Hi there, I’m applying to colleges this fall and I’ve always wanted to go out of state to explore and get away from family and find myself and hopefully my future home. However, as the application process is near I am starting to feel scared to leave. I want to live near my family just in case and we live in California. Although it is typical for people in my area to apply to UCs, I dislike having too many students, but I don’t want to be too picky b/c, granted, there are so many options.
Is out of state much more expensive compared to in state? People freak out over it but I can’t tell from online reports & I do need a lot of financial aid to guide me. Thank you!!
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My family is struggling a lot financially, and even with the financial aid many colleges provide, I’ll have to owe a lot in loans. I am googling for cheaper schools out there & I was wondering if the price affects it. Some are very inexpensive, and I was wondering if the quality of the degree is lower if that is so
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How much can your family pay?
As @mom2collegekids asked, how much can your family afford? Since you are in-state you would receive the most financial aid from the UC’s and Cal states, however if you have high Stats, many privates will also offer merit aid which could make them less expensive than the UC’s and Cal States. You might also want to look at some of the Western Unversity Exchange schools, where as a California resident, you would receive reduced tuition for the OOS schools on their list.
I have provided a few links: http://www.wiche.edu/wue
http://wue.wiche.edu/search_results.jsp?searchType=all
“I am starting to feel scared to leave. I want to live near my family just in case…”
This is normal, but realize that there are many schools where you can be home within a few hours drive or flight. You can Skype every day, call as often as you need to, and…by the end of freshman year, you probably be wondering what all that anxiety was about. Trust yourself. You can do this, even if it is scary and you feel a bit homesick.
If it helps, look at schools that are close to out-of-state family members and friends of the family whom you feel comfortable calling/visiting.
But money first…mom2collegekids and Gumbymom and right to make that the focus. And check out wiche.edu as suggested.
Most people just can’t afford the increased tuition OOS schools charge and the lack of aid. Every college posts the tuition charges online and the extra for OOS. Look at the total COA too. Instate there is often more aid for you in CA. Are you eligible for cal grant? Very top students can make it into large aid awarding colleges, what are your stats?
For closer OIS options there is AZ And PNW is close. Also parts of ca are really different, yet still easy to get home, but you are on your own day to day.
Some private schools offer enough need-based aid to make them less expensive for low and middle income students than the UCs and Cal States. If you want a small college in California, have a look at Occidental. In the Northwest, consider Lewis & Clark, Willamette, or Whitman.Run the online net price calculators for any colleges that interest you.
https://www.oxy.edu/admission-aid/financial-aid/net-price-calculator
And CA is a big place. SoCal is significantly different from the north. You can get away from family without going OOS.