<p>Hello, i am a high school senior and i am trying to decide if i should go to UC Riverside or Cal State Fullerton. Including room and board, UC Riverside has a total cost of $28,000 per year. I just found out that they will give me $20,000 in grants that i dont have to pay back. So that leaves me paying about $8,000. Is that good?
The problem is, Cal State Fullerton wont know how much i will get in grants until next month, which is after the date in which i need to submit which college im going to. CSUF looks very good (Im going into Business) but i woudnt likely get on-campus housing b/c they only have 800 dorms for 30,000 students. In that case, i would need to get an apartment. If UCR gave me $20,000, does that mean Cal State Fullerton will give me something around that too. Cal State Fullerton is supposed to be cheaper, i think it is only $14,000 but idont want to risk going there if i dont know how much i will have to pay or where i will live....Help! Thanks!</p>
<p>Can you afford the $8000 in cost at Riverside not covered by grants? You should be able to get Stafford loans of up to $5500, but that still leaves around $2500 for you or your family to cover through savings, current income, or your earnings from a summer job or school year job. You might be able to trim that a bit by being very careful with money, buying used books, keeping a jar of peanut butter in the dorm room, …</p>
<p>My overall sense is that the UC system seems to be much more generous with aid than the Cal State system is able to be. I’d file the Statement of Intent to Register with UCR. If it turns out that Cal State Fullerton ends up offering you a fabulous deal (which I somewhat doubt) you can withdraw the SIR from Riverside and sign-up for Cal State Fullerton, though you may lose any deposit you paid with the SIR.</p>
<p>CSUF is not going to give you as much as UCR. </p>
<p>First of all, the COA is much lower at CSUF. You’ll probably get a grant to cover tuition and maybe a bit more (if you’re lucky), and loans to pay the rest. </p>
<p>What is the COA breakdown of UCR? Did they give you work-study? If not, ask for about $2500 in work-study. You could probably swing the rest with a Stafford loan and some economizing.</p>
<p>just go with UCR they have a pretty good business program. $20,000 is very good, wish i had that money</p>