<p>As I recall, my son (2060 SAT, didn’t take the ACT) received about $6K in merit aid from SCU and $19.5K from University of San Francisco. He went to USF and is now a senior majoring in computer science. It’s been a good experience for him - you might want to look into USF. I don’t think their application is free, but in the long run I think it’s worth paying for.</p>
<p>@sarsfield </p>
<p>oh thats interesting…but are you in a similar income bracket to mine ? (70K ish) usf mite be an option</p>
<p>Also, so for the blue and gold program for UCs i understand that tuition is covered if your family makes less than 70K, so does that mean if a family makes like 74K that I won’t get nowhere close to the aid i would’ve gotten with the blue and gold program??</p>
<p>mladenp - income really didn’t matter as both grants were merit based - Dean’s Scholar at SCU - [Santa</a> Clara University - Financial AidSCU Awards](<a href=“http://www.scu.edu/financialaid/SCU-Awards.cfm]Santa”>Financial Aid - Santa Clara University) - and University Scholar at USF - [University</a> of San Francisco (USF) - Financial Aid](<a href=“http://www.usfca.edu/admission/undergraduate/financial_aid/]University”>http://www.usfca.edu/admission/undergraduate/financial_aid/). For the record our income is about the same as yours.</p>
<p>so if you received about 19.5K from USF, how do the rest of the costs get covered? is it only by loans/working?</p>
<p>the rest came from loans, federal work study job (and summer job) and good ol’ mom and dad. Last year USF came up with another $5k/year - not exactly sure why, but we were grateful.</p>
<p>@sarsfield </p>
<p>So what was your EFC for that year?? i just found out mine to be about 12K, but idk if i have the numbers all exactly correct…</p>
<p>Go to the school that best meets all your criteria while ignoring prestige altogether. Teaching quality trumps prestige any day.</p>
<p>um thanks but thats not really what my issue is at all…my question is first and foremost…whether or not it makes more financial sense going to a UC (instate) or a private school…like i said parents make about 75K so which option, private or public in state, would give me the most aid and Overall give me the option that is the least inexpensive per year to pay…?</p>
<p>*so does that mean if a family makes like 74K that I won’t get nowhere close to the aid i would’ve gotten with the blue and gold program?? *</p>
<p>true…</p>
<p>That’s why it’s important for your family to earn less than $70k. It’s not a sliding scale. It’s cut and dry…under $70k.</p>
<p>yea i knowww, its so frustrating. I talked to my mom and she said we’re already at 66K this year…and theres no way we can end up making less than 4K for the rest of the year and be able to pay all the bills…so it will be above 70K…so my dilemma is will it be cheaper to attend a UC or a private school, in terms of total costs per year…?</p>
<p>bumpppppppppp</p>
<p>I guess my real question here is how to choose about 3 private schools to apply to that are generous with financial aid based upon my stats…29act taking again in dec. and 3.72 UW gpa…Im looking for a school in the western US, preferably in CA…just give me some suggestions please … thanks</p>
<p>*<em>bumppppppppppp</em></p>
<p>Private schools> if you can afford it.</p>
<p>You’re going to have to apply to a couple of Cal States that you can commute to as your financial safeties because otherwise you may not end up with any affordable schools.</p>
<p>Most private schools don’t meet need, either.</p>
<p>Have you figured out if you qualify for Cal Grants? If so, you’ll need to stay in Calif to get those.</p>
<p>by commute i assume you mean live off campus or with my parents? if so, theres no cal states close to me, ucla is the closest college to me right now…idk if ill qualify for any cal grants , so should i not even consider privates at all if my concern is how im going to pay for college?</p>
<p>You can apply to some privates and see what they give you financially, but since you have no idea of how much of the costs will get covered, you’[ll need to apply to some cal states that you can commute to.</p>
<p>live off campus or with my parents? if so, theres no cal states close to me, ucla is the closest college to me right now…</p>
<p>If you live near UCLA, then there must be a Cal State that you could commute to. </p>
<p>How far are Cal State LA, Cal State Dominguez Hills, and Cal State Northridge from you?</p>
<p>So, please understand…go ahead and apply to some privates, but since you don’t know if they will be affordable, apply to some Cal States as well…especially some that you could commute to if you had to.</p>
<p>Last year there were a few Calif families that posted here on CC and their children had not applied to their local Cal State as a safety school. When they got their acceptances from various private schools, none were affordable. I remember one family in particular. Their D wouldn’t apply to any Cal States or UCs. Their D had gotten a good scholarship from Whittier College, but they were still gapped an unaffordable amount. They deeply regretted not applying to a Cal State that she could have commuted to.</p>
<p>yes that all seems to make sense…i guess i will apply to csulb and csun then as safeties as those are the closest to me currently…csula and dominguez hills are way below my standards and i dont want to commute to compton lol </p>
<p>thanks for all the advice though, i appreciate it :]</p>
<p>Take mom2’s advice - the only way you’ll find out much financial aid you’ll get is to apply and get accepted. You can try some privates like Loyola Marymount and USF. You never know what they’ll offer - you might be surprised. It’ll all work out, don’t worry.</p>