Huge Mistake, Less Than One Year Left- Cal Grant B

Paying for College
1

Hello all,

Thanks in advanced for the advice. I am writing this hoping to get some advice on what seems to be the most costly mistake I’ve ever made. I started attending a CCC in the spring of 2014 and was being awarded a pell grant, cal grant B, and bog waiver. After changing my major, I spent 3 years at my CC. I was so naive to think that my cal grant B was not depleting over the years. I now have (.75) years of eligibility, and am transferring in the fall. I expect to spend more than 2 years at my CSU as an engineering major. There is a silver lining in the fact that I saved about 90% of my cal grant awards, but the amount saved is nowhere near the amount I would have saved on deferring and then using the grant to pay tuition. If I’m doomed and left with a life lesson, then I can only blame myself, but if anyone here on the forum can offer any advice on how I can make the best of my situation, I would greatly appreciate it. Here is a sample award letter from UCSB if it provides any info I’ve left out.

Per UCSB,

Student Contribution: $2,039
Cal Grant A: $12,630
Pell Grant: $3,870
Subsidized Loan: $5,500
Unsubsidized: $2,000

2

bump

3

If you saved 90% of your Calgrant awards…what is the issue?

4

Thanks for the reply. The awards at my community college were around the base for cal grant B ($1600/year). However, had I saved more eligibility, I’d have the option for my cal grant B to offer $1600 on top of helping with tuition. My main issue is that I feel as if I’ve screwed myself when it comes to paying for tuition. I hope this makes sense.