<p>Here’s my financial background. Excpected EFC for parents: $0. Expected EFC for me: $1000</p>
<p>So when I was accepted to UC Irvine, I saw that they gave me significant amounts of gift aid and then the total cost of attendance before loans was $8000. I thought this was high because of my EFC, but once I was told I was awarded a cal grant of $13,000 I thought it was great, because I would have money to pay for school, and some left over for general living expenses and books. Not enough to get me through the year, but enough.</p>
<p>So I was accepted to UCLA, which is where I may attend, and the financial aid includes that I received the Cal Grant. No problems there, except for they give no gift aid, essentially replacing that with the Cal Grant and give the same attendance cost of $8000. To me, this just speaks volumes to the amount of greed colleges have right now. They’re so quick to take all the government assistance to themselves and try to force me to take the full amount of college loans out. I have even stated that I will not be working much during the school year and will not make nearly enough as last year. Is there grounds for appealing this financial aid letter?</p>
<p>The UCs expect their students to take the Direct Loan, and make a student contribution. That is what your $8000 is. So…take a $5500 Direct Loan, and then work to earn the balance.</p>
<p>Personally, I think the UCs do a terrific job of making attendance at their schools possible for low income students.</p>
<p>I think my problem was that I had expected UCLA, like UC Irvine to give me some sort of gift aid and then have left over money, not much, but at least some left over, from the Cal Grant so that I could actually use it. If UC Irvine was willing to give me around $20,000 in gift aid, I don’t see why UCLA will not just because of a Cal Grant. I was under the impression that Cal Grants were to be used to actually help me pay for things, not so that the colleges could skimp out and not have to pay for anything. They are really not doing anything to make college affordable. It is all government money they are taking. </p>
<p>UCI probably gave you a preferential pkg as an incentive to get you to choose them…perhaps you have desirable stats for THAT school.</p>
<p>That said, I think you are being rather greedy…you’re getting a world-class education and only being expected to pay a little bit. take the loan and earn the rest. Why should you be able to skimp-out and not pay anything? You can also economize to reduce your costs.</p>
<p>No one is “forcing" you to take loans. You are perfectly welcome to attend a community college or, alternatively, postpone college for a year so that you can try applying to one of the handful of private colleges that offers to meet full need for low income students without loans.</p>
<p>But to complain because you’ll have to borrow $5,500, a large portion of which is subsidized, and also have to earn $2,500 on your own (an amount you should easily be able to earn over the summer), strikes me as just a tiny bit unreasonable. Why, exactly, should you not be expected to pay your own way?</p>
<p>I am a transfer student.</p>
<p>Okay, got it . . . my apologies. You’ve worked your a$$ off for two years and you quite reasonably think that’s enough - it’s now time for someone else to pay your way.</p>
<p>You are looking at a very long and difficult lifetime ahead of you if that’s how you think things should work.</p>
<p>That is not my point at all. Try reading next time. My point is that it seems like universities are aimed as money making institutions and more than willing to take the government’s money. THAT was my point. Perhaps you should try being less condescending and employ better critical thinking skills. </p>
<p>I see from another thread of yours that your family’s income is under $80k. Doesn’t the Blue and Gold plan mean that you attend UC tuition-free?</p>
<p>If “gift aid” is a scholarship, that’s entirely at the discretion of the individual campuses. </p>
<p>@SlitheyTove The Blue and Gold program I believe is supposed to meet the EFC. As for the “gift aid” that is what I need to look up between the UC schools. I thought all UC schools treated the Cal Grant the same way, but I will need to ask them. </p>
<p>Blue and Gold is simply a promise that need-based aid will be at least the tuition and fees for students under a certain income amount, although it is more of a marketing term to describe what existing UC financial aid policy will give (try the net price calculators).</p>
<p>For a FAFSA EFC = $0 California resident student, UC net price will typically be $8,000 to $10,000 per year as self-help or student contribution (federal direct loan + work earnings). Be glad that you do not live in Pennsylvania or other states where in-state financial aid is poor.</p>
<p>Note that even the most generous with financial aid schools (e.g. Harvard and Stanford) expect a $4,000 to $5,000 student contribution.</p>
<p>the B&G program does NOT promise to meet efc. it promises to cover fees (basic tuition) with a variety of grants…which is often the cal grant.</p>
<p>apologize for being so rude to Dodgersmom. you are totally out of line.</p>
<p>if you qualify for cal grants, then you should have qualified for the BOG waiver for your CC.</p>
<p>YOU SHOULD pay for some of these last two years yourself. YOU are the one who will be benefitting from your education.</p>
<p>Gift aid is often given to students who are desirable applicants for a school. You received gift aid at UCI, probably because you were a very desirable candidate for their school.</p>
<p>UCLA is far more competitive than UCI. It is highly likely that you didn’t receive the same level of gift aid because you simply were not as competitive an applicant there.</p>
<p>Regarding aid. MOST colleges will apply the Pell Grant (if a student is eligible) first. Then they layer their own need based aid on top of that. </p>
<p>If you are eligible for government assistance, colleges typically apply that to meeting your need FIRST. That way they can spread their own institutional grant dollars around to those who don’t qualify for government assistance but still have demonstrated need.</p>
<p>I’m not sure I understand your issue…the cost for you to attend either school is $8000…the same cost.</p>
<p>One reason that the UCs usually require a student contribution (workstudy, loans, etc) is because the school really has little interest in paying for your personal expenses (shampoo, pizza with pals, clothes) and your travel to campus, and a few other expenses (often your food). </p>
<p>The exceptions are the UCs that might offer a preferential pkg because they are trying to raise their profile…which UCI may be doing. </p>
<p>I think there is some misunderstanding here. If you got the Cal Grant A (about 13K) then that applies to tuition only at all UC’s you are accepted to. And instate Tuition it is a little under 13K. If you would still owe 8K at either school then you are planning to live on campus and Blue and Gold doesn’t promise that you can do that without debt. </p>
<p>I would double check on Irvine. That “gift aid” may very well be the Cal Grant just not labeled as such until it’s confirmed… especially if that package came in earlier. You weren’t ever going to be allowed to use the cal grant A for anything but tuition. Cal grant B sure but it’s a much smaller amount. Basically, it seems you think Irvine gave you free tuition and the Cal Grant A but that isn’t likely the case. Check to see if that gift aid at Irvine really is in addition to your Cal Grant. If it’s really cheaper… go there.</p>
<p>Blue and Gold program is about making college within reach for low income families… not about making it free. I totally understand your not wanting to take out loans but it’s unreasonable to expect a free college education. It just is. It’s great that you saved money by going to a CC. If you wanted to finish loan free, living at home and commuting to local CSU or UC would have been a good option.</p>
<p>Public universities are not “money making institutions” . . . but they do need to make enough money to stay afloat. You would like to be able to attend a UC for nothing, and that’s just not how things work. If you want to find a less expensive public university, they’re out there. But you’ll have to relocate and jump through the hoops to achieve residency before you can enroll. If you want a free university, emigrate to one of the Scandinavian countries - tuition at the state universities there is probably free (or darned close to it). But be forewarned, you’ll more than pay the difference in taxes once you graduate and start earning a living!</p>
<p>UCLA doesn’t get a lot of money from CA state budget that is why they try to get more OOS to pay for the difference. So they are not greedy, they are higher in the food chain and they expect you to contribute. There is nothing wrong with UCI if you need money.</p>
<p>Why should the taxpayers be paying for your living expenses? That is your responsibility. Get a job.</p>
<p>And as you start to send in those applications, consider the great gift you have been given: an admissions offer from top-ranked UCLA, the most applied to university in the country, at a price that is amazing given what you are getting, with a ton of free grant money that you will never have to repay, in addition to low-cost federal loans to pay the balance, and a total net price that should not lead to complaints.</p>
<p>You accuse the UCs of being greedy for government money, but what about your own greed for other people’s money (the taxpayers’ money) and sense of entitlement? I am not saying that for you and your family coming up with your net price would not be a challenge, but it certainly does not seem to be an insurmountable one. A part-time minimum wage job, along with getting yourself into the time-honored starving student mode mindset, will do the trick. You will graduate from UCLA - again, from UCLA!!! - with a degree that should open doors to you and will help you to pay off what will be relatively miniscule student loans.</p>
<p>Stop complaining, get that job, and get excited for the world that is going to open up to you. You are going to miss it if you keep looking around for more handouts. Life will pass you by, and your hands will be out-stretched but empty.</p>