UT vs. UCLA vs. Berkeley Forum

[katch]

Using those numbers and published tuitions I'm getting a difference of less than 10k

Many seem to be unaware that you become a CA resident after the first year. Add 12k to the difference

http://www.registrar.ucla.edu/residence/establish.htm
To establish California residence, an adult student at least 18 years of age must be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, other immigrant, or eligible alien who meets all of the following requirements:

has been physically present in the state for 366 days prior to the residence determination date (RDD) of the term for which he or she wishes to be considered a resident
has the intent to make California his or her home (as opposed to coming to California for the purpose of attending school)
is financially independent (see note) if his or her parents are not California residents as defined by UC.
Note: The financial independence requirement makes it extremely difficult for most undergraduate students whose parents are not California residents, including students from community colleges and other post-secondary institutions within California, to qualify for classification as a resident at the University of California. Transfer students who were classified as residents of California at their previous school should not assume that they will be classified as residents at UCLA.

Not an undergrad. All grad schools in CA are quite adamant that you get residency. Every single person Ive talked to at a CA graduate school has confirmed to me that its a relatively painless process. At admitted students day, UCLA gave a presentation on it and basically said they would handle the paperwork and guide us through it.

[Aawaldrop]

I'm a bit confused as to where in the budget on http://www.law.ucla.edu/prospective-stu ... dance.aspx they list medical expenditures.

[BigZuck]

I'm a bit confused as to where in the budget on http://www.law.ucla.edu/prospective-stu ... dance.aspx they list medical expenditures.

Also that budget only allows for 1075 for rent. The OP was talking about getting a place that is 1200 a month.

[J-e-L-L-o]

Medical/Dental
Included in the standard budget is an allowance for minor medical and dental costs for the student only. Budgets may be increased for your expenses not covered by personal health insurance. Receipts must be obtained from the physician and submitted with the petition. Estimates will not be accepted. Only expenses incurred and paid during the enrollment period will be considered. Eligible students must submit a Budget Increase Request Form.

scroll down, its on your link

[katch]

I'm a bit confused as to where in the budget on http://www.law.ucla.edu/prospective-stu ... dance.aspx they list medical expenditures.

Also that budget only allows for 1075 for rent. The OP was talking about getting a place that is 1200 a month.

UTILITIES INCLUDED. The on campus housing exactly matches this housing allowance. People move after 1L to find CHEAPER places. My UG friends at UT were paying $860 a month to get what I saw for 1050 at UCLA.

[BigZuck]

Medical/Dental
Included in the standard budget is an allowance for minor medical and dental costs for the student only. Budgets may be increased for your expenses not covered by personal health insurance. Receipts must be obtained from the physician and submitted with the petition. Estimates will not be accepted. Only expenses incurred and paid during the enrollment period will be considered. Eligible students must submit a Budget Increase Request Form.

scroll down, its on your link

Where does this say anything about medical insurance?

[Aawaldrop]

Medical/Dental
Included in the standard budget is an allowance for minor medical and dental costs for the student only. Budgets may be increased for your expenses not covered by personal health insurance. Receipts must be obtained from the physician and submitted with the petition. Estimates will not be accepted. Only expenses incurred and paid during the enrollment period will be considered. Eligible students must submit a Budget Increase Request Form.

scroll down, its on your link

Right but that's basically the same exact thing that UT has on their costs page yet OP is adding 2k?

"Your budget may be adjusted upward for:

Unexpected medical expenses not covered by insurance,
Supervised childcare expenses for children 12 years of age and under, and/or
Cost of a laptop computer. (see laptop purchase)"

[katch]

Medical/Dental
Included in the standard budget is an allowance for minor medical and dental costs for the student only. Budgets may be increased for your expenses not covered by personal health insurance. Receipts must be obtained from the physician and submitted with the petition. Estimates will not be accepted. Only expenses incurred and paid during the enrollment period will be considered. Eligible students must submit a Budget Increase Request Form.

scroll down, its on your link

Right but that's basically the same exact thing that UT has on their costs page yet OP is adding 2k?

"Your budget may be adjusted upward for:

Unexpected medical expenses not covered by insurance,
Supervised childcare expenses for children 12 years of age and under, and/or
Cost of a laptop computer. (see laptop purchase)"

Im just going off of what the financial aid rep told me when I was on campus. Someone pointed out that its 1200, not 2000

[J-e-L-L-o]

might be on the undergrad section for fees or in the student catalog. I have no idea and too lazy to look for it.

[Good Marshall]

lol except that $120k at UCLA isnt $30k a year, its $40k. And you get in-state after the first year so it goes down to $48k. And Texas is $33k. Also I find that the CoLs arent quite as different as they seem... not only because of rent, but because Texas doesn't include some things like medical insurance (like almost every other school) and instead says you can apply to have insurance added and your loan amount raised.

Thanks, I fixed the numbers above. That said, it doesn't change anything else in the post. Compare UT area rent to UCLA area rent. Apartments are about twice as expensive and are also smaller. Also, COL expenses like groceries, bars, movie theaters, etc in westwood and east LA are substantially higher than in Austin. To be completely honest, I think the COL estimate that LST has for UCLA is on the low end, and at TUT it's closer to the high end.

It also sounds like based on your double post that you have some personal animus against the university that clouds your judgment when evaluating an objectively superior offer. Even giving credit to your accusations, it doesn't change that both UT's employment numbers are better, and the markets in Texas are much healthier than in SoCal. All other costs equal, I think attending UT would be worth paying a little bit more, and the fact that he's paying less makes it an easy decision.

Correction: While COL is probably more expensive in East Los Angeles as compared to Austin, I believe you meant to reference West Los Angeles.