<p>My first question is how accurate are the estimates on the financial aid calculators provided on the college websites?</p>
<p>For Example: (Dependent</a> Aid Estimator - UCSB Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships)
According to UCSB The Total Cost Of Attendance Per Year Is About: $33,229.00
The Total Amount Of Grant Awards (Excluding Any Loans) Would Be About: $22,729.00
Leaving A Net Cost For Me To Pay Out Of Pocket Would Be About: $9,500.00 Per Year.</p>
<p>(I have an EFC of 0 with good reason. My entire life I've been poverty stricken. No assets, no inheritance, living on a fixed income. Section-8/HUD, Food Stamps, SSDI, ect. I'll be the first one in my family to attend & graduate college).</p>
<p>I do not expect nor do I want a "full ride" or a "free" education in college, but I do expect 50-75% coverage of my costs considering my financial situation. Is that a reasonable/realistic expectation? </p>
<p>My plan is to attend a CC for 2 years, and then transfer to a 4Year institution. I will be working full time during my enrollment in the community college & I plan to put 75% of my income into savings for attending the university. I want to be able to graduate DEBT-FREE.</p>
<p>Also, what are the deciding factors when it comes to transfer students. ?s it the same as high school students? (GPA, SAT/ACT, Extracurricular Involvement [Athletics, Clubs] )</p>
<p>Are you a resident of California? Did you graduate from a CA High School? Are you 27 or younger? I ask because these are some of the factors for CalGrant. (I believe you need to be younger than 28 the first year you use the CG.)</p>
<p>Someone else can certainly correct me, but even students with extremely low incomes are still expected to have some skin in the game and student loans (aka: debt) are included in the FA package. You wouldn’t have to take out the loans if you had enough money in savings or made enough money with your job–but I don’t believe it is the goal of any of the CA public colleges to help you or anyone to get through the degree with zero debt.</p>
<p>If you qualify for CalGrant it covers tuition, so you’d be covered about 50% of the total cost right there at a UC. Also, for the years you are at a CCC, you can “bank” the amount of CalGrant and then use it the years you are at a UC, so that would be the route to go for certain.</p>
<p>Transferring from a CC to a UC/CSU is based primarily on GPA.</p>
<p>Cal Grant covers systemwide fees at UCs and CSUs. Campus fees are not covered by Cal Grant. EFC does not affect the amount as it is a set amount for everyone who meets the income and asset ceilings.</p>
<p>What they’ve given you sounds about right. 2 years at UCSB would only be ~20k, which is very cheap and very doable. It’s not a huge deal to graduate “DEBT FREE” honestly. Remember that once you graduate you can work without spending a bunch of time at school. Of course you shouldn’t have a lot of debt, but around 10k isn’t a big deal - in a competitive job market like today’s make sure you have a high GPA and internships/ECs so you can get a job.</p>