Hey guys, I was accepted to UC Davis for Fall 2015 and I was wondering if people here could answer my question. Here is the financial aid package they sent me:
Contributions
Student Self-Help $3,333.00
Expected Family Contribution (EFC) $167.00
Total Contributions $3,500.00
Financial Need $29,600.00
Estimated Financial Aid
Fed Direct Subsidized Loan $5,000.00
Federal Pell Grant Program $5,625.00
University Campus Fee Grant $540.00
University Grant $18,435.00
Total Estimated Financial Aid
$29,600.00
Remaining Cost
$0.00
I am low income and was awarded the Blue and Gold plan which covers my tuition, but if I am reading this correctly, They are offering me a 5k loan and expect me to contribute 3.5k which brings my cost of attendance to 8.5k per year as an on campus student. Now the question I have is, does anyone know if Cal Grants are included in this award? I haven’t changed my college of attendance in the Cal Grant website because I don’t know where I’ll be attending yet so does UC Davis change my award to include my Cal Grant once I change my college of attendance? And does anyone know how much Cal Grant is awarded at a UC? Also, I am currently under the work study program at my CCC, but I don’t see work study on my Davis award so does that mean they did not award me or is work study added later on? Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
My financial aid offer is almost identical to yours. Cal grant a is a little over 12k, however im pretty sure its part of the “university grant”. Im also curious about the student self help, and work study portions of our offers
Wow that would really dampen my enthusiasm for attending Davis if Cal Grants are a part of the University grant I guess I’ll give them a call on Monday about work study.
UC Davis gave me the worst financial aid out of all the schools I got accepted to. It’s unfortunate because I really liked the campus when I visited and it is one of my top choices.
I have 2 kids and my package was identical to yours… Definitely calling them next week- and it would be lame if the cal grant is used as part of the “university grant”. … I wonder if anyone on this thread knows
Waitlisted at UCSD, waiting for UCI, I kinda regret not applying to UCSB I thought Davis would give me more and I really like the campus but not at 8.5k per year
@ItsSoSunny lol ucsb wouldn’t have been a guaranteed shoe in either dude…I know plenty ppl coming off ucsb rejections.
Anyway dude…Davis is saying I need to pay 8.5k a year as well work study not included.
while ucsb is saying I need to pay 9.5k a year…but with work study included. ($2000)
Totally don’t know what to do in all honesty. Any help would be extremely appreciated.
P.S remember that the netcost is just a sum of the "estimated " amount you may have to have to attend the institution. Your living factors may be much different than the estimated netcost thus making your true netcost much less dude. It’s something you (as well as I) need to discuss with the aid office personally. I plan to do that when I visit Davis and SB in order to figure out exactly how much my real netcost would be based on my true living factors. Because cost of attendance amount is totally way over exaggerated.
im also debating whether to attent davis or ucsb this fall. the only thing about davis that im concerned about is the housing, because i put on campus on my fafsa not realizing how much their apartments cost compared to local off campus apartments
if i change my preference to off campus im worried about how my financial aid will be affected
When I first saw my Davis aid…I thought my netcost was $3,500. Now that I realize the real netcost is only $1000 less than ucsb…things have gotten more interesting. Guess my visits to each campus in may will determine my decision. Since there isn’t much difference in the aid offers …
@Samantha19 Yea I’m not saying I would’ve been guaranteed in, but I wish I would’ve applied just so I could have one more option had they accepted me. 8.5k is kind of a sticker shock lol. Regarding your situation, I would go to the school you like best since your offers are similar. Maybe research which school is better in terms of your major, campus feel, etc.
@UCmanny Do you know how much cheaper off campus is? I really didn’t give much thought into housing because I don’t know anyone there and figured I’d live on campus for a year, but it looks like it’ll cost a pretty penny Did you apply to UCI?
@ItsSoSunny fair enough. Thanks for the advice. Yeah I figure I’ll just have to go with where I truly like best. And in the end…that’s what we’re all trying to figure out during this hectic process.
The stress doesn’t really begin before you’re accepted…it’s after you get in.
@ItsSoSunny you can easily find an off campus apartment with a roommate for around $500 a month as opposed to $1000 a month with a roommate for on campus apartments
Update: If anyone was curious, just called the financial aid office and they said Cal Grants are a part of the “University Grant” -_- they receive the info from the cal grant commission in the summer and subtract the amount from your university grant and replace them with your cal grant, so you basically get the same amount as what your university grant currently says. Also they said they don’t award work study for incoming transfers because they “want students to acclimate themselves to the school” (wtf?) and she said to inquire about it in 2nd quarter. So I think if you are low income, you’ll qualify and you should visit the financial aid office when your 1st quarter ends.
Honestly is 16k for a bachelors degree that bad? I don’t know what you’re complaining about. You have also realize that you are paying for housing and food, which you pay regardless of where you are.
My EFC is same as op’s and even less but UCD offers me less than UCLA. I wonder how each UC determines the financial need? When I checked the financial aid letter, they also consider me as “off campus” housing though I definitely put “on campus” on Fafsa. Is it a mistake?
The 5K loan is at least subsidized, meaning it won’t accumulate any interest as long as you are a full time student. My financial aid package was similar to yours except subsidized loan 3K plus a low interest loan for 2K, and I am extremely happy with it. Especially considering living on campus costs 16K with no assistance! Hope everything works out for you, but I believe most of the lower income families received almost the same package.
I received about the same financial aid as well. I was wondering whether or not the Middle Class Scholarship will apply later on or not, it says in the email that you and the school will be notified in late July. Will it affect how much the University will give you?
So. . . Why are you complaining again? You have all of your fees and tuition paid by the Cal Grant/Blue & Gold plan, you are receiving a Pell Grant, which is FREE money you can use towards books/supplies/room and board (Be sure to claim it on your taxes if used for those purposes). In fact, your University Grant is much larger than what your tuition and fees are, so just use the excess amount to pay for your room and board. You may have to take out a loan to “live on” if you don’t want to get a part-time job, but that is up to you. I just don’t get it when people complain and whine, just be grateful that your fees are paid for and you are receiving a lot of extra free money, I know I sure am grateful.
I guess I’ll give them a call on Monday about work study.