<p>If I get into Cal or UCLA what kind of grants or scholarships are offered to transfer students? My husband makes too much money for financial aid eligibility (already checked), so I'm hoping we can still get some help, because every penny he makes goes to mortgage, bills and food. My one allowance for going to school full time is I have to figure out how to pay for it. What are some of you doing that might be in a similar situation?</p>
<p>We seriously can not pay a dime for school, so I need to find grants or scholarship money.</p>
<p>If your annual family income is $80,000+, there’s really not a lot of options truthfully. You can potentially get various scholarships, but it’s usually just $1-2K or so, and it would be difficult to get something to cover your tuition 100%. You may qualify for the middle class scholarship through the state, and I think next year it will be for 10-15% of the tuition costs. You can of course get federal and/ or private loans.</p>
<p>If you’re family income is under $80,000, then you’ll likely qualify for the Blue & Gold Plan, which covers most mandatory fees and tuition. </p>
<p>I don’t qualify for any state or federal grants, but I do qualify for blue and gold. Last quarter I paid about $400 out of pocket, and next quarter is less than $200. </p>
<p>If you have children, there may be different options, but I’m not familiar with them. </p>
<p>We have 3 kids, and he makes over 80K, but believe it or not, that just gets us food on the plate, gas in our cars and mortgage. thank you for the tips, i will look into each one.</p>
<p>Room & Board would be in addition, as far as the Blue & Gold goes (@2016Candles), I would assume. I am assuming you may be able to commute to either UCLA OR Cal, but not both, from your present home, and thus may need housing? There is the Regent’s scholarship and the Phi Theta Kappa scholarship. I have read success stories of tons of scholarships on the community college websites. I think the community college websites (not only yours- check out many community college websites!) and the college and career center (transfer center would be good places to look. At the end of the day, taking out loans is probably not a bad option, if you are in a career-track major. You will likely end up with about $15,000 in loans payable over 10 years at under 4% (unless you commute).</p>
<p>I will commute and work in addition to loans to pay for mine, since I am in a similar situation.</p>
<p>However, since you have kids as a part time ‘job’, that might not be an option. Look in to ‘back to school’ grants or grants/scholarships aimed at parents returning to school since you qualify for those.</p>
<p>Also, what major are you? Getting a work study or other small job in the department would help pay for school and look great on your resume. The department might also have internal scholarships you can apply for.</p>
<p>And, make sure to submit your FAFSA ASAP!!! It is available on Jan 1, and you’ll need to use last year’s returns. It will give you your EFC (expected family contribution) which will be a rough amount that you will be expected to pay. I’m not super familiar with how it works, but I’d assume each of your kids would count as a dependent, which would bring your EFC down.</p>
<p>Yes, you will be offered US gov loans once you fill out the FAFSA. If you need additional loans past that, (I think you can get up to 7500 in subsidized & subsidized) you will need to find a private bank. I suggest a credit union and that you read through the contract very carefully!!!</p>
<p>You can get federal loans by completing your fafsa. As an independent student, you’re eligible to receive up to $12,500 in loans per academic year. A portion of that will be subsidizing and a portion will be unsubsidized and that’s determined by your EFC (expected family contribution). There are any number of private loans available that you can get access to through the school directly or through your bank or credit union as luckie mentioned. Be very cautious about private loans, because the interest rates and repayment terms vary quite a bit. Qualifying for federal loans are not at all based on credit or income, but private loans are.</p>
<p>You may get some sort of scholarship or grant through the University-even if it’s just minimal. If you haven’t already, check out the net price calculator is for the schools you’re interested in. They are usually fairly accurate. Here’s the link to the calculator for UCLA. </p>
<p>^ Thanks @2016Candles ! I forgot that the OP would be independent for FA.</p>
<p>On the FAFSA, they allow you to list up to 10 schools to receive your FAFSA. After your acceptance, each school will look at the info provided and determine if you qualify for any scholarships/workstudy.</p>
<p>Conceptually, the UCs will expect you to pay the EFC determined by filling out the FAFSA, plus take a work-study job for a couple thousand more. That is the baseline. Then they will offer you a combination of federal and state (CalGrant, if applicable) grants and loan options to make up the full cost of attendance. The two options beyond this are special circumstances changing the cost of attendance, and outside scholarships. The rule of thumb is that outside scholarships never (at UC) reduce the EFC number. They are applied to work-study allocation, loans, and grants; hopefully in that order. If someone has experience here to refine the details, chime in.</p>
<p>The point is, it is definitely worthwhile to look into outside scholarships to offset the allocated work-study and loan amounts, which could be around $2-3K (W-S) + up to $12.5K (loans) per year. So scholarships up to $15K per year (depending on your EFC and grants) are worth pursuing.</p>
<p>Note that freshmen with $0 EFC can benefit from up to $8K in outside scholarships (that is 8-16 of those typically $500-$1,000 local scholarships!). Beyond that, while it reduces impact to UC in grant aid, it has no effect on what the student pays.</p>
<p>wow. this is all pretty extensive. i need to really catch up on all of it. Is there a link or study guide on all the options out there that might give me more insight and maybe a step by step process? this is pretty intimidating.</p>
<p>Don’t be intimidated. Most of the steps are done by default simply by filling out your fafsa. That’s the most important step by far.</p>
<p>Once you’re accepted to schools, they will also send you your financial aid package- either the sane day you’re accepted or within a week or so. That will show any state, federal, and university grants, scholarships, and loans being offered. </p>
<p>Any outside scholarships will require your time and effort. (I applied for a handful of scholarships through UCLA- got none of them.) Each scholarship will have its own application and unique set of requirements. This can be time consuming, but the payoff can be good. It will take effort and time to not only find the scholarships, but also going thru all the apps.</p>
<p>What a relief, candles! this looks so daunting, glad to hear much of it is take care of during fafsa and after acceptance. that will help.</p>
<p>luckie, i have family near both ucla and cal. i live near cal though, but will be able to commute to either. housing is not an issue, just need help with tuition and books. thank you.</p>
<p>Great news! Not having housing costs will drop the price total a ton.</p>
<p>Candles is right, much of it is done by FAFSA and the schools.</p>
<p>Also, check amazon and other websites for deals on textbooks. The estimated amount is generally for new books, but you don’t always need a brand new book.</p>
<p>Have you run the NPCs yet? (net price calculator)</p>
<p>You will be fine doing nothing but the FAFSA.</p>
<p>You may wish to make an appointment with the transfer coordinator at your community college and ask them to walk you through the need-based financial aid, step-by-step, at UC. Then ask where you can find resources for other scholarship money, besides need-based (i.e. merit or through affiliation with a special population/group- such as returning mothers, etc.). These optional sources of money may really help reduce costs, often $500 at a time.</p>
<p>Unfortunately, you’re in the same boat I was. Those so-called middle class aid packages, blue and gold and now a new one, they calculate all your assets (not house or retirement). So if you have any stocks, any savings etc. they really put the screws to you, even if you fall within the income parameters. You could have no income but assets will kick you out. So, it all boils down to your savings (or your parents’ savings - sorry I didn’t get your living situation). You should check one of those net calculators that determine family contribution amounts. It isn’t totally accurate, but if you have any savings, it will at least give you a general idea. There is a base amount they automatically deduct (meaning it isn’t calculated), like $50,000 or something like that. </p>
<p>Yeah, @calbound007, the new FA scholarship is called the Middle Class Scholarship (MCS) that gives aid for families with up to $150,000 income. If you don’t have much in savings, you can probably qualify.</p>
<p>The Middle Class Scholarship is under fire from State Senate leader Kevin de Leon, I wouldn’t rely on it lasting for the duration of the time you are enrolled at a UC.</p>