@Gumbymom Aw, thank you for your help. Good luck!
@newjerseygirl98: I am a native born Californian and I think you have an idealized vision of California and their beaches. First, Cal State LA is not in the nicest or safest areas of LA. My husband lived 10 minutes away and he could tell you some pretty scary stories. Also the best beaches in California are probably in the San Diego, Ventura and Santa Barbara areas and points North of LA (at least 2 hours or more away). Before you make any major decisions, I suggest if possible to come for a visit and take a look at the campus’s you are interested in attending. This is the only way you will not if the cost is worth it.
@gumbymom I know there’s bad parts of CA. But I’m from NJ, which has I think three of the worst cities in the USA. I’ve been to the “ghettos” in other states that didn’t seem that bad at all.
Venice beach is in LA, and looks beautiful. I’ve heard LA beaches are better than SF, I guess it depends on the person. I’m definitely going to visit before I apply.
You really, really, really need to reread this thread and take the advice about RUNNING NET PRICE CALCULATORS. You are guessing at your costs otherwise. Don’t look at tuition or what it says for OOS student as an overall cost. Run the calculators, that will tell you what you would be expected to pay. You just rejected Pepperdine based on the overall tuition… that is dumb, you probably wouldn’t pay that. Go find the calculator on each school’s website (on the financial aid page), get the needed info from your parents, and run the calculators.
I’ve done the net price calculators before, I’ll re-do it now.
Pepperdine would be $40K-45K which is still way too much.
CSLA would be 18K, which isn’t great, but better.
LAVC would be 1191 OOS, which is very good.
FAFSA told me I would be paying a lot less for CSLA, I think this is why I’m getting different numbers.
FAFSA shouldn’t tell you anything about what you would pay for one specific college… FAFSA is just something you do to determine your eligibility for loans and Pell Grants.
I forgot that CSULA is a rare CSU that is on the Quarter system. So, yes, the OOS rate is that lower amount per unit…BUT…you have to figure 3 quarters per year…so that really adds up!
So, if you took 45 units per year, that’s an additional $11,250 per year PLUS the $6k fees, so about $16k for tuition…plus other costs.
Even if your mom were to move here later, you wouldn’t yet be a resident. AND…HOW would you pay for Calif before you got residency???
I wouldn’t count on your mom moving here. Calif is very expensive. Without a very good job to transfer to, moving to Calif and starting residency is unlikely.
CSULA will be converting to Semester system Fall 2016
http://web.calstatela.edu/academic/aa/semester/
@intparent I used the FASFA calculator online. You type in the cost of the college, & your information.
@mom2collegekids Is that the average amount of credits per year? I wasn’t sure about that. We live in Bergen County, NJ, so it’s the same prices, but California is much nicer. Sometimes she says she would, she doesn’t want to live in NJ either, and she wants to live near me. That is still pretty expensive, I’m considering LAVC. I don’t know if it’s as good, but it’s much cheaper.
Okay… but FAFSA does not know how each college calculates FA, so I don’t see how that could be accurate. Every college has their own process. The NPCs are going to be more accurate.
OP, I think you may be getting bogged down in what are known as sticker prices. Those are the crazy crazy prices you hear on the news or on the US News and World Report Page. The vast majority of people don’t pay that price.
You submit the FAFSA and CSS Profile, and schools take your family’s financial consideration into account when they ask you to pay. This is your EFC - Expected Family Contribution. This number is infinitely more important than the sticker price. If you can afford your EFC, you can afford the school. If not, then you either have to take out loans or not go because it’s not financially prudent.
You can see your EFC before you apply by using the NPC (Net Price Calculator) available on every college’s website. Every school calculates your EFC a little bit differently, so you have to run the NPC for every college you are considering.
Sorry if that was a little patronizing, I don’t know how much you know about financial aid, and I remember being so confused by all of it when I first joined!
But, basically, this means that a super expensive private school like USC may end up being cheaper than a state school like UCLA. State schools are meant to serve their state’s residents, so their financial aid is very limited for OOS kids.
Also, definitely study for the SAT and ACT. Getting your score up is crucial to hopefully getting some scholarships and getting into schools with better FA.
I disagree with this. We’re in NYS and CAN afford our ~$5k EFC, but we CAN’T afford the additional $15k+ most schools gapped us. I think the EFC is the LEAST you can expect to pay.
I’m guessing you haven’t been out to So Cal to look at schools yet(?). I’m not sure how high Cal State LA will stay on your list. Nothing wrong with it per se, but there are lot of other Cal States & privates around the area that I’d choose first.
LA is a very different kind of city than NYC, Boston or Chicago. Weather is good, taxes & traffic suck. Public transit is generally laughable, although it is getting better with a new subway coming on-line to the westside.
I still think that Whittier is worth looking at. They like geographic diversity, since they aren’t very well known outside of CA (apart from older people who remember it as Nixon’s alma mater), and so they might offer a decent aid package.
@butterfreesnd Thank you! I am confused about the EFC. I used Collegeboard to give me one, it seemed a little high. I will be taking out loans, but maybe not for a cheaper college such as LAVC.
@arc918 I haven’t been to SoCal or anywhere in California yet, but I’m definitely going to before I apply. I know the public transit isn’t good, & the traffic & taxes aren’t either. But the traffic & taxes are terrible in NJ, so It won’t really be a culture shock. I know a lot of people don’t like Cal State LA, but I really want to be in a major city. Originally, I wanted to go in NYC, but it’s so expensive, and it’s cold over here.
@woogzmama I used the net price calculator. My net price would be 20K instead of 51K. That’s a lot more financial aid than the colleges I looked at in NYC gave (Fordham, NYU). Even though it’s not in Los Angeles like I would prefer, I’ll keep this in mind! 
My $.02: I’m not sure I’d describe Cal State LA as “in the city.” That’s the deal with LA, the city of both everywhere and nowhere. Even USC which is right near downtown isn’t “connected with the city” in the way BU or GWU is (for example).
That’s just my take, I’m sure you’ll find a great place for you to go to school.
Good luck with your search!
@arc918 I’ve heard that about LA, it’s like a bunch of different cities into one. Thank you!
Whittier is within an hour from downtown LA, in LA County.
Thank you for that @austinmshauri - that’s actually a really important point.
Yes, @austinmshauri is right in the most schools will gap you when it comes to financial aid unless they guarantee they meet 100% need.