<p>Hello, I am a seventeen year old senior in the state of Pennsylvania. Recently I have been accepted to every university/college that I've applied for except one. All of the are instate schools except for California State University: Northridge. I really would love to go to that CSU but I'm thinking it may be a kind of crazy goal. I have already discussed in another thread I started about how the budget costs are effecting everyone, also how it's a ridiculous price for out of staters. The only thing that is preventing me from going to CSUN is the impaction which could cause me to stay there for 6 years. The impaction wouldn't bother me that much if I wasn't paying out of state costs. So I decided what if I look into a community college over in Southern California.</p>
<p>I am going to be taking out loans and applying for FAFSA. I am not relying on my parents to pay for my college because at this point of time my mother can't and my father who I do not live with could pay for college but I doubt he will. My mother will be helping me out with my personal needs (she will not put me down as a dependent anymore so the money for groceries will not effect me getting instate) So I'm relying on a parent plus loan and I know that you have to have your parents sign...I also am relying on federal aid ect. So whatever federal aid grants/loans I get will go to my selected college and the remaining money I will take out in loans. I know that's crazy but that's how it will be for whatever college I go to. So to save money I'm thinking about going to Santa Monica College. It will be the same cost total as if I would go to this instate school. I plan to get a job at the college or anywhere else possible (I know the job market is bad but I'm prepared for what could happen).</p>
<p>I'm just wondering how hard it is to get accepted to Santa Monica as an Out of Stater? I am just applying now because I didn't expect to apply there. I also want to know would it be difficult to find a place close near the school because I am not sure if I will have a car. Also do you think this is a good idea? I really do not want to stay in my state because I always wanted to live in Southern California and a lot of my friends are over there (people I've known since I was in preschool ect.) I also want to go to a UC school and the cost is ridiculous for an out of stater. So I'm thinking about gaining my residency when going to Santa Monica. Then I could transfer out to a UC school and pay instate. I would not be going to CSUN anymore if I could do the tag program Santa Monica offers.</p>
<p>This would be cheaper than a the private school I got accepted too and also Penn State.</p>
<p>It’s NOT a good idea. You will be paying out of state tuition at a community college and living in a very expensive area. I don’t believe you will get CA residency if your parents are helping you**, which means another $100K for the UC. </p>
<p>Stay in state. Get a degree without going into massive debt. Save your California dream for after graduation (or a summer trip.)</p>
<p>** more on establishing residency in CA:
Students who will not reach age 24 by December 31 of the year in which classification as a resident is requested, and who are not dependent upon a natural or adoptive parent who satisfies University requirements as a resident for tuition purposes,will be required to satisfy the University’s self-sufficiency requirement in addition to the 366 day physical presence and intent requirements. It should be noted that this requirement makes it extremely difficult for most undergraduates who do not have a parent domiciled in California to qualify for classification as a resident at a University of California campus.</p>
<p>I’ve just realized about the Parent Plus Loan but Santa Monica Colleges shows that a lot of out of staters end up getting residency after one year. Since I will need a loan period what if my co-signer is not one of my parents? Or would that still not allow me to be financially independent? I am not having them pay for my schooling at all it’s just I’m not sure if I could take out a loan by myself.</p>
<p>Can you provide a way that I could pay for school but still be considered independent?</p>
<p>It sounds like you need to be over 24 then, based on the excerpt I quoted above. </p>
<p>California lawmakers are very savvy about out-of-staters wanting to establish residency. It’ll be hard to find a loophole you can squeeze through - they’ve thought this out a lot longer than you, lol.</p>
<p>It will take 60 credit hours to transfer and the non-resident tuition at SMC is $190 per hour. The total tuition will be $11,400 for two years or $5,700 per year. There are some fees added on as well.
Other community colleges may be slightly cheaper. Santa Barbara and San Diego are showing $183 per unit, which makes their total tuition $10,980.</p>
<p>California community colleges have a 100% ‘acceptance’ rate for any high school graduate or 18-year-old.</p>
<p>And no, you cannot use a Parent Plus loan to establish financial independence for residency purposes. Financially independent means just that – independent, i.e, ZERO $$ support. A Parent Plus loan is just money from your parents. THEY are borrowing the money, so it is their debt, not yours. As far as the colleges are concerned, your parents are ‘supporting’ you with that loan money.</p>
No, you probably can’t. Each public college system in CA has its own rules for residency. Here is what UCLA says (and all the UC schools use the same criteria; the CSU schools all share their own criteria, and so on)
Sounds like you’re thinking you can go the self-supported route to try to qualify, so keep this in mind
So that money from your mom is going to torpedo things; if you don’t list it then the income vs expenditures on your budget won’t match up; if you do then you’re not financially independent. So will any loans she cosigns.</p>
<p>If I got the perkins loan, grants and the stafford loan would I possibly have enough money for smc? Then I can build my credit so I could get a private student loan by myself when the time for csun comes.</p>
<p>I well be self supporting forr basically everything but I forgot about how will I get the extra loans.</p>
<p>Well time forr csu’s and uc’s? Or should I not get residency at all pay for smc with loans co signed by my parents…going to smc with cost of tuition and an apartment would be the same as if I was instate also then I would just tranfer to a csu instead of uc and pay private school money.</p>