Hello!
I am planning on moving up to Irvine because I plan on attending UCI. I plan on moving into an apartment with someone because they’ll be attending a school in Irvine as well. I was wondering if the Blue and Gold Opportunity Plan or some other type of grant (not too sure on all of this financial aid stuff) will cover not only the tuition + campus fees, but also housing. According to the Cal Grant A + Pell Grant, I’d receive nearly ~16k from it. And I know that the B&G Plan is just a ‘promise’ that the campus fees will be paid for. But I was wondering if I would be able to receive other grants to cover housing as my family’s income is super low (like less than 20k) Thank you!
Use https://www.ofas.uci.edu/content/calculator.aspx to get an estimate of financial aid from UCI.
Thank you for this. According to the estimation, it says the Estimated Net Price is 8,500-9,000. So I’m assuming I’d have to take out loans for that or work.
You can only borrow the ~$5500/year federal student loan. Does Irvine have campus housing? If so, what’s the total cost of attendance with room and board? Is the ~$9k net price just tuition and fees, or does it include a dorm and meal plan? If you rent an apartment you’ll need money for a deposit, food, utilities, and transportation to school, plus books and living expenses. I’d make a budget of estimated costs and figure out exactly where the money will come from to make sure you have enough.
Yes, a net price of $8,500 to $9,000 means an expected student contribution of federal direct loan (up to $5,500 to $7,500 depending on class level) and some part time and summer work earnings. You may get a work study offer that gives preference for some on campus jobs.
But off campus housing and food costs can vary greatly from the average used by the school for FA purposes (either higher or lower). It may be more competitive to get the desirable lower cost housing.