Thinking about Cal States but...... suggestions?

College Search & Selection
1

<p>okay, so I've been hearing a lot that I should be looking at cheaper in-state Cal State Universities to save money. I'm just not sure that with tuition, housing and the whole deal I would even afford that without having to take out some sort of loans... My parents are pretty low on the earning scale and can't help out at all with college financing. If I went to a CSU, would I still probably have to take out loans cause I've got no money to even start with for college. Is there a chance at all for me to go to a university even if its in state or am I pretty much limited to community college? anyone have any related experience?</p>

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<p>You can check the CSU net price calculator here:
[CSUMentor</a> - Financial Aid - PAIS](<a href=“Cal State Apply | CSU”>Cal State Apply | CSU)</p>

<p>The UCs have net price calculators on each individual campus web site.</p>

<p>CSUs (and UCs) tend to decent with financial aid for in-state students. Starting at community college is not a bad option either for many majors and situations (see [Welcome</a> to ASSIST](<a href=“http://www.assist.org%5DWelcome”>http://www.assist.org) to check whether your local community colleges have the courses needed to transfer in your major at your target CSUs and UCs).</p>

<p>In some cases, commuting to a local CSU or UC may result in a lower net cost.</p>

3

<p>Are you eligible for Pell Grants? Is there a CSU within commuting distance?
If you live at home to avoid housing costs, tuition, fees, and books at the CSUs are around $8,000 - $9,000. Perhaps you could contact the admissions office to see what funding options there might be, including work study, etc.
Another option would be to go to a CC for 2 years and make sure your grades are terrific. My niece got a scholarship to a CSU by doing that. It wasn’t a full ride but it helped.</p>

<p>Just cross-posted with ucbalumnus. Good advice there.</p>

4

<p>I’ve also found this to be a problem in California. We really don’t have a state flagship that offers affordable tuition… </p>

<p>If you’re determined to stay in state, then community college to csu/uc might be the cheapest option. If you’re ok with going out of state, many other state’s flagships offer good financial aid/scholarships. Consider checking those out as well.</p>

5

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<p>California is one of the better states for in-state low income families to get need-based financial aid at the public universities. It is net price that is important, not list price.</p>

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<p>Except for UNC-CH and UVA, public universities generally do not give good financial aid to out-of-state students. Some, like Penn State, are not very good with financial aid even to in-state students.</p>

<p>Merit scholarships, if you have the grades and test scores, can be a different story at some: <a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-16.html#post15557250[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/financial-aid-scholarships/1348012-automatic-full-tuition-full-ride-scholarships-16.html#post15557250&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>If you’re low income, then apply to the CSUs and UCs. It sounds like you’ll qualify for both Cal Grants and Pell Grants. </p>

<p>If you get accepted to a UC (even a lower tier UC), you probably will get enough aid to attend. Low income Calif students qualify for Blue and Gold promise, so lots of grant money and other aid. </p>

<p>CSUs aren’t as generous, but if you get full Pell Grant, Cal Grant, a student loan, and work study, you probably could cover most of your costs…maybe some earnings from a summer job could cover the rest.</p>

<p>By yourself, you can’t borrow much, so don’t expect to go that route. And, low income parents won’t likely qualify to cosign larger loans (and they probably won’t want to anyway).</p>

7

<p>*chance me for San Jose State
I’m a Southern California junior with currently a 3.32 weighted GPA looking to major in Hospitality at San Jose State. What are my chances of San Jose State based on GPA? I’m taking the SAT in March. Also, is Hospitality impacted? Last I heard, it’s not there.
*</p>

<p>What is your UC/CSU GPA…that’s what will get used.</p>

<p>You need to apply to all of the CSUs that have your major, even the lower tier CSUs. Does Monterey Bay have that major? </p>

<p>I don’t know if any of the lower tier UCs have that major, but if they do, apply there as well.</p>

<p>Do NOT bother with OOS publics. They will not give you the aid that you desperately need. see that you’re looking at UN-Reno. Even with WUE rates, the only aid you’d get is a Pell Grant and a small loan…you’d be gapped a large amount for the rest of the costs.</p>

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<p>Here are SJSU’s admission thresholds for fall 2012 and fall 2013:
[Info.sjsu.edu[/url</a>]</p>

<p>Of course, the thresholds may differ next year. The referenced eligibility index is calculated as given here:
[url=&lt;a href=“Cal State Apply | CSU”&gt;GPA Calculator | CSU]CSUMentor</a> - Plan for College - High School Students - Eligibility Index](<a href=“http://info.sjsu.edu/static/admission/impaction.html]Info.sjsu.edu[/url”>http://info.sjsu.edu/static/admission/impaction.html)
With high school GPA calculated as given here:
[CSUMentor</a> - Plan for College - High School Students - GPA Calculator](<a href=“Cal State Apply | CSU”>Cal State Apply | CSU)</p>

<p>According to <a href=“http://www.calstate.edu/sas/documents/impactedprogramsmatrix.pdf[/url]”>http://www.calstate.edu/sas/documents/impactedprogramsmatrix.pdf&lt;/a&gt; , Chico, Pomona, and San Francisco have unimpacted hospitality majors, while San Diego and San Jose are impacted in that major. However, the first three may have campus impaction, so check [CSU</a> Campus Impaction Information | Student Academic Support | CSU](<a href=“http://www.calstate.edu/sas/impaction-campus-info.shtml]CSU”>http://www.calstate.edu/sas/impaction-campus-info.shtml) for more information. If you are local to a CSU campus according to <a href=“http://www.calstate.edu/sas/publications/documents/CSULocalAdmission-ServiceAreas.pdf[/url]”>http://www.calstate.edu/sas/publications/documents/CSULocalAdmission-ServiceAreas.pdf&lt;/a&gt; , you may get admissions preference at that campus.</p>

<p>In addition, [Welcome</a> to ASSIST](<a href=“http://www.assist.org%5DWelcome”>http://www.assist.org) indicates that East Bay and Long Beach have hospitality majors, while Monterey Bay and Dominguez Hills have hospitality concentrations within their business majors. Long Beach is impacted, but the other three are not.</p>