Out of State -> California Community College -> UC Berkeley / UCLA

State Forums
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1

I’m a HS senior from FL, I was accepted to U.C Berkeley for CS. I’m unable to afford the OOS tuition (40k) as I’m a low-income student.

Is attending a California Community College for 2 years and applying as a transfer give me In-State tuition?
If not, will my admission chances to U.C be impacted by my OOS status?

Thank you for any help!

2

no, you need to be an emancipated non-student living in CA (job, rent, vote, drivers lic, etc) for a year before you are ‘in state’.

if you got into UCB, you are a well qualified applicant to most colleges. Where else did you get in?

3

If you are low income, how will you pay OOS fees at the CC, and especially, rent while in a CC in California?

Our rents, in California, are VERY expensive and you will be working long hours just to pay the rent- forget about taking full time classes at the CC. Expect to pay about $2000 a month in rent and associated fees. That’s not covering food and day-to-day living costs. Transportation is expensive.

If you decide to do the “working for a year”, assuming you can find a job, all of your expenses have to match your income and tax forms. You are not allowed help from family, friends, discounted rents, nothing. Apartments generally require 1st and last months rent plus the rent, so $6k to move in, without furniture, internet, trash services, cooking and cleaning supplies.

The UC‘s are known for not providing any STATE financial aid to out-of-state residents. The state just cannot afford to fund nonresidents. Californians pay a LOT in their state taxes and the State uses the taxes to partially fund the schools.

I often see students say, “oh but I’m low income so I’ll get federal aid”. The Federal aid of ~$6000 max PELL- and $5500 loan ($11k) doesn’t begin to cover your overall costs of $65k per year. Your Guidance Counselor should have mentioned the UC’s costs for nonresidents.

I’m sorry. I know that you must have been really excited to receive acceptance. You’re not the only one in this position. Students often don’t understand that the UC will not and cannot provide sufficient Financial Aid funding from the State budget to nonresidents of California.

You must have gotten into some other schools with your stats, so you should probably begin to look at those offers if you haven’t already. As a low income student your best bet would be your in-state schools or whatever private schools could offer you money.

4

Thank you so much for the quick reply NCalRent.
Would that mean if I moved to Cali and worked for 1 year then enrolled in a CC I would be considered an in-stte student? Are there technical programs or alternative ways to earn college credits while living in Cali?
I also got into UF.

5

Getting California residency for tuition purposes is difficult for traditional-age (under 24) people. You can read the rules yourself if you want.

University of California:
https://www.ucop.edu/residency/residency-requirements.html

Community colleges:
https://www.cccco.edu/-/media/CCCCO-Website/Files/Finance-and-Facilities/saamch2-ada.pdf

6

Wow. I didn’t expect such a well-detailed and extensive responseor the extensive detail, super thanks Aunt bea!

I completely understand that the U.C Out-of-State costs are completely infeasible and that the pell grant doesn’t come close to covering ~65k yearly costs. My guidance counselor has been super helpful in informing me.

I currently have ~2 years of work experience at Lockheed and a local tech company, along with a handful of certifications, and ~3k in savings + a car. I have tuition covered at UF and I will likely attend. I’m just wondering if I secure a job and residency, is there a financially viable path forward as a community college student in California?

7

Hey ucbalumnus thanks for your response, this is a bit late your response squeezed in between my posts lol.

I spent some time to understand the UC in-state residency requirements, and it’s essentially imposible due to:

“If you moved to California primarily to attend the University of California, you are here for educational purposes and may not be eligible for a resident classification for purposes of tuition.”

I’m wondering if either:

  1. I live in California independently for 1 year prior to enrollment in a CC
  2. I attend a California CC (paying OOS tuition).
    In either case would I transfer to UC as an in-state student?
8

I really don’t think so because the first thing they review is your high school transcript. Not being from a California High School is a BIG red flag.

Your history will show that you arrived to California primarily to attend school, first living in California for 1 year, then attending a CC.

Most students can’t do this “living independently” without help from parents, either initially or during your stay. Your residency determination office is used to seeing this.