<p>Does UCLA really cost 32k like it says it does on its website, or is there a way to trim that cost down to maybe 25k? I was thinking of living off campus my second year; is that necessarily cheaper? UCLA has been my dream school FOREVER, but they gave me no financial aid, so it looks like I can't go. I'm not too keen on taking out student loans just because I'd rather save all that debt for when I go to grad school...scholarships also won't make a big difference in the decision making either because most scholarships I've applied for don't notify you if you win until after May 1, the day that the SIR has to be submitted. There has to be a way! I refuse to let my dreams and hard work go to waste. Help!!</p>
<p>I hear finding affordable housing off campus the second and later years is impossible because of the area, would love to hear input on that from someone that has searched the market. I heard $1500 month for a tiny studio. Interested in realistic price ranges, not extremes like sticking 6 students in a studio. So I am not sure you can save on housing, I find it hard to believe you could cut it in half, or no one would live in dorms to begin with.</p>
<p>I’ve been checking craiglist recently. There are a lot of studios within a two mile radius of campus in the $1000-$1200 range. A rare couple of $900-$1000 pop up, but those are normally bachelors. Not having a kitchen is a dealbreaker for me. My advice would be to find a room share on craigslist. Some places offer nice privacy with your own room and sometimes your own bathroom. Make sure you meet the people first though, and get a feel for how they live.</p>
<p>I paid 480$ for a shared room in a 2 bedroom apartment. I’m sure living off campus can be cheaper than living on campus, but it really depends on the individual and how you budget your money.</p>
<p>Yes it is possible to trim down the price, but you’re still looking around at least $26~28K. Tuition is locked at $12685 this year; Housing and Meals for Cheapest (3 person residence hall) maybe around $11500; Books should be only around $500 or so for one year (I don’t understand why UCLA estimates it to 1.5K) , I’ve had friends wasting maybe only $200 per year (they rented/bought used); Student Health insurance $1323. This is the lowest I can trim it down for. I’m assuming you don’t have a car so did not factor in transportation cost. This adds up to around $26k but you probably have other personal expenses so you’ll probably be wasting more than that. It definitely is cheaper if you live off campus, but with other dorm-mates. So you probably can reduce your whole cost to around $25k during your second year if you do choose to move off campus and if you live frugally enough.</p>
<p>Oh there are many ways to reducing housing costs. Many people move out to the apartments by the end of their sophomore year, and some do it earlier.</p>
<p>As stated above, you likely will not have a car, so transportation costs will be at a minimum (and you’ll probably meet friends who have cars). Books def. do not cost $1500 for the year. I was a north campus major, and I found ways to get cheaper books by buying them via bruinwalk.com, buying them from a friend of a friend, borrowing them from a friend who took the class, or doing some research on google and finding a free PDF version of the book. I usually spent $600 on books a year at MOST.</p>
<p>There is definitely affordable housing, but you will have to live with a roommate (I mean, you pretty much have to. This is college, get used to it). Fortunately, I had a terrific group of friends by the end of my sophomore year so I lived with 3 of my buddies in a 2 bedroom apartment. We paid between $550-650 each (after factoring in utility costs) depending on who got a parking spot or not, so housing wasn’t that bad at all. Now if you want to live in a single bedroom or a studio, then good luck, that will cost ya. Food was also okay. You just need to know how to budget it. I spent around $100 on groceries per month and spent another $100 going out to eat with friends/eating on campus. Sometimes, I had some friends who were freshman and sophomores and they would swipe me in at the dining halls so there was a free meal here and there.</p>
<p>Personal costs are always overrated. Unless you’re going to buy a crap ton of UCLA gear and random junk, you won’t be spending $2000, or whatever UCLA estimates it to be. Also, I found if you need personal spending money, get a part time job on campus. For instance, you can work at Bruin Cafe for 10 hours a week (minimum shift is 10 hours/week). They paid $9.25 an hour, and I believe $10.25 if it’s a night shift. That’s about $100 a week, which is a lot of money for a college student.</p>
<p>The easiest way to answer this question is to break down their estimated “Cost of Attendance”</p>
<p>Tuition $12,685 – can’t change this</p>
<p>Room & Board $14,454 – this would be like getting one of the most expensive housing plans. The list of different dorm buildings/room types and cost is here: [2012-2013</a> Contract Housing Rates and Payment Plans (1005183)](<a href=“http://map.ais.ucla.edu/go/1005183]2012-2013”>http://map.ais.ucla.edu/go/1005183)
On average people get triples in the Classic (~$11,300) or Deluxe Res Halls (~11,907 depending on meal plan). Cheapest housing option is classic res hall triple with a “regular” meal plan.</p>
<p>Books & Supplies $1,536 – I personally am super frugal with books and spend probably $250 or less on books at the end of the year. Other supplies could include your computer but that’s pretty much it.</p>
<p>Transportation $807 – Easy way to make this less: Don’t bring your car. Just don’t.</p>
<p>Personal $1,395 – obviously varies</p>
<p>Health Insurance $1,323 – If you already have health insurance you can waive this and not pay this cost at all. Fees at the student health center are cheap even without UC health insurance – around $10/ office visit</p>
<p>Loan Fees $156 – no loans, no fees.</p>
<p>So pretty much for me, my cost of attendance is about $26,000 per year.</p>
<p>As for off campus housing, most people pay around $650/month on rent for 4 people in a 2 bedroom.</p>
<ol>
<li>Why didn’t you get any financial aid? Most people I know get financial aid. If you didn’t get any, it’s likely because you can afford it. Anyway, here’s my take on housing.</li>
</ol>
<p>The best housing, by far, is living in a frat or sorority without actually being in that frat/sorority. The frats sometimes rent out rooms, and some of the dead frats rent out ALL their rooms - you get a giant room for $750. & professionally cleaned bathrooms and kitchens. This is the best deal in Westwood by far. And not that many people know about it. Dead frats especially are great because there’s no partying, but even the active frats keep the living quarters off limits during parties.</p>
<p>After that, you can try getting a 2 bedroom and having 4 people live in there. You’ll end up paying about $650 but you will have to share a room. If you live south of Wilshire, this can go down to about $500 if you’re lucky.</p>
<p>University apartments you also share rooms, and generally pay way more than $600 a month.</p>
<p>Lastly, if privacy or personal space is not important to you, the Co-op/treehouse can be an option. But even with the horrible conditions, you are still sharing a room and still paying 500+ a month, not to mention the constant partying. (I like co op parties, but living there sounds like a nightmare.)</p>