UA may be cheaper than going to CC in CA and transferring (and commuting!) to a UC

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Alabama
1

<p>something interesting ive noticed…this calculation applies to my situation specifically, and i doubt this is a very exact calculation, but i think CA (or any other state’s) residents can get a lot out of this considering the recent budget mess</p>

<p>california community college (commuter, 2 years)
$814 (“fees” aka tuition)
1638 (books)
= $2,452/year => 2452<em>2 = $4,904

  • UC (commuter, 2 years)
    10302 (“fees”)
    822 (2011 fees increase)
    1405 (campus fees for UCSB)
    1609 (books)
    = $14,138/year => 14138</em>2 = $28,276</p>

<p>TOTAL FOR 4 YEARS = $33,180
w/ Stafford loans, out of pocket
$13,276 for 4 years (and $23,004 in debt, not including capitalized interest for deferment)</p>

<p>University of Alabama
20500 (OOS tuition)
750 (course fees)
600 (Dining Dollars)
2544 (Silver meal plan)
7500 (Honors housing) or 4700 (regular housing)
1100 (books)
= $32,994/year (or $30,194 w/ regular housing) => $131,976
w/ guaranteed scholarships
32994 (total OOS costs)
-13667 (UA scholar)
-6833 (engineering supplement)
-2500 (engineering leadership award)
=$9,994/year (or $7,194 w/ regular housing) => 9994*4 = $39,976</p>

<p>TOTAL FOR 4 YEARS = $39,976 if you’re in Honors housing for 4 years
(we’re over by 6k, but if you’re willing to be in some extra debt [AND CAN HANDLE IT], it’s a better deal for your parents)
w/ Stafford loans, you will pay this out of pocket:
$12,976 for 4 years (and $30,000 in debt, not including capitalized interest for deferment)
…
BUT if you choose not to be in the more expensive housing
$28,776 for 4 years OR
$1,776 for 4 years w/ 30k in loans (I assumed you will receive all $7500 in your last two years b/c the UA cost of attendance includes personal costs which I did not factor into these calculations) …if you go down that path, it’s a definite no-brainer </p>

<p>anyways, food for thought…good advertising for the state of AL haha :P</p>

2

<p>:)</p>

<p>My Calif nephew and my brother are coming to Bama for CSDay. For them, going to Bama is the least expensive choice. Nephew has the Presidential and engineering scholarship, so costs will be about $10k per year…maybe less for years that he’s not a frosh and meal plan and such can be reduced. </p>

<p>My brother is thrilled…LOL. He’s got 4 kids (one already in college, and the others in Catholic K-12). </p>

<p>Nephew still is unsure (wants UCLA), but I think this campus visit will convince!</p>

3

<p>I have a friend from California who attends UA because it is more affordable for her than going to a UC. It is also important to consider that many students will attend a UC for their first two years instead of attending a CC. Additionally, your calculations assume that a student would graduate in 4 years, which is hard to do at some California schools if they can’t get into required classes.</p>

<p>For those California students who aren’t eligible for a UA merit scholarship and who may not get into the UC of their choice, I see schools in AZ, NV, and OR being good options with the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) which makes OOS tuition 150% of the college’s in-state tuition.</p>

4

<p>U of Arizona was another on our list, another NM scholarship (pulled the plug on that one - no true Honors College) and after the visit – well Roll Tide. </p>

<p>Anyways something to double check, friends who were also looking at it for the WEU benefit were surprised when we were informed at information reception, NO such benefit is applied at UofAZ. “We don’t need to offer it, we have enough applicants.” They were dissapointed and recalculating expenses. </p>

<p>A good example of don’t assume anything until the school itself puts it in writing.</p>

5

<p>WUE waivers are lame…it’s not even a guarantee…like they can just yank the scholarship away from you…they threatened to do that at NAU, where a lot of the kids at my school went</p>

<p>and even with it, costs would still be around $20-25k…</p>

6

<p>

i love how clever you guys are getting with this interjection :slight_smile:

their mining engineering program does i think</p>

7

<p>Well, we are leaning heavily toward Bama, even though we have such a great public system here in NC. It’s pretty hard to beat “FREE.” :)</p>

<p>Several UNC-system schools have full-ride scholarships, but you have to jump through 50,000 hoops to get them (separate apps, on-site interviews, etc.). </p>

<p>I’ll take “easy / free” any old day. :)</p>