And I’m just saying that as a federal loan, it’s given to those who need it most. I found on the UC Berekley website that Perkins loans are often given to non resident students.
WUE (Western Undergrad Exchange) look it up. Heres what I can tell you. My son is resident of california and he will be attending school out of state as it is cheaper that instate UC or state school. The two school you mentioned are fine schools but have drawbacks. CSULB cost of living in that area is ridiculous, super ridiculous for a college student. Fullerton, commuter school in an okay area. I say find a school where you will really enjoy the college experience. These schools are not your typical college lifestyle/active group/fraternity type schools. Choose wisely as this is a big decision and a costly one. Something to think about.
@pissedoffdad Thank you for the advice. I am sad to say that I have checked that many times and they do not offer it at either of these though they offer it at many of the other CSU’s. I think it would be cheaper to just live on-campus at either school which is what I plan on doing.
You may find going to a community college near Anaheim for 2 years as an OOS student, then transferring to CSU would save money and achieve your goals.
The out-of-state surcharge at CSU, which is about $10,000 (assuming 15 units a term for 2 terms) this year with anticipated increases in upcoming years, will not be used in financial aid calculations. Your financial aid will be based on how you can pay for in-state, and will consist of Perkins and Stafford loans, Pell Grant, SEOG, and other scholarship and grant sources AFTER EFC + Federal Work-Study allocation.
If you can earn $10K/year, you will not meet your work-study + OOS Surcharge. In addition, some large percentage (80% or 90%) of your non-work-study-allocated earnings will be attributed to your EFC for the next year, so your aid will be reduced. The logic is that all costs are captured in Financial Aid calculations, and that excess earnings will be used the next year as part of expected family contributions. I do not think they take into consideration that the money was spent on OOS fees.
It sounds like you have a good idea of some of these Federal programs, but perhaps you should call a financial aid person at one of your target CSUs and have them walk you through an end-to-end budget scenario for at least the first two years (if not all four). You really need to do this DETAILED exercise with an expert as soon as possible so that you fully understand your school budget.
Note that the exact same federal programs and money sources are available at private schools, however when they calculate your cost of attendance they do not exclude an out-of-state premium from their “need” or “aid” calculations, and will give grants/scholarship to make up the difference between COA and max allowable federal loans + work-study & EFC. It is that ~$10,000 ($372/unit X 15units/semester X 2 semesters) per year OOS surcharge “magic money” that makes the CSUs more expensive than the privates.
I thought financial aid was based on COA which would include out of state fees…right?
To be clear, Perkins, Stafford, Pell, SEOG, and Federal Work-Study are available at ALL accredited schools in the USA. There is nothing special about CSUs in that regard. The maximum amount of money available to you from each of these categories will be about the same at every school, public or private (work-study may vary, but will be $2,500 - $3,500). With an EFC of zero, the amount you will pay at every school, public or private, that meets full need is virtually identical, except at UC and CSU you will pay an OOS surcharge.
COA IN FINANCIAL AID CALCULATIONS DOES NOT INCLUDE THE OOS SURCHARGE FOR UC OR CSU!!! For private schools, yes you are right:
Well, yes of course. If a school can give Up To $5000 to a student, they may choose to allocate a loan of $5000 to an in-state student, and only $3300 to an OOS student, in order to stretch the allocation to cover all students. These schools do not guarantee to meet full COA (even for in-state students). They are chartered by state legislature primarily to provide subsidized education to California citizens.
Is that not apart of the COA for out of state students though? I don’t understand why it wouldn’t be.
Yes @simba.
Here is cost of attendance (COA):
http://www.fullerton.edu/financialaid/appinfo/cost.htm
The surcharge is a fee, over and above the COA, called the non-resident tuition fee, and is a per-unit fee in addition to the tuition. It is a fee on the tuition of $372 per unit. This fee is not considered in the COA for financial aid calculations of student need.
NO.
Why: CSUs are chartered and funded (partially) by the state legislature for the benefit of California citizens. If out-of-state citizens attend, they must pay the amount subsidized by the taxpayers as a “tax” or tuition fee, over and above the COA. Non-residents are welcome to attend if it is revenue-neutral (or profit-making) for the taxpayers. By giving aid to cover this OOS tax, the state would be giving an unfair financial advantage to non-residents, which would be subsidized by California citizens, as well as denying citizens spaces in the state universities.
For private universities, everything is in the COA, so you would end up getting a better financial aid award, since, as you state, costs (for schools that meet full need) after financial aid are based on ability to pay, not on the published COA.
Now that “the penny has dropped”, you may want to re-read this thread from the beginning.
You said at a UC you will pay an oos fee.
At the UC Davis, this is included in the COA.
http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/paying-for-uc/tuition-and-cost/
http://financialaid.ucdavis.edu/undergraduate/cost.html
It’s nonresident tuition. And, it actually doesn’t say that this is not included in the COA considering it is a part of the COA.
@simba514, It does not matter to me what you do. And stating that something is so, does not make it so. Not for you, not for me. You would be well-advised to get off the computer and on to the phone. Talk to a financial aid officer from CSU and run a multi-year scenario. It does no good to parse web references, only to find they are not properly worded.
I can tell you that providing UC and CSU funding for California Residents is front page news, and has been, very frequently, over several years. It is not likely there are backwaters of arbitrage which help out an OOS candidate with financial need.
And for completeness, going to a community college would be less costly as I stated above, but they, too, would levy an OOS surcharge.
I’ve already attended a community college for 2 years. I have about 55 credits. Plus, since it’s so expensive to live there and apparently also apply this fee, it would almost be counterproductive for me to go to a community college and transfer because I’m not going to be able to afford to live down there by myself without any loans nor would I want to as an 18 year old female that doesn’t know anyone there.
From
https://students.ucsd.edu/finances/financial-aid/budgeting/undergrad-2013-14.html
You will already have maxed out on loans to pay the in-state-equivalent COA. This is what I mean. Federal loans can only be used if they have not already been used to satisfy the in-state COA portion. You may disagree. That’s OK. You really need to talk to an expert financial aid officer at one of the schools.
@simba514, if you chose to go to a Community College, I think you would find that the exact same Federal programs (loans, grants, etc.) are available at a community college as are available at a 4-year college. In fact, California just passed a law allowing Community Colleges to grant 4-year degrees (so far only certain fields are actually doing so). There would be no real difference in your “18-yr-old-girl-alone” situation.
I got accepted in CSUF and I’m still waiting on CSULB. Op you are aware that these are typical commuter schools right? People generally stick with their HS friends or social group. Lots of students are over the age of 30. The running joke around here is that they are overgrown community colleges. In fact my friend transferred to CSUF-Accounting and is still taking CC classes because they allow cross-enrollment and it’s cheaper at CC.
Do you have specific goal in attending either? Like Fullerton has a strong Business school. If so it might be worth attending at OOS rates else just get a degree in your own state and move here afterwards.
@simba514, Do both of these schools cost upwards of $50k/year? I ran the NPC at CSUF and for a family of 6, with 4 in college, and an income of $40k/year the net price (the student’s cost after all grants and loans) is just under $30k/year. Do your stats (4.0 GPA/1750 SAT, 1170 CR+M) qualify you for any merit aid? The NPC isn’t indicating that you’re eligible for a sizeable award based on either income or merit. If you don’t have considerable aid coming from the school and your parents can’t pay, how are you going to make up $30k/year for 4 years?
Exactly.
This is what I’ve said from the beginning. OP is adamant that none of the OOS rules about financial aid will apply to her. No money at home means even less money out of state. If she didn’t apply to her in-state safety schools, she will end up at her in-state community colleges.
If it were me, I would sit down with my HS guidance counselors and look at options (after talking to financial aid officers at CSU). If you have 55 community college credits, you are very remarkable- that is about 5 units (2 classes) shy of “Junior” status- meaning you should be able to graduate in 2 years (if all of the classes transfer and apply towards your degree objective).
Then I would consider 2 things: I would consider working for a year out of high school- preferably an AR or AP clerk. During that time research full pay schools, retake the SAT and take the ACT- but first spend time with an on-line study course to improve your scores- I would spring the $300 for the on-line study course from your first paycheck. At work, I would make good friends with the COO, Controller, CEO, etc. Aim for a company with fewer than 100 employees so that you can really get into all of the systems and understand the mechanics of the company in all of its operations. I would put any savings (if there are any) into a 529 (or an IRA)- whichever is better, or pay my parents rent. That may give them some money so that they can contribute to your education the next few years! Remember, your savings increase your EFC faster than do your parents’.
Research available programs at universities and find the best program with the best aid that meets all your criterea. Maybe you have reasons to be in Anaheim- look for a job there. You will want to work for 2 years in that case- 1 year to establish residency prior to applying for school, the second to wait for acceptances. Otherwise look to rent a room from a relative or stay at home. In September/October apply to your target schools (with merit). Assuming you are able to raise your scores with study, you will find some great options at private schools. You should be able to graduate in 3 years (or less) with all your community college credits.
Either
(1) go this year, researching schools that are still admitting; or
(2) work for a year, gaining valuable experience and insights, then go to school a year later; or
(3) work for two years in California before entering school (check and be absolutely sure this will give residency first!).
I would really recommend considering option (2), with a private university and a well-respected program (USC?, others- like Tulane with an improved SAT or ACT? or another).
With a 4.0 and EFC=$0, you should be able to graduate with between $0 and $30,000 in debt from an excellent (not just good) program, but it does require careful planning. It also begs for a higher SAT/ACT (some do MUCH better on one test over the other- get a fee waiver).
I would aim for working starting June, and going to school for 2-3 years. You will graduate at the same time or before your graduating classmates, will have better insight when taking your courses from your year at work, and will not owe much while still not having to sacrifice coursework to too many hours of term-time employment. At school, if you work on-campus, they are more flexible with your hours since they know you are a student first. And coming in with experience, you will get a higher pay rate and be able to (maybe) supervise other student workers in the business office. TOTAL WIN!
The stipulation is for one year prior to your residency determination. Your residency is determined when you are admitted, and they are usually pretty nasty about changing it. If you dropped out and worked for at least a full year, you might have your residency re-considered, but most states are quite clear that you have to be doing something other than attending college to be considered a resident.