<p>I'm attending a community college in Los Angeles, and was hoping to transfer to a 4 year university when I'm done. My grades are all A's so far, but the biggest issue is how insanely expensive it is for international students.</p>
<p>I had my eyes set on either UCLA or USC, favoring UCLA, but it would be 42k per YEAR, and they don't have financial aid for international students. USC ends up being cheaper since they have up to 17k in scholarships I believe.</p>
<p>Are there any ways to make the tuition cheaper, any possible loopholes exist that would make me pay state fees (for instance if I reside here 2 years or something)?</p>
<p>Sorry, there are no loopholes in residency requirements: California universities are very savvy to all the tricks people try to avoid paying out of state (or international) tuition.</p>
<p>You could certainly try to transfer to USC while applying for FA. With your grades it’s not unreasonable to ask – just remember that there is less FA for transfer students, so don’t have your heart set on it. Look into other private schools and explore if/how much FA they offer to transfer students. But that’s about all you can do to lower the overall price, that and maybe considering the Cal State system. </p>
<p>Unfortunately, the reality of American education is that it’s very expensive… especially if you’re a non-resident.</p>
<p>The only schools that give non-residents FA are top private schools.</p>
<p>Two caveats:</p>
<p>1) some schools don’t give international transfers aid (don’t know if the international moniker is based on nationality or on school of origin)</p>
<p>2) most schools aren’t need-blind, so your application for FA decreases your chances for admission.</p>
<p>… But if you really need the money, then it shouldn’t matter, no?</p>
<p>Overall tho, private schools have more agency over whom they admit, so it’s not unheard of for Internationals to get significant financial aid if their stats are above the school’s average.</p>
<p>
A combination thereof. There are very few options for students who do not qualify for federal financial aid. But a few of the top private colleges will consider international transfer applicants from American colleges for aid when they do not consider transfers from foreign universities.</p>