<p>Hi everyone,
Originally I thought I would be classified as a California resident because I've attended high school in California for 2 years. However, I was classified as a non-California resident because according to the UC residency policy, since I'm a dependent upon my father, my residency depends on my father's status. He is a Canadian citizen who has resided in California for most of the year, and I'm a US citizen who has resided in California for the entire year. </p>
<p>Originally, if I was classified as a California resident, I would only have to loan about $7000 per year. However, now that I'm not considered a California resident, I have to loan $30,000 a year, which is a huge burden.</p>
<p>I tried filing a residency appeal, and failed. I already asked the financial aid office whether or not any other type of grant was available, but there isn't.</p>
<p>What should I do? Should I just loan the money and keep filing for residency reclassification every quarter? Should I just attend a CCC?</p>
<p>However if I do attend a CCC, I feel like it's too late to sign up for good classes and I would really not want to consider that option because of personal reasons.</p>
<p>First of all, California residency for purposes of in-state tuition and grants requires three years of attendance at a California high school (plus graduation), not two.</p>
<p>Second, you can keep filing for residency reclassification all you want - but living in California just to go to school won’t get it for you. If that were the case, every out-of-state student who moves to California would automatically get in-state tuition once they start school. It doesn’t work that way.</p>
<p>Finally, you can’t borrow the $30,000 you need to attend a California state school. (Actually, the amount you’d need is closer to $50,000, including room & board, books, etc., but it makes no difference - you can’t borrow that either.) If one of your parents wants to borrow the money, that’s up to them. If one of your parents wants to cosign a loan - so the loan is in both your name and your parent’s name - that’s up to them. But you, on your own, can’t borrow anywhere near that much.</p>
<p>If you’re determined to go to a UC state school, then get a place to live in California (on your own, not with a parent), get a job, pay your own expenses, and, at some point down the road, you’ll have earned yourself California residency and you can go to school there. It won’t be anytime soon.</p>
<p>What should I do? Should I just loan the money and keep filing for residency reclassification every quarter? Should I just attend a CCC?</p>
<p>First of all, you aren’t “loaning” anything. you’d be BORROWING the money. (when did that word get so mixed up??)</p>
<p>No, ask the school to delay your enrollment for one year. </p>
<p>You can’t borrow that much anyway, nor should you. Your parents would have to co-sign and that’s just not a good idea since you’d end up with too much debt by the time you graduate. </p>
<p>You can’t get state residency on your own by moving out. Calif is quite clear on that. Stay with your dad in Calif, work this year and save your money (put the money into DAD’S savings acct). </p>
<p>Of course he can. Just not anytime soon. He’d have to be an independent, self-supporting adult, living and working in California. School would be delayed several years.</p>
<p>Don’t know whether Dad is still in California, or has already gone back to Canada. Also don’t’ know where mom is living. Perhaps she also lived in California and has since moved away? Either way, if his appeals were denied, it sounds like delaying enrollment for a year isn’t going to help. If mom lives in another state, that might be the place to look at enrolling in the state university.</p>
<p>Is Dad now a CA resident, if so contact UCSB residency and find out when you would be considered a resident. Usually 12 months after Dad became one.</p>
<p>Dodgersmom: Sorry I didn’t clarify that UCSB gave me about $22,000 worth of university grant and federal grants and scholarship money. What I didn’t qualify for was the original Cal Grant, as well as an addition of about $22,000 for the non residential fee. So basically, what you said was correct about the $50,000, but I already subtracted it, which is why I ended up with $30,000. Also, my parents and divorced and we have no idea where my mother is. I haven’t had contact with her since I was 5.</p>
<p>mom2collegekids: Yes, I am a US citizen. I got the federal pell grant and university grants, but the amount I have to borrow is about $30,000</p>
<p>somemom: My dad isn’t a CA resident now unfortunately. If he was, I would still have to wait 1 year until I can qualify as a Cali resident.</p>
<p>Sigh. Actually, I got into NYU, but because of financial reasons I decided to attend UCSB. Now, I really regret it because although NYU’s financial package wasn’t any better than UCSB’s :(</p>
<p>I can almost guarantee that if you HAD gotten the Cal Grant, then the university grant would have been reduced by the SAME amount. You would NOT have been given a Cal Grant AND $22k in university grants.</p>
<p>Are you saying that your dad isn’t living in Calif now? If not, then that is a huge problem. You may have to decline and then apply to schools that will be affordable for you. </p>
<p>If your dad is living in Calif, then ask for a delay in enrollment.</p>
<p>Borrowing that much is just crazy.</p>
<p>NYU wouldn’t have been any better…too much debt. Besides, who would (naively) co-sign all that debt? Certainly not someone with much foresight.</p>
<p>mom2college kids: Yes I realize that, but I wouldn’t have to worry about the extra non-Cali residential fees that are 22,000k. Which means that the amount I would have borrowed would be 10k at most per year, especially since I’m low income. Plus, my dad is in California. And I realize that NYU wouldn’t have been much better, but I actually really wanted to go there, so I regret not sending my SIR to NYU.</p>
<p>Ok…so dad is in Calif now. Will he have residency in a year? If so, request a one year delay for enrollment.</p>
<p>If you start as an OOS student, it will be VERY hard for you to change to instate…besides, as you say, you’re low income, so you can’t get a big loan. Your dad isn’t qualified to co-sign and he can’t do Plus because he’s not a citizen. </p>
<p>Don’t have regrets about NYU…you can’t get big loans for 4 years at a UC (or even one year), so you certainly can’t get big loans for NYU.</p>
<p>Request a one year delay in enrollment…then get your great aid.</p>
<p>Your situation is certainly confusing. Bottom line is that only your dad can borrow the amount you’d need to start school this year (either on his own or as co-signor for you). Don’t know what to tell you.</p>
<p>What about Canada? Know it’s not what you were planning . . . but might you be able to attend a Canadian university?</p>