<p>I agree with JW. It is a fascinating question and very hard to figure which way things will go.</p>
<p>mdcissp, as much as we USC parents LOVE USC, California students will have very difficult choices. You are from OOS, so you may not be aware that California students who qualify receive financial aid both from the UCs and USC that generally makes the costs very similar. For some students, the FAFSA-only aid at the UCs is a bit better, because certain assets assessed by the CSS/Profile at USC are not included. For students who do not qualify for financial aid, the UCs cost 1/2 as much as USC. As for outstanding programs, UCB and UCLA can make that claim for quite a few of their programs as well.</p>
<p>The budget cuts in California will certainly be a concern, particularly for parents (I am not sure the students pay that close attention to the budget), but may cause them to think: “If we lose our Cal Grant, do we want our child at $52,000/yr USC or at $26,000/year UCLA?”</p>
<p>I know the USC/UCLA/UCB decision was very difficult for our family last year, it will be even more so for families this year.</p>
<p>As trojanchick says, I would not want to be in the adcom’s shoes this year, trying to guess which way things will go.</p>