I am in state, just to clarify. I am a California resident, hold California ID, etc. I have it confirmed already.
im an oos transfer yes but since I am a CA resident I do get need based aid, I 100% would not be applying otherwise. I’ve been in contact with admissions at all of these schools (visited UCI and UCSD in person to clarify)
Blue and gold program would make it free for me, I’ve checked (since my income is under 80k)
Yeah, in retrospect I do wish I took the CHSPE and attended a CC, however I can’t change the past so I’m trying to do the best with what I have. I do believe I would be eligible for Blue and Gold still, and the financial aid calculators are showing me good results. I’d attend Humboldt, though, if the UCs are too expensive (if I even get in) which shouldn’t be the case
I did directly ask the UCSD admissions office about Blue and Gold and I was told I was eligible, however I’m still a bit unsure - maybe they weren’t considering the specifics of my situation? I’ll have to look into this more
Okay, I just checked. I have to submit a FAFSA or a cal grant application to be eligible for Blue and Gold, and I submitted a FAFSA, so I believe, should I get into a UC, I will financially be fine.
Unfortunately both of my parents are immigrants which didn’t leave me with much knowledge of how to navigate the American college/high school process. I wish I knew about this forum at the time but my only real source at the time was the school and familial encouragement without knowledge of the drawbacks but, again, oh well.
Best of luck to you and hope everything works out. Humboldt would be a very likely for you.
I have to submit a FAFSA or a cal grant application to be eligible for Blue and Gold, and I submitted a FAFSA, so I believe, should I get into a UC, I will financially be fine.
Being eligible is one thing, receiving the Blue and Gold is a little more complicated. The financial aid offices can tell you that you are eligible, but that doesn’t mean that “financially you will be fine”. You can’t bank on receiving one since so many California students are vying for the same monies. Funding is limited, so, at this point, plan on paying for your education until you receive your paperwork from the universities.
I feel like, as a 0 EFC resident, that would make me pretty eligible. However, I could be wrong. What else goes into play when that decision is being made?
this will be a valuable resource to you:
Generally, the schools you listed are competitive but not insane for oos transfers. San diego is 34% for your demographics. Santa Cruz 18%; irvine 15%.
Unfortunately, the lack of a California HS education is a big factor in addition to:
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The lack of a certified GPA recorded by a California HS district for either home schooling or a high school transcript leading to a diploma.
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For students who didn’t earn a CA HS diploma, a CCC education with completion of requirements for transfer to a California university.
Yes you are a resident, and yes you have a California ID but to the State, you are another student. It doesn’t help that you didn’t graduate from a California High School program, nor a CCC.
The public universities in California are funded by your parents and other instate residents via yearly California State taxes. The State is not flowing in dollars so there is a finite amount of money in the State budget. That money has to get divided for professors salaries, building maintenance, support staff, security, academic and sports programs, liability insurance, housing upkeep, attorney staffs and a myriad of other fees.
The State is under political pressure to admit in-state residents who have followed the same curriculum. It doesn’t matter if the student attended public, private or home schooling in California because the students follow an instate curriculum. So, residents who have had their education in the State are the priorities.
Additionally, the Admissions offices can’t tell you that you will get 100% financial aid. That’s not their expertise. The Financial Aid offices are separate from the Admissions offices. They run their own budgets and program. The FA offices are currently VERY, very busy working on financial aid packages for all qualifying applicants who have asked for Financial Aid.
It’s not an All or None issue: “My income is under $80K so, the Blue and Gold program would make it free for me.” Your income is under $80K so your hat is in the ring, but that doesn’t mean you will get funded.
Do you understand that most of the 9 UC’s get over 100K applicants at each school?
The CSU’s get almost 900K applicants for their 23 campuses.
A large number of those students are hoping to get financial aid at some point.
Think about those numbers and prepare for that.
Additionally, you may not get “100%” financial aid because you are a transfer. The best aid always goes to Freshman applicants.
UC transfer application didn’t ask me anything about my HS GPA, and didn’t require that I graduate.
I’m aware I likely will not get full financial aid. However, I will be working and taking out loans of my own, and my parents will be taking out some loans as well, so I won’t necessarily not go, should I be accepted, if I have to pay more than $0.
I’m aware that my education experience makes me low-priority, that has been reiterated on this board to me dozens of times and I am very very aware of it by now. However, I have already applied, and they are my top choices; therefore, I am being hopeful. I have done all I can thus far.
Thank you! This makes me slightly more hopeful.
Being admitted as a transfer isn’t the issue I was addressing.
The issue is the finances and making the assumptions of being financed by the State. That’s a huge issue. Being accepted isn’t the toughest part for you. The hardest part for thousands of students is being able to afford the tuition and fees.
Beware that if you have an EFC of $0, your parents may not be able to qualify for loans. You, as the student, can get a total of $27K in loans over 4 years via Federal funding. You also qualify for Pell and should continue to get that funding.
The other funding is contingent on what the universities can divide for all students asking for aid.
glad you have sorted that out.
My guess, assuming you’ve covered the required classes, Humboldt will take you, UCSC could go either way and the others you list are unlikely.
Most of the other CSUs would have accepted you.
Good luck
Thank you. What would you say are the weakest and strongest points in my app?
If, hypothetically, everything goes as bad as it could go and I don’t receive blue and gold, how much do you think I’d pay yearly with my finances?
You have an EFC of $0. This implies a very very low parent income. What loans are you expecting your parents to take? Please, they are low income. Don’t burden them with these loans.
That’s why i’m applying to in-state schools, my dad is recently unemployed so while we could previously afford my current college’s tuition i no longer can. I’m taking loans on my own, so about 5k or so (student loans) plus 7k (pell grant) plus 4-5k give or take (my part time job) puts me at about 15k, which is around the capacity that I can pay. I’d never burden them like that - even when we could still pay some i still worked 30 hrs a week and took my own loans.
for transfers, UC admission is really curriculum heavy. If you don’t have what they see as the right classes, even a perfect GPA won’t get you in. I can’t really assess how you stack up by that measure. Coming from an unknown out of state private from which they dont see many aps, it is hard to say how they will evaluate your transcript.
Even many of the less selective CSUs are picky in the same way. It looks like Humboldt isn’t impacted for Psych so, they are your best shot.
Hoping it works out for you.