Here is the Net Price Calculator for CSLA. Do NOT use the one on Collegeboard. It won’t be accurate.
https://secure.csumentor.edu/finaid/pais/
Also, LAVC is a community college.
If you are considering going the CC route, look at Santa Monica College (SMC) for sure. SMC sends tons of transfers to UCLA & USC.
@"Erin’s Dad" Thank you, I used that one yesterday. It would cost almost 20K as an OOS resident, or about 15K as in-state, and that’s if I live off-campus. I think I should go to LAVC or another community college for my first two years.
@arc918 SMC is (for me) is estimated 18K for in-state, or 21K for OOS, without room/board. That’s expensive for a community college, Cal State LA was estimated less! 
You can’t get in-state residency just because you attend a CC in California. Just FYI, it is quite difficult to establish in-state tuition, and moving to the state to attend school isn’t going to work. You are going to be OOS pretty much no matter what.
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Is that the average amount of credits per year?
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For students attending a school that is on the Quarter system, yes. Right now, CSULA is not on the semester system.
@intparent I know you can’t. As of now, I want to live there after college, my whole life. I’ll have to do most of the things required to become an in-state resident anyway.
It doesn’t matter what you plan to do long term, you will be paying OOS tuition until you are done with school, no matter what your plans are for after college or what other steps you take.
Can she move there and work for a year or two?
Op,
FYI, Cal State LA (aka CSULA) cost of attendance for instate students is about $22,000 per year if not living with parents (my son has been accepted there). So the cost of attendance for an out of state student will be much higher than $22,000. I’m guestimating around $33,000 per year?
Los Angeles Valley College is a community College, so will be slightly cheaper. The room and board and car expenses at either college will be rather pricey. And Santa Monica College is also a community college, but the housing prices there will probably be double the housing prices around LAVC or CSULA.
Lastly, I’m not sure why you would choose CSULA over various other Cal States such as CSUN, CSULB, CSUF or LAVC over other community colleges such as Pasadena City College, Pierce college, El Camino College. Correct me if I am wrong, but I think that you are merely choosing your colleges because they both have the name “Los Angeles” in it. When SoCal people use the term “Los Angeles,” they tend to mean Los Angeles County, rather than Los Angeles City. In fact LAVC is not in Los Angeles city, but near Van Nuys in the San Fernando Valley. Please research more.
Whittier is likely a better idea than CSU LA.
I think CSU LA has a 10% graduation rate. And it’s as if someone from the West Coast told you “I want to live on the East Coast, I’ll attend Rutgers Newark!!”
CSU Monterey Bay, Channel Islands, San Marcos, would all probably
Right now, in order to attend a Cal State from OOS, you must have 33K. You’ll get 5,500 in loans, that’s it. Since your family’s EFC is 8,000, it means you can’t afford any Cal State.
You can’t use the CollegeBoard NPC. You have to type the college’s name in google plus “NPC”, then enter your information. You can also use College Abacus but not all colleges participate.
@Whittier I heard that CSU has like 10%-20% graduation rates, it worries me. Lol, that’s true. Wait, even if I’m going to pay it off after college, I need 33k now!?
@YoHoYoHo I know LAVC isn’t in LA city. SMC is very expensive, I liked at it. It’s not because of the names, it’s because I want to live in Los Angeles, for college & beyond.
@gearmom Do you mean me?
I did mean you. To see if there was a practical way for you to get residency.
I have no idea what it takes to become a CA resident for CA public college purposes, (since I have been a lifetime CA resident) but I’m sure that it is complex. Op should do plenty of research on it.
As for cost, yes, you would need around $33K per year (x 4 yrs = 132K) to pay for a Cal State college. You are allowed to borrow $5500 per year. Your parents would have to borrow (or go into any savings or investments) for the rest of the money from a bank. Then you or your parents pay back the $33K (or $132K for 4 yrs) over many years along with interest of 7% per year. If you become a CA resident, then you would need to pay around $22K per year (x 4 yrs = $88K ) to pay for a Cal State college. Because the Cal States are impacted, it might take you 5 years to graduate. So the total goes to x5 yr = $165K OOS, $110K in state). Myos says to apply to Whittier, because sometime private colleges will give better financial aid if your parents make very little money so that your total for 4 years at Whittier might be less than $132K. Cal States don’t offer much aid (I don’t think) but you would have to check this out on your own to know for sure.
If you attend a community college, then costs would be lower, I am guestimating $18K per year for housing, food, etc.
Check out Cal Lutheran. It’s in Thousand Oaks (so around an hour from downtown LA in normal traffic) and not too far from the beaches in Ventura. They give good financial aid and merit aid, and are a little easier to get into than some other private schools in the area.
@gearmom Oh, yes, I definitely want to work in college.
@YoHoYoHo It seems pretty complicated, but I’m not sure it would be in other states, to compare. I was planning to go for 5/6 years, b/c I’m planning on getting my master’s. (It’s pretty much required for social work jobs). 18K OOS is about the average for CA communities I’ve been looking at. With room & board, average is 25K OOS. But, that’s the same as many colleges in NJ (even as a NJ resident!)
@washugrad It’s 37,980 a year, which is a lot! But, if they give good financial aid, that’s great. I’ve heard Thousand Oaks is beautiful.
If a cc in CA is $25k incl. housing, how would you pay that? Even if your parent(s) paid the full $8k EFC and you take the $5500 federal student loan, you’re still short over $11k. You could work, but I don’t think you can raise that much every year. And you’d need a car, insurance, gas, and food money too. Run Net Price Calculators on each college website to get an estimate of the costs.
I think the state publics will be too costly for you because of OOS tuition. But, there are many private schools here that give excellent aid for excellent students. Once you have your SAT and ACT test scores, plug them and your GPA into tuition calculators at some of the private CA schools, and see if they might be affordable for you. I know Chapman University gives excellent merit aid to good students.
@austinmshauri I know working in college probably wouldn’t give me $11K a year, after food & gas. I’ve used NPCs, and CSLA would still be about $21K w/ room & board. But, I’d rather rent a room, it seems much cheaper than dorming. I know I’ll be paying tuition back after I graduate, unless I receive an amazing scholarship.
@LongRangePlan The in-state tuition in NJ (for the better schools) is about the same or more than OOS in CA. I’ve been hearing on this site that the CA private schools are generous with financial aid, so I’m definitely going to look into those.
You dont “pay tuition back” -you pay it upfront, and if you can’t pay, you’re not going.
You are eligible for $5,500 in financial aid. That’s it.
There are no scholarships for OOS applicants to CA public universities - OOS applicants are mostly admitted for the extra tuition they provide, it wouldn’t make any sense to “discount” .
Working while in college typically provides you with $2,000 a semester. It’d be used for gas and books. You wouldn’t be able to use it for tuition.
Have you run this?
https://secure.csumentor.edu/FinAid/PAIS/PAIS.asp
This is the result for OOS
CSU Los Angeles - off campus (apartment or house)
Estimated Cost of Attendance (COA) for 9-month academic year $24022
a. Estimated tuition and fees $6343
b. Estimated books and supplies $1809
c. Estimated room and board $13050
d. Estimated other expenses
(Personal expenses, transportation, etc.) $2820
Your parents can pay $8,000. You can get $5,500 in a loan. You can work all summer and earn $3,500. You’re still $7,000 short. (In addition, I think that unless you want to live in the ghetto, the room&board estimates are low and should be estimated to about $16,000 or so, even if you live with roommates.)
You can calculate for Whittier here:
http://www.whittier.edu/financialaid/npc
You can compare to Rowan here:
https://rowan.studentaidcalculator.com/survey.aspx
Increase your ACT/SAT score to qualify for merit scholarships at private colleges (Whittier, URedlands, perhaps Chapman or LMU if your ACT is high enough).