<p>After i finish my couple years at Community College, i plan on attending Cal Poly Pomona and living on campus. When i redo and re submit my FAFSA, and i say that i will be living on campus while attending CPP, will i get more money in order to help pay for room and board? I guess im asking if i will get financial aid grants to pay for living expenses on campus? To help clarify anything, this year i am getting more money in grants than will probably be needed at my Community College, and my EFC is $0, all because my family is really poor and theres no way they can help with college at all, and i wont be getting student loans so far. So yeah, any help?</p>
<p>The maximum Cal Grant you’ll be eligible for when you start attending Cal Poly Pomona will be based on the tuition and fees only. Cal Grants are not adjusted to take into account a student’s living expenses. The award amounts are the same for every student, whether they live on campus or commute from home.</p>
<p>You may or may not be awarded additional grant money from Cal Poly Pomona itself, but I wouldn’t count on it. If you have extra grant money now, save it!</p>
<p>@dodgersmom Thanks! Now what about Pell Grants, thats the bulk of my FA right now and probably will continue to be. Do Pell Grants increase if living on campus?</p>
<p>No. Pell is a Federal amount that is calculated based on income and the max per year available for the 2014-15 year is 5,730. You are also eligible for Federal Direct student loans each year. You should be awarded work/study or can get a 10-15 hour job. You will likely be awarded a Cal grant A which is about 5,500 for Cal State and 12,000 for UC.</p>
<p>So COA at CPP is about 23,000. Figure Pell+Cal grant = 11,230. You still need 11,770. You can take a loan for 7,500 leaving need of 4,270. Your parents can apply for a plus loan. If they are denied you can take another 4,000 yourself. </p>
<p>You should probably apply to UCs as well. You will get a bigger Cal Grant, and the university itself will award grants to students with 0 EFC for some of the living expenses. </p>
<p>Nope, the Pell grant is a fixed amount based on family income. It won’t increase if you live on campus.</p>
<p>So basically, I won’t get financial aid for room and board?</p>
<p>I guess I’ll probably need a student loan after all, I really don’t want any debt at all when I graduate though… maybe Ill end up having to just commute like 30 minutes to and from CPP? I should also figure that I can work maybe 20 or more hours a week, so that will bring in some money too. Hmmm…</p>
<p>UC’s aren’t an option because they don’t even have my major. </p>
<p>I read somewhere that Cal Grant B is actually better because you end up getting more money, barely, and something else I didnt really understand, but they basically were saying Cal Grant B is better than A… any truth to this, guys? Why should I take the Cal Grant A instead of B, and vice versa? Pros/Cons?</p>
<p>What major? </p>
<p>Don’t worry about which Cal grant yet, you will see/pick when the time comes and you get the award. Here is what UCLA says:</p>
<p>"On my California Aid Report (CAR), it states that I am eligible for both Cal Grant A and B and to contact my school. Can I choose Cal Grant A?</p>
<p>Yes, we recommend that you choose Cal Grant A. The first year’s Cal Grant B award is for access costs only, expenses for transportation, supplies and books."</p>
<p>Commuting 30 minutes, especially times of difficult traffic, working 20 or more hours and a full schedule is not realistic. If you are commuting, then you are saving the living expenses so you shouldn’t need to work. Estimated costs for living home is $10k per year if your parents aren’t charging for room and board. Official COA is 14k because they give some allowance for that. So you will get $11,230 and not have to take loan. I don’t think you can make up the cost for living on campus working 20 hours plus summer, but maybe.</p>
<p>If you’re attending a CSU, take the grant they offer. They do the calculation themselves to figure out which one will net you more money. If you were entering as a freshman, instead of as a junior, Cal Grant B would generally be more advantageous at a CSU, but that may not apply when you enter as a junior. </p>
<p>A four-year CSU student receiving Cal Grant A would receive $5,472 each of the four years.</p>
<p>Here’s what a four-year CSU student gets with Cal Grant B:</p>
<p>Year 1 = $1,473
Year 2 = $5,472 + $1,473
Year 3 = $5,472 + $1,473
Year 4 = $5,472 + $1,473</p>
<p>I don’t know what happens when you transfer into a CSU in your junior year. If, when you enter as a junior, you just get the Year 1 and Year 2 amounts, that would be lousy. If you get the Year 3 and Year 4 amounts, then that would be more. Talk with a counselor at the CPP financial aid office and ask them to help you figure out what your awards would be. You can also contact the California Student Aid Commission (CSAC) directly and ask them: (888) CA GRANT (888-224-7268).</p>
<p>And, yes, you should absolutely commute if you can. Taking out loans just to pay for room and board is a really bad idea if you can possibly avoid it. Commute, and don’t don’t take on more hours of work than you can handle. In order to commute, you need to be getting enough sleep to be able to drive safely.</p>
<p>@BrownParent - The recommendations for a UC student do not apply to a student attending a CSU. The costs and awards are quite different. And your statement that this student "will get $11,230 and not have to take loan” does not make any sense. The Cal Grant awards for a CSU student simply aren’t that high</p>