<p>Hello,
I was hoping someone could help me figure out how much debt I'll have by the end of my first year at Davis. My family income is around 17,500 a year, my parents cannot contribute to my education. The reason for me asking this question is because I'm really considering going to community college and later transfering. I just don't believe I can afford to go to a UC at the moment. I know there are grants and financial aid given but I know there will be some money I will have to take out in loans, and that REALLY SCARES ME!
How much will you end up paying out of your own pocket for attending UC Davis? Do you think a UC education is even worth the money? </p>
<p>Any advice is appreciated. :)</p>
<p>Are you instate?</p>
<p>If so, then you’ll get a generous aid pkg from Davis. The UCs are very generous to 0 EFC students who are instate. You qualify for the B&G promise and you’ll get Pell and a UC grant and other aid.</p>
<p>You will likely be expected to get a summer job to contribute a “student contribution” but that’s so that you can buy your books and some things before college even starts.</p>
<p>Start looking for a summer job.</p>
<p>Let us know what your FA pkg contains.</p>
<p>However, if you’re OOS, then no, you won’t be able to afford Davis.</p>
<p>Thank you for your response mom2collegekids. I was really freaking out becaue I don’t quite understand much about financial aid. I will be the first in my family to go on to college so the idea somewhat scares me.
I would be paying in state tuition. According to my unofficial award letter my estimated net cost will be $9,300. I just really don’t want to take out loans because most claim they are “evil” and will stack up too much interest. So I’m hoping I will be able to get a job like you have adviced me.
Thanks once again for your help, it helped me calm down. :)</p>
<p>Ok…</p>
<p>A good amount of your loans are subsidized so they’re not stacking up interest while you’re in school.</p>
<p>It’s wise to try to borrow as little as you can, but don’t get yourself in a pickle by trying to borrow too little. :(</p>
<p>What is the breakdown of your FA pkg…how much Cal Grant, how much Pell, how much work-study, etc.</p>
<p>IF you didn’t get work-study, be sure to call and ask about that. If they say that they met need with loans, then ask them to sub the “unsub loans” with work study.</p>
<p>Congratulations. Getting into a UC these days is tough, and you are smart thinking about the costs. You need to know what the breakdowns are in your award. If loans are already in that package and you have to come up with another $9K outside of Staffords and other loans, that might be a problem.</p>
<p>I look forward to seeing the breakdown of the FA pkg.</p>
<p>Since UCs do a fab job of giving lots of aid to very low EFC kids, I don’t think she has a $9k gap after loans. I think she owes $9k after GRANTS and maybe some work study.</p>
<p>She qualifies for all the best aid…Cal Grants, UC grants, Pell Grants, SEOG (which can be iffy), and she has the Blue and Gold promise. </p>
<p>So…along with the breakdown of ther FA pkg, I’d like her to also provide the breakdown of COA. there is likely padding in there that can be cut. The UCs tend to have high budgets for books/supplies and that’s an area of savings. R&B is high, but there’s little that can be done about that at least the first year.</p>
<p>My family’s income is about the same as yours and I’m going to UCD as an instate student. I was a bit worried about paying for college as well, but it doesn’t seem too bad.</p>
<p>Tuition is about 16k (this year, not sure if it will go up :(). Then there’s basic living, if you get a triple instead of double that’s about 1.1k less, so about 11k or 12k (more or less depending on your meal plan). And maybe about 1k for books and supplies? Which is total about 29k? </p>
<p>There’s Cal grant A is about 13k, then there’s 5.5k from pell grant and then there is Entering UG Scholarship 4604, and 525 for campus fee grant which is a total of 23.5k. </p>
<p>So that’s about 5.5k in cost. I think you can get a job over the summer and save, and or do work study. And you can take out some SUBSIDIZED loans, which won’t collect interest while you’re in school. So I think it will be doable. Maybe the cost will be less if you can cut some corners somewhere as well. :)</p>
<p>Tuition is about 16k (this year, not sure if it will go up )</p>
<p>don’t worry if tuition goes up…those with very low EFCs get that covered anyway.</p>
<p>Total Cost of Attendance</p>
<p>$32,903.00</p>
<p>Contributions </p>
<p>Student Self Help Expectation</p>
<p>$3,800.00</p>
<p>Student Contribution</p>
<p>$0.00
Parent Contribution</p>
<p>$0.00</p>
<p>Additional Resources</p>
<p>$0.00</p>
<p>Total Contributions</p>
<p>$3,800.00</p>
<p>Financial Need:</p>
<p>$29,103</p>
<p>Estimated Financial Aid </p>
<p>Federal Perkins Loan-NH</p>
<p>$2,000.00</p>
<p>Cal Grant A Estimated-NH</p>
<p>$12,924.00</p>
<p>Federal Direct Loan Sub-NH</p>
<p>$3,500.00</p>
<p>Entering UG Scholarship - NH</p>
<p>$4,604.00</p>
<p>UCD Campus Fee Grant-NH</p>
<p>$525.00</p>
<p>Federal Pell Grant Program-NH</p>
<p>$5,550.00</p>
<p>Total Estimated Financial Aid</p>
<p>$29,103.00</p>
<p>Remaining Cost </p>
<p>$0.00</p>
<p>Federal, state, and University funds are limited and subject to availability at the time they are offered. The amounts and types of aid are subject to change or cancellation without prior notice.</p>
<p>Thank you for all your replies! So from what I just posted, does that actually mean I would only be paying 3,800 per year or is there hidden costs? </p>
<p>And if there is more subsidized loans are the best option then right?</p>
<p>Aside from the loans (which are reasonable), your portion is $3800…which is probably mostly for your “personal expenses” and transportation. You can earn much of that during a summer job. You can be economical and not need that much.</p>
<p>If you can’t come up with that much, you can borrow another $2k per year. </p>
<p>I think you should call and ask if you can get some work-study.</p>
<p>Believe it or not, California is very generous with their aid. I never thought that I could afford to send my child to UC Irvine. But I can. And am very grateful.</p>
<p>Calif is very generous to those who qualify for Cal Grants and the Blue and Gold promise. Unfortunately, there are many who fall beyond those thresholds and they are gapped big time. It’s not unusual for someone with an EFC of about $16k to get nothing but a $5500 loan…even though COA is above $30k.</p>
<p>UC schools are going to largely be full of “full payers” and lower income kids. Those in the middle who get gapped won’t often be able to attend.</p>
<p>there are no hidden costs, IF you can get into a UC, you are set if you come from a lower income family. even a mid income family. students are covered by the Blue and Gold plan. state schools end up costing MORE than UC schools. but UC schools are much more difficult to get into. congratulations on getting into Davis. a world class school.</p>
<p>We are not low income. We have 4 children and the state realizes how much it costs to raise children. No Pell grant or Cal grant here. Just hard working people here</p>
<p>and our EFC was 15,000</p>
<p>So, if I understood correctly, significant aid is available to low-income in-state students . . . but out-of-state students get zero (other than federal aid)?</p>
<p>Hi! I really hope that you can end up going, but I’ve called the Davis financial aid office because I didn’t get work study, and they don’t give it to entering freshmen unfortunately. Sorry that this isn’t good news, but I thought the info they told me might help!</p>
<p>So, if I understood correctly, significant aid is available to low-income in-state students . . . but out-of-state students get zero (other than federal aid)?</p>
<p>Since most aid given to UC kids is STATE of CALIF aid, that aid is NOT available to OOS students. OOS students do not get Cal Grants and don’t qualify for the Blue and Gold promise.</p>
<p>That said, some UCs will give some UC aid to OOS students, but NOT enough to come close to meeting need. You’ll be gapped at least $20,000 per year. The policy is that they will attempt to give aid UP TO the instate cost (which is about $30k per year). The OOS cost is about $50k - so you’d be gapped at least $20k…IN ADDITION to your EFC.</p>
<p>So, if your EFC is $15k, then might get a $10k grant and a 5500 student loan. That would be it because your EFC plus the grant and loan would meet the $30k instate COA. So, you’d be expected to pay $35k per year (your EFC plus the difference between instate and OOS).</p>
<p>This shouldn’t be surprising. UCs can’t be expected to give more money to an OOS student than an instate student with the same EFC. Right? (and this policy is FAR more generous than most state schools.)</p>
<p>I just transferred to UCD, starting at the end of this month. Bills are due in couple of weeks. I was looking to see how the other students were doing. Came across this perfect thread in my first try. I usually visit this site but today I just had to sign up, because I’m in exact situation as the OP. And I’m too freaking out a bit.</p>
<p>Anyways, where’s what my FA looks like</p>
<p>Cost of Attendance: ~ 27K
Self-Help: ~ 4K (EFC $57)
Financial Aid: ~ 11K (FAFSA + Subsidized Loan)
Remaining Cost: ~ 12K</p>
<p>What’s the remaining cost? Where’s that suppose to come from? Am I expected to pay that? If so, how come it’s not under “Self Contribution”? My family situation is also pretty much same as the OP, except mine is a single parent. She could probably pay for that EFC, but that’s just about it.</p>
<p>I haven’t accepted the available 5K loan yet, I was hoping not to take any loans. If I don’t, I have to come up with 22k for the first year? </p>
<p>In my 2.5 years at a community college I payed total of <20 dollars for classes. Heck, I payed more for parking.</p>