<p>Wondering if anyone with experience can comment about financial aid offers for OOS students and/or how you were able to afford Berkeley.</p>
<p>Berkeley is my son's #1 choice, but should he be lucky enough to get in, it will a steep ticket, since they charge $18K extra tuition for OOS, and state that they will offer no financial aid against that OOS tuition.</p>
<p>Bummmmmmmmmmmmmmp</p>
<p>OOS kids can qualify for Regent's and Alumni scholarships, but, the UCs beleive in a lot of self-help, even for in-state kids. For the money, many privates offer better value, IMO, and have much better finaid policies. Heck, some top Calif kids go to top private schools bcos it's cheaper than Cal after merit or need-based aid.</p>
<p>fwiw: us local tax payers are taxed enuf already and, I would guess, that your state would not grant in-state tuition for a Calif kid either...</p>
<p>No, but OOS tuition for SUNY is only $10k. We in NY State are taxed rather heavily too.</p>
<p>BlueBayou is correct in saying that the University of California schools tend to rely heavily on self-help aid, even for in-state residents. Last fall, I attended the UC admissions conference for college counselors, and the question of non-resident financial aid was asked. The answer was: We rely even more heavily on loans for out of state students than we do for in-state students, primarily because out of state students do not qualify for state grants. We also meet full demonstrated need for fewer OOS students than we do for in-state residents.</p>
<p>Keep in mind that the UC system sees its primary mission to be educating in-state residents. </p>
<p>Some facts you should be aware of as your son considers Berkeley: </p>
<p>Total costs (tuition, room/board, books) for OOS: $39,461 (keep in mind that this does not include plane fare back and forth across the country)</p>
<p>Percentage of Berkeley students who have full demonstrated need met: 50% (this means that about half of students with demonstrated financial need do not have it full met - their families must find a way to fill the gap) I do not have the breakdown for OOS residents.</p>
<p>Percentage of out of state students who receive financial aid: 38%</p>
<p>Average OOS need-based financial aid package: $20,905</p>
<p>Percentage of OOS students who receive financial aid who receive a grant: 32%</p>
<p>Average OOS grant: $14,243</p>
<p>Percentage of OOS students who receive FA who have self-help aid in their package: 40%</p>
<p>Average OOS loan amount: $8,286</p>
<p>So, you may want to review these numbers with your son now and discuss whether Berkeley will still be his choice if he has to take out high loans each year. Of course, he may qualify for one of Berkeley's merit scholarships, and that might help fill in the gap somewhat. 28% of OOS students receive a merit scholarship, with the average award being $12,851. That means, even with merit money, many OOS will not have the full cost of Berkeley covered. I am sure you are already aware that it is unlikely that you will pay the same amount for Berkeley OOS as you would for a SUNY school in-state, even after FA and any merit money is factored in. My advice, again, is to share these numbers with your son NOW, then hope for the best.</p>
<p>I wanted to note that the Governor just announced a fee increase for the UC's for next year - you may want to do a google search to find out how much OOS fees will go up as they sometimes go up more than in-state.</p>
<p>I also want to add that I sincerely hope your son gets the money he needs, but I also like to plan for the worst case scenario, just in case, especially as, as a college counselor, I have had seen so many kids get their hopes up about attending a particular school, and then have them dashed when the financial side doesn't work out. Until the FA packages are on the table, no school should be a first choice school, in my opinion, unless, of course, the family can afford to pay full freight.</p>
<p>Best of luck to your son!</p>
<p>Thanks for all the great and detailed info. I was curious about the awarded amounts for merit aid, but I am sure the competition for aid - as well as admission - will be very stiff.</p>
<p>We've already talked with him and told him that it is pretty much not going to be a possibility, unless he receives merit aid. We're moving to Texas next year, so only one year of New York in-State tuition should he get admitted to and decide to go to SUNY Geneseo, his SUNY choice. But even OOS, Geneseo will be far more affordable than Berkeley.</p>
<p>He was also accepted at Tulane and got an $18K merit scholarship there, and also has applied to GWU as well, which gives decent merit aid, even though it is very pricey tuition-wise.</p>
<p>Since he wants to go to law school, racking up huge undergraduate loans just seems crazy to me. We encouraged him to apply to UT Austin as another lower cost alternative (they have a very good Government and Honors program), but he really did not want to go to school in Texas. </p>
<p>I'd be thrilled for him if Berkeley worked out, but he knows it is a very long shot.</p>
<p>Good. It sounds like you are being honest with your son, and advising him to wait until all offers are on the table. I really feel for kids whose parents never have that financial honesty, and then pull the rug out from under them after they have their heart set on a particular school. </p>
<p>Best of luck to your son - I'll keep my fingers crossed for him!</p>
<p>btw:</p>
<p>OOS tuition and fees total $43k at Cal, assuming one lives in a dorm (which are outrageously priced, IMO). But that amount includes only $600 for transportation, which would be 2-3x for OOS kids.</p>
<p>moonmaid: Cal has already notified potential recipients for the Regent's scholarships (top kids are invited to apply). Alumni scholarships are being reviewed this weekend.</p>