofficial Total Aid$36921
My Net Cost at UCSB
The Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships calculates UCSB costs based on average nine month academic year expenses. These costs are established to determine financial aid eligibility and are intended as a guide to help plan for meeting the cost of attendance at UCSB.
This guide presents your aid eligibility in a different format. It subtracts your grants and scholarships from the average estimated academic year expenses. The difference, or “net cost,” reflects the amount you and your parents will be expected to contribute towards your educational expenses through a variety of means as explained below. It shows what your net cost will be after the total cost is reduced by the amount of your gift aid.
Total UCSB Cost Estimate$36921
Tuition and Fees$14022
Housing and Meals$15186
Books and Supplies$1428
Transportation$768
Other Education Costs$5517
Includes Health Care, Personal Expenses, Phone Expenses, and Loan Fees
Minus Unofficial Grants and Scholarships- $23187
Equals Unofficial Net Cost= $13734
UCR FINANCIAL AID AWARD:
FEDERAL PELL GRANT Accepted $2,065 $689 $688 $688
CAL GRANT A $12,294 $4,098 $4,098 $4,098
UCR GRANT $9,020 $3,007 $3,007 $3,006
HIGHLANDER EXCELLENCE SCHOL Accepted $2,000 $667 $667 $666
Total Gift Aid $25,379 $8,461 $8,460 $8,458
Work Study
FEDERAL WORK STUDY
$1,500 $500 $500 $500
Total Work Study $1,500 $500 $500 $500
Loans
FEDERAL DIRECT STAFFORD LOAN
$3,500 $1,167 $1,167 $1,166
FED DIRECT UNSUB STAFFORD LOAN
$2,000 $667 $667 $666
FEDERAL DIRECT PARENT PLUS LOAN
$608 $203 $203 $202
Total Loans $6,108 $2,037 $2,037 $2,034
Total Financial Aid $32,987 $10,998 $10,997 $10,992
My Net Cost to Attend UCR
Cost of Attendance $36,721
Gift Aid - $25,379
My Net Cost $11,342
I doubt you’ll get more aid. Are you trying to avoid loans? or are you trying to avoid the parent contribution?
how much will your parents pay?
how much can you earn in summer?
The UC’s have not been very generous with my very low-income students this year (All EFC’s of 0). They want them to take between $8k-$11K out in loans yearly at the various UC’s. In past years that number was much lower so I don’t think any appeal will be successful. Sadly our UC’s just don’t have any extra money and are really budget challenged. My students received much better aid packages at their OOS private schools and that is where they weill be heading. The UC’s don’t really grant appeals unless the circumstances have changed to an extreme degree.
I have seen as low as 5k but how I am seeing 8k in all the packages I have seen. You have good/typical offers. And if you don’t spend the 5,517 then you won’t have that cost? Will you have to buy health care or do you already have comprehensive coverage?
I would choose UCSB. If you dorm for 2 years you are guaranteed upper division university owned apartments at a substantial reduction in cost. 4 or 5 thousand.
For awhile, we’ve seen full Direct Loans plus Perkins in low income students’ pkgs …unless they’re high stats (test scores) and their pkgs are from the low-mid tier UCs (some/all of their loans have been replaced with merit.).
With COA’s at around $35k, it’s nearly impossible for a UC to give $27k in grants to a 0 EFC student so that the rest of need is met with just a Stafford loan and W/S.
A lot of the COA at UCs these days is the combo of room, board, books and misc. The UCs are smart to put $8k-11k in loans. It creates an incentive for the students to economize in the areas of room, board, books and misc, by working/saving in the summer, renting/buying used textbooks, and so forth. Handing over a bunch more in free money isn’t always the best thing to do.