@tsbna44 might have suggestions of lower cost colleges that are still taking applications.
It would help us help you if we knew how much your family is able to pay annually for college.
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CSU tuition is lower than UC tuition. Can your parents afford that? If so, the following CSUs are still accepting applications.
Chico
Monterey Bay
Sacramento
San Francisco
Sonoma
Stanislaus
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Iâm sorry that there was much about the U.S. college system that you and your family did not understand when you were figuring out where to apply. As others have said, however, not all hope is lost.
If Berkeley is not affordable (about $38k/year for tuition & fees plus room & board), what is affordable for your family/year?
Additionally, if you can tell us your academic stats, that would be helpful in finding schools that would give significant merit aid for a strong student. Also, what do you want to major in?
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If the OP gets them as part of their associateâs degree, then they should transfer with the associateâs degree.
UCs give transfer credit based on each course or exam score, not whether they are part of an associates degree. https://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/counselors/preparing-transfer-students/transfer-credit-practice.html says that UCs give no credit for CLEP.
CSUs may give credit for CLEP scores, according to College Level Examination Program (CLEP) | CSU .
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CSU could be a good option depending on your parentsâ savings and your ability to work to contribute to the costs.
@Gumbymom â can this student accept their Berkeley admission and then defer for a year while working and taking community college classes? Or is that not allowed?
UC Berkeley rarely offers deferrals and if the student takes CC courses during the regular college session (Fall/Winter/Spring) they would be considered a Transfer and no longer have Freshman status.
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I see. Thanks for clarifying.
If youâre a strong enough applicant to get into Berkeley (congrats!), there are probably schools where you could get large merit scholarships. But the most generous of these are available only to first-year applicants, and if you start taking community college classes after finishing high school, youâll give up your first-year applicant status. It might be worth considering a gap year - maybe apply to a program like City Year if that appeals to you, or just get a job - anything where you do not enroll in college - and apply to a better-chosen list of schools in the next application cycle. It could well be possible that you could land a full ride or at least a very affordable package at a school youâll like, where you can attend the whole four years.
Starting in CC saves money (free tuition!) but it kind of kicks the can down the road, because youâll have to pay for your transfer school and big merit is much harder to come by. It sounds as if you could probably afford CC-to-CSU, but unclear whether you could pay for two years at a UC. Consider carefully before starting the CC route. If you definitely want to graduate from a UC, and you can afford to pay the full cost for the last two years, then CC is fine, just make sure to join an honors program at a good CC.
Youâre not a National Merit Semifinalist by any chance, are you?
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I hope they are because if so, problem is likely solved. https://utulsa.edu/tuition-aid/scholarships/nmsf/ and many others like.
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So, youâre saying your parents can pay the 16k for tuition from savings but canât afford room&board?
How much do they have saved for your college and how much can they spare each month?
Itâs a pay as you go system. Donât let the total price tag discourage you. I doubt many people here have $200k+ sitting in a bank account. Besides, some of the posters mentioned, they end up paying much less than the projected cost. UC tuition is still approx $16-18k a year.
But add in room and board, and you are looking at almost $40,000 a year for Cal.
@cupcakesandrainbows what CAN your parents contribute annually?
Is there a UC or CSU within commuting distance of your homeâŠthat you could apply to after a gap year?
Is there a community college nearby where you could start?
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Do you have more affordable acceptances? There are schools where you can get big scholarships with high stats, but they largely wonât be in California.
yes i do thankfully. i am sorry i think i created the wrong impression with my post i have other college options. i apologize for that to everyone who sent the resources about community college and i appreciate it nonetheless. i will be committing to another college. i was just seeing what my chances were for berkeley
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Can we know what the other college is and whether theyâd be more affordable? 
Berkeley will still be there for grad school. 
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omg you guys will be mad. USC⊠itâs only $20k for me because of USC-specific scholarships. youâre thinking âwhy was she so worried about Berkeley when she got into USC??â people online are scary about prestige and i felt so guilty about not going to cal. i felt like i would be making a huge mistake if i didnât fight to go to cal because itâs the best for engineering besides MIT and stanny. people on reddit are much more closed-minded than on CC and the majority consensus on there was that USC is a bad school and Cal is the best school. also was frustrated i got 0 need-based aid anywhere and couldnât afford ANY UCs without loans despite getting into some due to being in the middle of âtoo rich for aidâ and âtoo poor to pay full costâ. mostly my fault for not learning more. looking back it was all very silly and i should spend less time online
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USC is great! You will get a wonderful education there! Congratulations!!
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Omg, congratulations ! USC is a terrific school AND itâs more affordable thanks to merit scholarships : you win! 
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Everyone has their own opinion. What matters is what works for you and your family.
One of my kids chose USC engineering over Cal. Viterbi is more collaborative, has smaller classes, more academic and professional support, better housing, a progressive degree program, and they made it more affordable for us.
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