UCLA In-State Rules

In-state residency regulations vary by university; so do the costs and benefits of earning in-state status.  Below, you will find an overview of the major in-state requirements for UCLA, an exact accounting of what’s at stake, as well as a consideration of in-state residency’s influence on financial aid including popular UCLA grants and scholarships.

Nicknames:

UCLA, University of California-Los Angeles, UCal, UCal-LA

 

UCLA Tuition Overview:

$35,574 out-of-state tuition

$12,696 in-state tuition

$22,878 tuition savings/year

 

UCLA Total Cost of Attendance:

$56,077 out-of-state residents

$33,199 in-state residents

$22,878 savings/year

 

UCLA In-State Requirements:

If you’re under 14 and your parents have some extra money to set aside, we have secret trick up our sleeves.  Alternatively, if you have a UTMA that becomes yours soon or recently…that can help in a big way.

Otherwise, if you’re like most out-of-state UCLA students or hopefuls…you’re bound by some pretty serious obstacles toward earning in-state tuition.  Most notable is a financial independence requirement that is draconian-ly defined in the narrowest sense of the term—you must be utterly independent financially including but not limited to…you can’t even have a student loan co-signer or you’re disqualified.  This is even further complicated by the fact you must be financially independent for 2 YEARS!—not one year like almost every other university outside of California!  There’s a one-year domicile period but a two year financial independence stipulation…bummer.

Now this is not impossible but, except for some pretty rare situations, it practically speaking requires two years of financial independence, full-time employment, and not going to school at all (because you can’t afford out-of-state tuition with your probably paltry earnings).

Other arrangements are sometimes possible and it’s worth exploring if you qualify for some weird out-of-the-box solution but most do not.  This is by design of course…the University of California system has made it as close to impossible as they legally could get away with.  Who can blame them with California being such a hot spot for out-of-state students and California’s dire financial situation of the last so many years…

Please know that in-state is very do-able in the California State University system.  Maybe consider going to Cal State?

 

Want more, a definitive report detailing everything important you need to know?  Check out In-State Angels’ UCLA Report.

If you’d prefer we just take your information and tell you what your in-state prospects are at UCLA, you may want In-State Angels’ UCLA Customized Report.

To discuss CU-Boulder with an expert, check out Consulting.

Or maybe you’re interested in having In-State Angels completely oversee your quest for in-state residency and guarantee your results, you may want to check out In-State Angels’ Full-Client Assessment.

 

UCLA Out-of-State Tuition vs. In-State Tuition:

An annual tuition difference of $22,878 is substantial, that’s worth over two years of in-state tuition!  This extreme difference helps establish UCLA firmly among the universities with the biggest difference between in-state tuition and out-of-state tuition, rivaled only by a handful of schools.

 

UCLA Financial Aid:

A couple things you need to know about financial aid as it relates to earning in-state residency at UCLA:

1) Any financial aid including grants and scholarships that requires your being a tax dependent of somebody OR requires you to be an out-of-state resident will in general disqualify you from establishing residency.  This means that by accepting such awards, you will be getting no closer to in-state tuition.  There are some exceptions to this whereby certain awards you can accept during your domicile period but will automatically surrender upon earning in-state status.

2) Your financial aid is re-assessed after earning in-state status and your Expected Family Contribution will be taken into consideration in light of the vastly reduced tuition you will owe.

See article: Do Your FAFSA…You Will Thank Us Later

 

UCLA Grants:

Grants are the most desirable form of financial aid because they do not need to be repaid. This school offers two types of grants to students:  Federal Pell Grant and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant.

UCLA Scholarships:

Scholarships are awarded based on both academic merit and need.  The school has a large number of scholarships available for instate and out-of-state students.

Regents Scholarship

The top 1.5% of entering freshman applicant pool are invited to compete for the Regent’s scholarship. Of those applicants, 100 recipients receive four-year scholarships of $2,000, and, if financial need is demonstrated, are awarded University scholarships and/or grants to cover the remainder of the financial need.  Regent Scholars also are assigned a faculty mentor, and get other benefits such as preferred enrollment in classes, guaranteed housing, and guaranteed parking.