<p>im confused about everything .. i was accepted to berkeley and logged in to myfinaid, and it said that i was eligible for ~20k gift grant and the net cost would be ~35k. i'm afraid that my parents and I can't pay that much, however. I was not aware of applications for grants (except one leader something $2000 scholarship), was i supposed to apply to them? i only filled out fafsa .. and do you know if out-of-state people get any grants other than the "berkeley undergrad scholarship" and "pell grant"? my parents income is around ~40k. Is it too late to contact the financial aid department about this? is there anything that can be done?</p>
<p>I assume you are 0 EFC? If so, Berkeley will still expect you to take out some loans b/c the max FA they will give to anyone (including 0 EFC) is 80% I believe. I was a bit worried when I first saw the page, but realize they do overestimate…</p>
<p>Books = 1.2k is not true (some classes don’t require books or you can simply google the pdf version)
Personal expenses = 1k is somewhat true (you might spend 300-500$ from food/random purchases/ etc…)
Health care = 1.5k (if you’re 0 EFC, you get SHIP for free)</p>
<p>etc… etc… If you end up living in a triple dorm, you’ll end up saving like 1-3k depending on your alternative options.</p>
<p>If you’re not 0 EFC, then ops lol!</p>
<p>Thank you so much for replying! One thing to ask, though: what is EFC? I just googled it and it said its a measurement of financial strength blah blah, but how do I know what my EFC is?</p>
<p>It should say on your myfinaid page (very bottom). If not, look at your FAFSA analysis report. They should tell you your EFC there.</p>