Depends what you mean by ‘cover most’ of the college costs, and ‘take out the rest in loans’. You will be able to take $27K in total in loans over the 4 years of undergrad, $5.5K frosh year, then $6.5K/$7.5K/$7.5K. After that, loans would be on your parents.
Some of the schools on your list have COAs that are $75K+. Do your parents know that? Can they afford $70K+ per year for 4 years?
@Mwfan1921 honestly, I am not really sure. My parents that I “should not worry about cost” and that they have a lot saved, but I am not sure if they are just saying that to make me feel better (although I feel like I can trust them on this). Which of the schools on my list are the most expensive besides Pepperdine and Stanford?
“the rest I will just take out in loans”
You would be best off if it is at all possible to avoid loans entirely. Having loans can significantly reduce your options after graduation.
You have very good and very affordable options in-state. If you to very well at one of the your in-state public universities, you will have opportunities to either get a job out of state (including in California) or attend a master’s program out of state. Since a master’s program is either one or two years, the cost does not add up as much as a four year bachelor’s degree.
I suggest you get a $$$ amount/ year and not “we can cover most of the costs” answer.
I had a 529 college plan for both my son’s and they were given the exact amount that could be covered for each of the 4 years. Anything higher, they would need to cover with student loans and merit aid. Anything lower, the extra money could be used towards graduate/professional school. In the end they stayed within budget and graduated debt free.
@DadTwoGirls that is a very good point… I had my mind made up about not wanting to stay in state but now with covid, I am not sure if I would even be allowed to move into campus in California so it would not be worth it to pay so much for online classes. I will add ASU to my list, thank you for your input!
@Gumbymom I totally agree, but I have asked my parents before and they can’t seem to give me an exact number… I feel awkward asking them again. I took DadTwo Girls’ suggestion and added a state school to my list that is 100% a safety (both academically and financially), so do you have any other suggestions for match schools in California? Also, thank you for all your help!! You are amazing 
@afahrer:
You can google cost of attendance for all the schools on your list. Here is Stanfords COA: http://financialaid.stanford.edu/undergrad/budget/index.html
Chapman’s COA: https://www.chapman.edu/students/tuition-and-aid/financial-aid/undergraduate/cost-of-attendance.aspx
Pepperdine’s COA: https://seaver.pepperdine.edu/admission/financial-aid/undergraduate/costs/budget-costs.htm
UCLA: https://www.financialaid.ucla.edu/Undergraduate/Cost-of-Attendance#495781581-residence-halls
Cal Poly SLO: https://www.calpoly.edu/financial-aid/costs-and-affordability/undergraduate-costs-of-attendance
SDSU: https://admissions.sdsu.edu/about_sdsu/costs_of_attendance
Colgate? It’s deep in NY. The winter will be horrendously cold and snowy. Is that a mistake on your list?
Pepperdine is going to have a more religious feel than Santa Clara. If you like Santa Clara, definitely think about U San Diego. Absolutely gorgeous and has a nice vibe.
@Lindagaf I knew NY was cold, but I did not realize how cold! Colgate is now off my list… any other suggestions for schools?
@afahrer: If your parents cannot give you a dollar amount/budget, it is futile to suggest Match schools since why apply if they are unaffordable?
Previously, I listed Occidental, USD and St. Marys bu also LMU which all could be Match schools but all around $70K/year price tags. You would need a significant amount of merit aid to bring the private school costs within an affordable range in regards to your in-state options.
Occidental: https://www.oxy.edu/admission-aid/costs-financial-aid
University of San Diego: https://www.sandiego.edu/one-stop/tuition-and-fees/undergraduate.php
St Mary’s of Moraga: https://www.stmarys-ca.edu/financial-aid/undergraduate/undergraduate-cost-of-attendance
Loyola MaryMount: https://financialaid.lmu.edu/generalinformation/costofattendance/undergraduatecostofattendance/
Your most affordable CA options would be a full pay student at either Cal Poly SLO, SDSU or some of the other Cal states which are around $40K/year.
As an Education major, you will want to keep your Undergrad costs at a minimum.
Tell us why Colgate was on your list in the first place. Great school, but pretty different to your CA choices. And to dismiss it immediately as soon as you learned that it snows there tells me that you really need to do more research before putting a college on your list at all.
@Lindagaf I liked the small undergraduate size, the pretty campus, the majors offered (educational studies with a certification in mathematics which is exactly what I want), and the LAC vibe. I’m from AZ so anything under 70 is fairly cold for me, which is why I listed primarily California schools. I am not really sure that I could live anywhere with snow, but I am not sure if the cold weather is something I could deal with if it was my dream school. I’m sure I could do it, but I don’t want to be miserable the whole time. But then again, is weather preference reason to eliminate a school?
Absolutely. For somebody who grew up in the desert, the cold and the short days of the winter can have a negative impact. Although recent studies have questioned the existence of SAD, there is no question that having to stay indoors and having much of one’s activity hours severely curtailed while dealing with college stress is not likely to result in a good mood.
Kids who grew up in that weather will have no problem taking walks, hikes, or even jogging when the temps substantially below freezing. However, for somebody who grew up in Arizona, daytime temperatures around 25 for days or week on end, may be oppressive.
On the other hand, there are LACs in warmer climes too.
Aside from @Gumbymom’s excellent suggestions, there is also University of the Redlands in CA, Lewis and Clark and Reed in Oregon, Southwestern University in Texas. There are a number of good LACs in Virginia, as well.
Ok, you like a nice campus, LAC vibe, small size. There are many excellent colleges that fit the bill, but they aren’t all in CA.
Stanford, UCLA, SDSU, UCSB, and Cal Poly SLO do not fit the description.
My D attended college in Maine. 0 degree temps were not unheard of. Her best friends were from Hawaii and Florida. I know it snows in AZ, haha. Worst snowstorm I have EVER encountered was there, and I feared for my life. Anyway, don’t knock a proper winter until you try it maybe. You’d be amazed at how many kids discover they love winter.
Weather isn’t a bad reason to decide against a college, but if I was prioritizing my college experience over weather, I’d choose Colgate over many others on your list, simply because it’s an excellent school with a lot of great qualities. You will get a true college experience at a school like Colgate, along with a great education and excellent career prospects… You won’t get warm winters though.
In your shoes, if CA is definitely the place you want to be, Santa Clara is an excellent choice. There are other good suggestions here. If you want to consider college in colder climates, you will have many more options.
Get a dollar amount from your parents. Keep asking. Parents who are vague about it often get a nasty shock come April acceptance time (and give their kids a lot of upset).
Teaching is a moderately well paid career but I would not take on ANY loans for UG if possible. You may well need graduate school too.
Especially when you have ASU and the Barrett Honors College as an instate option. This is an good school with an excellent Honors Program
LAC vibe, warm weather, small size with possibility of merit to keep cost down. Many will not have math ed, so you are looking at grad school too.
Eckerd, Rollins, Flagler - FL
Hendrix - AR
Trinity, Southwestern - TX
Rhodes - TN
Occidental, Redlands, Whittier, Cal Lutheran - CA
Guilford - NC
College of Charleston - SC
Show your parents the cost of a few private schools and ask point-blank if they have $300k for your education. If they don’t then you need to work on the list.
I would still apply to a few AZ in-state schools just for safety. Covid has and will continue to impact jobs and budgets. Things could change by next spring. Just ask the grads like my S20 from last year.
Becoming a teacher doesn’t require you to go to a top-notch, competitive, expensive school. Don’t go into debt. Also, it could be a detriment. I know there are undergrad GPA requirements to teach at our local HS and they’re pretty high.
More suggestions…LMU and University of San Diego. USD has a gorgeous campus. SMU or TCU in Texas. S20 had nice offers from LMU and SMU but we pulled the parents choice and limited distance to days drive from home. He ended up at Georgia Tech.
@Lindagaf I am currently attending a relatively small high school (~1300 students) which is why I think I have been leaning towards smaller colleges, but I also am interested in larger ones and I think that would be a good change. Also about Colgate, I have had all the other colleges on my list for several months but Colgate just came onto my radar about a week and a half ago, which is why I was so quick to rule it out as I am not really attached to it. Both my parents went to Santa Clara and loved it, and they have taken me to visit and I can really see myself there! I was supposed to visit all the other CA schools over spring break, but the tours all got canceled because of Covid.
@CollegeMamb0 yes, ASU Barrett is now on my list! That is actually where my current math teacher went and she loved it. Regarding grad school, some of the colleges on my list (UCLA, Pepperdine, SDSU) offer a 4 year Bachelor’s + teaching credential program, while other schools (Stanford, Cal Poly, Santa Clara, UCSB, Chapman) have a 1-year Master’s + credential option. I think worst-case scenario, I will go to ASU for undergrad and then attend one of the schools above for their Master’s + credential option, but I would prefer to stay in CA for undergrad too (but I understand this might not be possible due to the high costs.)
@chmcnm thanks, I will check those out! I’ve heard USD is beautiful.
Although this is yet another UC, but UC Davis offers the Masters + Teaching Credential program. UC Davis is the quintessential college town campus so that may be of interest if you are able to pin down your parents budget. My older son’s roommate was a Stats major whom did the this program and is currently working in Southern California as a HS Math teacher.
@Gumbymom Thank you so much for the info!! I’ll check it out… the campus atmosphere sounds exactly like what I want!
How do you suggest I go about asking my parents? I’ve asked them several times about budget and they keep telling me not to take cost into consideration now but they can’t give me a number. They are generally very private about their finances (I have no idea how much either of them make) so I don’t want to intrude but I feel like that is something that will be important in this process.