<p>I think i want to start with only 12 units the first semester to get used to the quarter system than see where I go from there. Im just nervous about the whole 2 year limit on Blue and Gold Program. </p>
<p>How many units are you planning on?</p>
<p>12 as well for my first quarter</p>
<p>You can only get the Blue and Gold financial aid for two years? Did not know that. </p>
<p>I guess how many units I take depends on if my classes are 4 or 5 units. I will take 3 classes regardless, so anywhere from 12 to 15 units.</p>
<p>@Music1990 yes transfer students get a 2 year limit</p>
<p>@sonic23
Is that just on financial aid, or just 2 year limit to graduate, period?</p>
<p>2 years is theoretically 10 quarters if you maximize your time or just need extra time, so even if you only took 10 units each quarter in those two years you’d still be fine.</p>
<p>I plan on 12 my transfer counselor says most quarter systems offer 4 unit courses as the most common so that’s 3 classes per quarter shouldn’t be too hard. Or if you go to UCB you have 3 semesters a year including summer. I think I’d take 12 full units a semester there Fall and Spring with 3-6 in summer if I went there.</p>
<p>@Music1990 its two year for blue and gold but after that say you have a low efc you should get aid anyway </p>
<p>@Sonic23 - @music1990 -</p>
<p>"Maximum Time Frame of Eligibility for Financial Aid: The federally regulated financial aid requirement specifies that students are eligible to receive aid for 150% of the time normally required to complete an academic program. " - UC site</p>
<p>For a Junior at a UC on the Quarter system that is 12 quarters of financial aid.</p>
<p>Only in very extraordinary circumstances (hospitalization, military withdrawal etc will they approve more time where you can receive financial aid low EFC will not count towards this)</p>
<p>@Matt4200 Be careful how you count, summers usually move twice as fast as normal terms! At least at UCB, even 8 units (2 classes) over the summer can be a real handful… so don’t plan your college career with full loads each summer. 
Also… not sure how you got 10 quarters in 2 years for the other schools? Quarter system is 3 normal quarters, and summer session.</p>
<p>@failure622 - For UCB I said I’d plan 3 to 6 units in the summer that’s 1 or 2 classes lol.</p>
<p>One of my friends goes to UCSB and I researched this they have 3 normal quarters and 2 quarters in the summer, you can maximize your time or you can be lazy and just take the regular 3 quarters so in 2 years that’s theoretically 10 quarters. :)</p>
<p>@Matt4200 does financial aid go by quarters? I thought it went by units, as in if for example a student was part time, they would only use up half the aid and therefore still qaulify for more qaurters. Or does a part time student just loose the rest of the aid they could have gotten? </p>
<p>Just curious. I dont plan on being part time, i do want to take summers as well i saw that ucsb included a summer option in the acceptence package, i wounder how financial aid would cover that.</p>
<p>@Matt4200 There are two summer sessions during the summer, each 5 weeks, but not all classes are offered during the summer, especially when you reach upper-division courses. Also, there may be a special summer session that takes longer than 5 weeks, so this would be the equivalent of only one “quarter” during the summer. And in my experience, some summer classes are of poorer quality than classes taught during the school year (you don’t get the typical professors who teach this course all the time, things get cut out or glossed over because there’s just not enough time), and taking summer classes often take up a lot of time (double the amount of in class time than a typical class over the quarter would be, with more homework/reading/etc) so you’re sacrificing the ability to work or do internships or whatever will help you get a job or go to graduate/professional school after undergrad. It’s a lot easier to burn out by continually taking classes without any variety, and it would be a lot harder to get other experience and/or money if you sacrifice your ability to work full time over the summer.</p>
<p>So yes, it’s potentially possible (if you are taking a major where a lot of your classes are also offered over the summer), but it’s certainly not lazy to only take classes during the school year and to use your summers for more productive things. It may be even better to take more units during the school year so that you can free up your summers to earn money or get experience. Definitely not lazy, and certainly a very good way to maximize your time.</p>
<p>@sonic23 - At the UC level you have to pay for the entire quarter that you attend even if it’s just one class you pay as much as someone taking 4 classes and financial aid awards are disbursed in the same way at the UC’s. At the start of each quarter you’ll receive 1/3 of your full aid amount for the year, it doesn’t work the same as it does at the CC level.</p>
<p>@backtrax - I meant lazy as in attempting to stay in a UC as a transfer for more than the allotted amount of time and even with summer sessions as extra amounts of time and not utilizing them IF you are doing less than full time in regular quarters. But if you’re doing full time already than the summer sessions are completely optional and may work for some while others may find working or getting work experience to be more advantageous, I’m sorry for the confusion.</p>
<p>And @sonic23 - You can either get a University Grant (blue and gold or specific UC Grant ex: “UCSB Grant”) or you would have to have available scholarships or take out a student loan.</p>
<p>If you have a low EFC oftentimes you will be eligible for a UC Grant if you file your summer aid application with the UC In the first couple weeks it’s available.</p>