Do I have to pay the additional fees aside from tuition & books/supplies?

Paying for College
1

<p>I have an EFC of 0. I'm eligible for Pell Grant, Cal Grant B, & BOGWF. I plan to live with my parents & be a commuter throughout my college career (community & university).</p>

<p>My question is, do I have to pay for Room/Board, Miscellaneous Fees, & Transportation/Commute even if they don't apply to my circumstances?</p>

<p>Of course, I would be paying a certain amount for Transportation & Misc, but the amounts they post are ridiculous.</p>

<p>Community College (Per 9 Month Academic Year):
Room & Board: $4,402
Transportation: $1,170
Miscellaneous Personal: $3,106</p>

<p>Cal State University (Per 9 Month Academic Year)
Room & Board: $4,401
Transportation: $1,400
Miscellaneous: $3,000</p>

<p>Are these amounts just recommendations of how much you should budget for? Or are they required amounts that you must pay out?</p>

<p>My original plan was to have tuition costs waived by the BOGFW (community college). Only pay for health fee/books & supplies which would amount to ($1,666 Per Academic Year) With the combined Pell & Cal Grants leaving me with $5,435+ each academic year to bank towards the transfer to the University. </p>

<p>Then from there I calculated the costs for tuition & books/supplies at the university would be $8346 per academic year. Given that I would have the Pell Grant & Cal Grant covering the majority of the costs I would be banking around $10,870+ from the extra money left over from the CC! It sounds too good to be true; so this is why I need some clarification. </p>

<p>I also do plan to be working & contributing to the household; so no I'm not mooching off my parents. I'd rather save my money for a down payment on a house than to waste it in a dorm or an apartment.</p>

2

<p>You only pay the college for a dorm and meal plan if you are using them.</p>

3

<p>No, you don’t pay for room and board if you commute.</p>

<p>And, yes, those are estimates. Schools don’t collect “transportation money” and give you gasoline each week. </p>

<p>Some schools do have misc fees and/or course fees per class.</p>

<p>I don’t know how much you’d “bank” because I don’t know how much you’d get from Cal Grant to go to a CC when you’re already getting Pell.</p>