I am currently finish my associates degree in Pennsylvania and Im looking to continue my degree in California. Which schools would be best for me to look into? Ideally state school…
Is there any reason why you don’t want to transfer to an in-state option, then move out to California once you’re done with school? OOS tuition is ridiculously high out here (particularly for UCs) with little to no financial aid, so I really wouldn’t recommend any of the UCs or CSUs for OOS.
Private universities may be a possibility, but if you’re interested in those I’ll let other posters with more experience with them comment.
Some of your community college classes may not be accepted by the California publics. You may have additional course requirements.
The California schools do not have to accept your coursework and, admission for an OOS transfer is very low priority.
You would pay full fees of $55k per year for the UCs and $36k for th CSUs. There is little to no financial aid for OOS students.
I was also considering moving out to California, registering as a California resident, finishing my associates at a community college in California and go through the TAG system at one of the 6 UC schools who cooperate with TAG. Is that something that could work?
How to Establish Residency for Tuition Purposes
If you are an adult student (at least 18 years of age), you may establish residency for tuition purposes in California if you are a:
U.S. citizen
Permanent Resident, or
a student holding one of the following eligible visas: A, E, G, H1, H4, I, K, L, N, NATO, O1, O3 (dependent of O1), R, T, TPS, U, or V.
(Students who are not US Citizens or Permanent Residents should go to the What if I am not a US Citizen or Permanent Resident page for more information.)
Adult students cannot derive residence from a spouse or parents. For rules applying to minors, click here.
In order to be classified as a resident for tuition purposes, you must fulfill ALL 3 requirements listed below:
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 classification as a resident is requested.
Intent: You must establish your intent to make California your home one year prior to the residence determination date of the term for which classification as a resident is requested.
If you are physically present in California solely for educational purposes, you will not be eligible for resident classification regardless of the length of your stay in California. The physical presence requirement (above) will be extended until you can demonstrate a concurrence of both physical presence and intent for one full year.
Financial Independence: If you will not reach age 24 by December 31 of the year in which classification as a resident is requested, and are not dependent upon a California resident parent (biological or legally adoptive only) for tuition purposes, you will be required to satisfy the University’s self-sufficiency requirement.
It should be noted that this requirement makes it extremely difficult for most undergraduates who do not have a parent domiciled in California to qualify for classification as a resident at a University of California campus.
If I am an out-of-state/nonresident student, what should I do once I arrive in California?
The following are guidelines as to what you must do in order to establish California residency for tuition purposes.
Document your presence in the state as soon as you arrive. Save your airline ticket or bank/credit card statements showing that you were physically present in California one year prior to the beginning of the term for which you are seeking resident classification.
Obtain a California Driver’s License within 10 days of arriving in California. If you have never had a driver’s license in any state, then you must obtain a California Identification Card.
Surrender all out-of-state driver’s license and identification cards.
Register your vehicle(s) in California within 20 days of arriving in the state.
Register to vote in California, and vote in California elections.
Pay California income taxes as a resident on all taxable income earned after your arrival in California and file California resident or part-year resident tax returns.
File nonresident or part-year resident out-of-state tax returns if you have out-of-state taxable income prior to arriving in California.
Designate and use a California address as your permanent address on all records (e.g., school, employment, tax forms, military, etc.).
Open a California bank account and close out-of-state accounts. If your financial account is with an interstate or internet bank, change your permanent address to California.
Establish a California residence in which you keep your permanent belongings.
Obtain a professional license to practice in California, if applicable.
Note: The student is cautioned that this summation is not a complete explanation of the laws regarding residence. Please note that changes may be made in the residence requirements between the publication date of this statement and the relevant determination date.
In a word: No. @Gumbymom has listed the easy part above.^^^
California has extremely strict residency requirements because hundreds of thousands of students want to do what you seem to be planning. It is almost impossible to get instate residency in California, especially, if you are under the age of 24.
If you come out to California, and attend a community college, immediately upon arrival, you will be considered OOS for all future California schooling because this means you intended to come for educational purposes. The California residency committees are savvy and know all of the “tricks”. **Big red flags **are your previous addresses and your high school and CC transcripts. They will suspect an OOS student trying to game instate residency.
You have to demonstrate self-sufficiency by working for at least 1year and one day prior to even applying to a community college. Your parents cannot claim you on their tax forms and you cannot be on your parents HEALTH insurance. You have to work and pay full-time taxes, that is, IF you can find a job. Competition for jobs is harsh, especially for non-degreed personnel.
For residency: you have to show the universities your proof of full-time work, your payments of rent and utilities (NOT CHEAP in California), your W-2’s, your personal expenses, your transportation, your medical insurance, and, your budget for the entire year. Everything has to match up. Your income HAS to match your budget and expenses. Most of your minimum wage pay will go toward your rent/living/health expenses ($1500 to 2000 per month for apartments in LA, San Diego-more $ in the Bay area). Outside of the major cities, the rents are cheaper, but the jobs and health insurance might not be there. Living in California is VERY expensive.
If you receive monies, supplies, health insurance from your parents or relatives, or any form of reduced rent that is not comparable for the zip code of your neighborhood, it is not considered self-sufficiency and you will be denied instate residency. The CCC’s are a little more lenient, but the UC’s and CSU’s will not grant residency if even one receipt is missing.
The CSU’s and UC’s need the OOS money. Working full-time for one year and paying minimum wage taxes is nowhere near what California residents have paid over the course of 18 years of their children’s education. That’s why the State is so tough on requirements. The priority of California public universities is to educate California residents.
http://ucop.edu/general-counsel/_files/ed-affairs/uc-residence-policy.pdf