<p>Is it true that very competitive students from the East Coast have a very hard time getting into Berkeley due to the very high percentage of in-state students?</p>
<p>[California</a> freshmen decrease by 11.2 percent at UC Berkeley since 2006 - The Daily Californian](<a href=“http://www.dailycal.org/2011/11/02/california-freshmen-decrease-by-11-2-percent-at-uc-berkeley-since-2006/]California”>http://www.dailycal.org/2011/11/02/california-freshmen-decrease-by-11-2-percent-at-uc-berkeley-since-2006/)</p>
<p>I don’t think so…</p>
<p>Berkeley would love to have you come here and pay out-of-state tuition.</p>
<p>Funny you mention out-of-state tuition, I’ve heard that after one year at Berkeley you’re legally a CA resident and therefore pay in-state tuition after the first year, is this true?</p>
<p>I got in . . . I know tons of people from the East Coast who got in . . . . </p>
<p>It’s only true if you’re independent and count as your own family.</p>
<p>How does Berkeley’s policy of choosing the top two kids from every public school work?</p>
<p>The policy is nonexistent?</p>
<p>globaldolphin - no, most out of state students are paying OOS tuition the entire four years. The rules for california residency are written to avoid losing all that out of state additional revenue. [Residency</a> for Tuition Purposes - Office Of The Registrar](<a href=“http://registrar.berkeley.edu/prospective_students/residency.html]Residency”>http://registrar.berkeley.edu/prospective_students/residency.html)</p>
<p>But depending on your financial status and academic status, you may get financial aid. I think it was Lemon Cat that said she got Berkeley Regents scholarship, which I think is the best one and it’s like almost a full ride or something.</p>
<p>I didn’t get that but I did get an undergraduate academic scholarship or grant or something, a middle income grant, work-study, and the remaining amount of my financial need they gave me student loans I could accept.</p>
<p>So I guess they want to charge you OOS tuition but that doesn’t mean they won’t give you any financial aid. Remember they only get the big bucks if you decide to come here and actually attend.</p>
<p>Yeah, I’m out of state and I got that scholarship 
Because my legal situation was/is weird, I was considered both out of state and international. I wasn’t considered ONLY international, but also partly out of state. It was weird.
But yeah, once my financial counselor fixed up the situation, it was a nice amount. I wasn’t a full-ride, but still a lot more than I was expecting under my legal circumstances. If you’re a US citizen you’re at the really good advantage that you qualify for not only FAFSA, but also college scholarships AND private scholarships. I really suggest you look into all of those options. </p>
<p>Also, I haven’t met that many OOS here, but of the ones I <em>have</em> met, it was pretty evenly split between the midwest and the east.</p>
<p>EDIT: Cal is a really awesome school, but the OOS is a lot. I’m not saying you completely miss out on the chance of going here because of the cost. There are ways to minimize it, which I’m working at for myself. It’s about little stuff: housing, where you buy your books and supplies, how much you eat out at restaurants, getting all of the private and FAFSA money you can get, being careful with loans, etc. In my state, the best schools (private or otherwise), didnt measure up to the prestige and awesomeness of Cal, lol</p>
<p>It’s still much harder than in-state, but the difficulty is better balanced that it has been in the past (in my opinion, a very very good thing).</p>