Hello everyone! Sorry I am still quite new to this site and hope I am posting in the right area.
Well I started this forum because I am concerned about affording UC schools (UCSB, UCSD, UCD, and UCLA). I submitted my application for these for universities to be accepted fall 2016 and plan to go to any one of these. I prefer UCSB and UCD over UCSD and UCLA. By the looks of it I might go to UCSD, however, if I get accepted since I live very close by to it. I am a little bit confused on the tuition costs. Ok so I am just going to evaluate under UCSB’s financial aid since that is my first choice of school that I want to go to. So we have according to their website for 2015-2016
Tuition $12, 240
Campus Based Fees $1716
Books and Supplies $1403
Healthcare allowance $2772
Loan Fees $122
Roam and Board $14,192
Personal Expenses $1713
Telephone/Cellphone $402
Transportation $753
Total $35313
Do I have to pay the transportation, healthcare allowance, loan fees, and personal expenses? Most of you might see this as affordable and such, but I live in a household that makes less than $16,000 a year. I am surprised I am still alive, most days I eat the max two protein bars. Other days I don’t eat, though I do make sure to eat for 3 days consecutively before an exam to not feel exhausted.
If I go to UCSD it’s
Estimated Budget/Cost of Attendance for Undergraduates 2014–2015
Estimated Cost of Attendance: Living with Parents
Tuition and Fees
UC Systemwide Tuition/Fees: $12,192 UCSD Campus Fees: $1,264 Total CA Resident Tuition/Fees: $13,456
Housing and Meals $4,643
Books and Supplies $1,509
So the housing and meals are not mandatory to pay in this one I believe. And if I take out loans or get a part time job it might be more manageable then going to UCSB and then graduating with debt. I don’t really have a sense of finance so I could really use some advice on how I should plan my spending once I go to the four year institutions. The counselors at my community college were not much of help, they just said go anywhere since it really is the only chance of “1-upping” myself. They also said they didn’t give financial advice which I was shocked by.
Also is there a forum here on mental health and prescription drugs?
It sounds like you may qualify for some financial aid. If you are a California resident, you should be applying for financial aid. On January 1, the application period opens for FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid). Estimate and have your parents file their California taxes and any of your taxes, and get everything done before the deadline of March 2, 2016. It is a lengthy application so make sure you have all of the financial papers for your family.
The costs you have listed above, for transportation, personal expenses, etc., are estimated for you. They won’t include these on a bill. You have to estimate what you will be spending on traveling to the college (to get to the college and back-bus, bike, car, etc). You have to estimate what you will spend on books (hint: go online and get used books), at the commons/bookstore/local eateries/entertainment, etc.
Required costs are tuition and fees and room and board (if you live away from home). Healthcare coverage is REQUIRED, so if you already have insurance through your parents, you can probably ask for a waiver. The school will ask you for a copy of your health insurance plan and you will attach that plan and send it to the college. Otherwise, you have to pay their health fee.
School counsellors are not trained or otherwise equipped to get into your finances, unfortunately. Because of your income level and the generous aid that California and UCs give, you will get a lot of aid since you are 0 EFC, it seems. But they do expect you to take your student loan of 5,500. This is considered to be reasonable in exchange for an education, and a good one.
Edit to add-- the UC will give you aid to cover those listed expenses. Some costs are directly paid to school from the aid given, such as tuition/fee/health. The rest goes to you to cover those estimates. So transportation is just what they think you need to get home. You can keep what you don’t spend, use it on other expenses. So buy your books used and/or rent. Save the extra.
You will likely get a work/study job, work just a few hours a week and it will give you some pocket money. It may make sense to dorm you will get meals paid and live with other students.
How come you don’t have free lunch at school? There is no mental health forum but ppl discuss things with other kids in the HS forum and you can always post in the Parents forum, kids who need advice or help often do.
You can PM me if you want more info I can send you sample aid package for your EFC. One you get the aid package ppl here can help break it down for you and help with seeing what the final cost for you.
Ok I see you are a transfer. So I don’t have sample packages but likely you will get a package but the basics of what I said hold true. You will get a package that does ask for a loan. Having a loan for only 2years is reasonable. You will need a summer job too probably, so get one and save 2to 3 thousand. Definitely get the fafsa done as early as you can. Look to each school and see if there are any department scholarships you can apply for. Come back when you get your offers.
Thank you everyone for the input. I have another question since I am taking engineering courses when I transfer would it be reasonable to get a part-time job and do the minimum amount of credits to be considered a full-time student or should I take less units and be a part-time student. I am a little fearful of not having enough time to study for classes if I work part time and have a full course load. Of course this could possibly mean taking another year to graduate, but I am in no rush. My mother said she would support me for an extra year if I needed to and if worse comes to worse, I can always move in with a friend and pay them rent.
I heard engineering classes grade on a curve so I just want to make sure I stay at least in the A to B range of the curve.
Also (sorry for so many questions) does anyone know if there is a “payed study session” for individual courses at UCSD? I have a friend that goes to SDSU and around the time of finals, “study sessions” are offered. You have to pay a price that I believe is around $70. These study sessions are hosted by students who have previous exams from the professor and do a sort of crash course on what has appeared on the professor’s finals from the years before. I wish they had done this at my community college.
I was looking at the Blue and Gold Opportunity on their website and I didn’t know this existed when I was in high school. I would have gone straight to the UC schools I had gotten accepted to when I had graduated. I don’t regret community college though, I think if anything it kept me out of trouble. Most of my friends had already dropped out of college or got too into the party scene.
If I receive the gift aid then the UCSB cost will not include the $12,240 in tuition fees?
The OP mentioned community college and not getting much financial advice there. Can s/he still get Calgrant if not applied for it right out of high school?
I believe that the student would be getting a BOG grant, (which is free tuition at a CC), and his Cal Grant would be put on hold for the TWO years he’d be at a UC. (Two years max at UC with a Cal Grant for transfers).
i’m wondering if he submitted FAFSA. He should have gotten free tuition plus 5700 pell grant. He shouldn’t be starving!!!
You should have looked at you financial aid package before declining the UCs freshman year. They give huge financial aid to very low income. Given your described income, you will still get very large aid at a UC. Look at the aid packages before you commit. You should get much covered in those list of expenses. Yes tuition and fees will be covered.
When you get your aid you can see how much you might have to work, depending on your package. Hopefully you can just do a 10 to 12 hour/week work-study job on campus for pocket money. Easy to get to, so no wasted time and some jobs are easy and even some you can study during if you are lucky.
Hello everyone again! Sorry for the late reply I had two exams on Monday and Tuesday.
I plan to get a job next semester when I am not taking so many units (this semester I took 18 units) and I have asked my mother to apply for food stamps and she said she would. I did apply for FASFA and I get the full amount, but I have not touched more than 500 dollars out of all the money I have received here at CC. I am saving that money for what the cal grants don’t cover.
As for my eating habits I am not too concerned. I was overweight before, but am now reaching a healthy weight range. I went to the doctor two days ago and he said my blood work looked okay. The only problem I had was low blood pressure, but that is more due to my sleep deprivation if anything.
Thank you everyone for your input and suggestions. And I definitely plan to do the work-study job when I transfer.