UCSB with a scholarship costs the same as UCLA with no scholarship?

I got the regents scholarship at UCSB for $6000/yr and my net cost is the same as UCLA (no scholarship) which is disappointing. UCLA gave me a $6700 university grant whereas UCSB only gave me a $900 grant. The other UCs I got into also gave me grants similar to UCLA. It seems like UCSB just put my regents scholarship where my grants were supposed to go… Can I appeal this? What was the advantage of the scholarship if it’s not going to make college any cheaper?

You get to put it on your resume.

But life’s full of disappointments.

It’s disappointing, for instance, that I haven’t won the lottery yet.

However, you can only play the hand you’re dealt, so you should just rationally (not emotionally) weigh your choices and make a decision that you can live with.

That didn’t really answer my question. If I told them that UCLA, UCD, and UCSD offered me 6-7k in grants would they reconsider my FA? I’m wondering if an appeal would even be worth it.

The only real monetary advantage to you right now is the Regents grant is merit based, so if your EFC goes
up a lot in the coming years, you would still get the regents money, but the grants at the other UCs are
need based, so could go down. Another thing you probably won’t need to consider, but you probably
have to maintain a certain GPA to keep the regents. ( my daughter is in the other boat - didn’t get regents
and We were pretty disappointed. But after getting the aid package, the tuition is covered by blue
and gold grants anyway, so you are right - it doesn’t even matter!). You can try to appeal, but basically they offer you loans to cover your EFC and the rest in the grants, so I don’t know where they might be able to change anything.

Thank you @jbourne. I got blue & gold as well! I was hoping that UCSB would give me the scholarship on top of a 6-7k grant and that it wouldn’t just be one or the other. I might as well try to file an appeal even if it’s futile. The net price they gave me is very difficult to afford.

Doesnt’ Regents also give other benefits like priority registration?

What was your EFC?

In another thread, you mention that your EFC is over $10k. THAT is why Regents replaced the grant. You can’t get both.

Once you’re given a Cal Grant, and Regents, likely you have NO NEED. Even if you had some need, then a sub loan would cover that.

You can’t get a grant to cover your EFC.

Give us the full breakdown of your FA pkg…and is your EFC 12k??

I’m hoping it will work out financially for you. Congrats on your scholarship and all your acceptances. A lot of CC posters have been rejected from the schools you have to choose from.

@mom2collegekids‌
The package they gave me was with a ~$10k EFC. It went down from the original 12k I posted in the thread because of a mistake filling out the form but that doesn’t matter. With our updated info for 2014, my EFC is now 14k because my mom worked more. The good news is she said she can contribute at least 5k per year now.

UCSB package:

Total UCSB Cost Estimate$35834
Minus Unofficial Grants and Scholarships- $22712
Equals Unofficial Net Cost= $13122

Unofficial Grants and Scholarships$22712
Possible Cal Grant Eligibility$12804
Regents Scholarship$6000
UCSB New Freshman Scholarship$3000
UCSB GRANT$908

UCLA:
Estimated Cost of Attendance $34,752 / yr
Total Grants and Scholarships (“Gift” Aid; no repayment needed)$21,713 / yr
Net Costs$13,039 / yr

Grants and scholarships to pay for college
Total Grants and Scholarships (“Gift” Aid; no repayment needed)$21,713 / yr

UNIVERSITY GRANT

$6,680
CAL GRANT A
$12,804
UC GRANT TO PURCHASE USHIP

$2,229

Also, I would like to add that my net cost includes the most expensive housing and dining options.

If you have a $14k EFC, then why are you asking why you weren’t given a grant from UCSB??? How can they give you a grant when ALL of your need was met??

Your mom can pay $5k, and you can take out a student loan for the rest.

Because I was hoping the scholarship would be given in addition to my need being met.

No, it doesn’t work that way.

Scholarships get applied FIRST…and then the school determines what your need is. And once you got that merit award, you didn’t have any need left. You need to have need, in order to get grants.

<,
Unofficial Grants and Scholarships$22712
Possible Cal Grant Eligibility$12804
Regents Scholarship$6000
UCSB New Freshman Scholarship$3000
UCSB GRANT$908


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I want you to look at all that free money that you are being given and be grateful. You’re getting $23k. Over a 4 year period, you’ll be getting about $100k for YOUR college education, that YOU are going to enjoy and financially benefit for the rest of your life.

Your mom is going to pay $5k. You will have to come up with the rest either thru summer work and/or student loans. Your share is so little. Your share is really mostly for books, personal expenses and travel.

Don’t you think you should pay for your books, your travel, and your toothpaste, shampoo, and meals out with friends??? Don’t you think that you should pay for pricier meal plan and dorm options?

I’m not ungrateful at all, I just misunderstood how their scholarships work. I’m actually very happy that I can afford to go to college. However, an extra 6k would enable me to graduate without loans or relieve some of the burden from my mother, so why wouldn’t I at least try to obtain that?

Also, I am not going to pay for pricier meal and dorm plans… I made that point to say that my net cost is probably going to end up lower than the number they gave me.

Good!

Now, you can work full time over summers and part-time during the school year and likely graduate debt-free.

Also, they put in over $2000 in the Cost of Attendance for health care. If you are covered under a parent’s health care plan, you won’t need to pay that.

^

So that explains the suddenly much higher COA of UC’s. I wonder how many schools are now including that in COA?

COAs are getting more and more padded so that people can borrow to cover these expenses. It just makes COAs look higher than they really need to be, which makes comparing costs more difficult.