Good suggestion as long as the student works to save for the costs of years 3 and 4.
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i didnt think they would or automatically expect thats why i asked. i thought this forum was a place to ask questions
I am not sure that the UCs accept CLEP credits
ok this makes a lot of sense to me thank you and thank you to all the other helpful comments. my parents dont have much experience with this so i appreciate you guys having patience with me.
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Itâs good you asked. You can contact Cal financial aid and ask them directly.
You knew from the net price calculator that you would not get aidâŠthatâs what I meant,
Do you have any other college options that are affordable for your family?
Really, the community college start is a good idea. The CA community colleges are good ones.
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If you havenât already been on the Cal grant website, please review it thoroughly.
See if thereâs anywhere you can apply within the state to gain access to funding.
I am linking the California financial aid page. Good luck!
They are really good about answering questions if you call them on the phone. They are used to getting nervous students who donât know anything about the financing of their universities. Please feel free to contact them at any time.
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@cakesandmilkshakes @worriedmomucb
The UCâs do not accept CLEP credit.
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CLEP is useless for transferring credit to UC, according to Transfer credit practices , which says that âUC does not award credit for: ⊠College-Level Examination Program (CLEP)â.
For transfer students, UC campuses re-evaluate all exam scores (AP, IB, etc.) based on their own policies, not the policies of the college the transfer student is applying from. The only apparent exception is stuff like IGETC which is certified by the community college based on the community collegeâs policy on exam score applicability to IGETC.
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Can your parents help you at all? Can you commute to a community college?
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Unfortunately, many schools are not affordable for many people. Thatâs why so many chase merit, attend other schools that provide significant need, or in CA may go the CC route.
UCs and moreso the CSUs are inexpensive relative to others but not necessarily for everyone. For many, some schools just donât fit financially and they have to find alternatives.
If youâre making what a school determines is enough to fund the education, you can ask - but itâs highly unlikely youâd get assistance.
There is still an affordable school out there for you - UCB or another four year school depending on budget - and the beauty of California is that community college to UC path.
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Is the budget really $0 coming from the family?
i did not expect to receive full aid
i guess i expected some aid is what i mean. sorry lmao i donât really understand this well but i appreciate everyoneâs responses
Well, to be fair, if you asked the wrong question, you will get wrong answers.
California public schools do not need to âbuyâ students but as public entities, they have an obligation to help the âpoor.â The fact your net cost calculator says you are full-pay, means (to people here) that your family is considered to have the means to pay for your public education. We are not saying thatâs right or wrong, but just the way it is. You can always call Berkeley and ask FA Office if there are other options like loans or work study that you may qualify for; you may not but we donât know that.
Small privates do buy students with generous scholarships which makes cost of attendance less than that of a CA Public. If your parents just wonât support you, then alternatives are community college and even that isnât cheap if you have to do it on your own. Sorry, itâs just a sucky situation.
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I think what these thread participants are struggling to understand is how or why you expected funding.
After using the net price calculators, which indicated no eligibility for need-based funding, why you would expect to be funded? That is the confusion.
Yes California is an extremely expensive state to live in, but many people expect to pay for their childrenâs college tuition and expenses at the in-state Public schools.
I get that your parents donât have that experience, but you have to expect to pay something towards your childrenâs education. The fact that they didnât have any savings for you for college, says a lot about their expectations from this country.
Did they tell you that they have no savings for you? Generally, most people that have over a certain income in California, is saving towards something.
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I did not post that you expected full aid but went by what you stated that you do not qualify for any need based aid which is makes up the majority of aid given at the UCâs.
Not to belabor the point but if the Net price calculators were run prior to applying, the costs should have not been unexpected. Unfortunately many students are not aware of the financial implications when applying to no fault of their own.
Do you have any affordable options?
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I understand that the fact that you didnât get aid is disappointing. Young people donât necessarily understand how financial aid works, and they sometimes need a period of mourning once they realize that they only qualify for loans. In my years in financial aid, I also met many adults who didnât understand how it all works. So many people are surprised. Should they be? Probably not. Are they? Often, they are. Itâs tough when reality meets hope.
So now itâs time to put the disappointment behind you & focus on what you will be able to afford. Community college is a good option, but you have to meet with an academic counselor so you can plan a course of study that will get you into a university (you donât want to take a bunch of classes only to find that some wonât transfer). While working really hard to get the best grades possible, look into schools that have merit aid for transfer students. Some private schools might work for you as a transfer student, but if you choose to attend a California public university, hopefully you can limit your need to borrow through a combination of savings, maybe community scholarships, student loans and (hopefully) family assistance.
Scroll through the comments to find the posts that offer advice for your path forward.
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And find out how much money your parents can put towards your college costs each year.
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i just always hear people saying they are able to negotiate aid at various schools. my parents have funding, just not enough for berkeley. we do not have $200k+ just for college. when they began saving, i think the cost of attendance was lower possibly? i would also like to note that the tuition itself is not expensive, but ht overall cost of attendance is very high because of housing and other items. i did not understand or know that the majority of aid given at UCs is need-based necessarily and i appreciate that insight given by @Gumbymom 
i also appreciate everyoneâs help a lot and have concluded Berkeley is not an option but have learned a lot about this process and appreciate the advice and feedback, and will be exploring other options
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I think that people typically negotiate aid at non-public schools.
Your best option then, if your parents donât have the money saved up, is to take a gap year and apply to schools that will provide funding for your stats.
Work for a year to get your own spending income.
Or you could see if there are rolling admissions at schools that still have openings and will give you a merit scholarship for your tuition.
Iâm not familiar with those but I think that @AustenNut might have some suggestions.