Applying to California Schools from Out of State

[nerdfighter]

Does anyone with experience applying to schools in California have any advice for us out-of-staters? I'm from the East Coast (home state and undergrad), but I'm applying mostly to PhD programs in California. From the stats I've seen, UC schools seem to cater largely to in-state students, and I'm concerned that admissions panels might think I don't know what I'm getting myself into. None of my professors have professional contacts west of the Mississippi, so that doesn't help, either.

 

In your experience, is applying to California schools any different from applying to schools elsewhere? Will my East Coast home state be a strike against me, or can I convince the admissions panel through my personal statement that I do want to move west?

[sunpenguin]

The reason public CA schools sometimes prefer in-staters is that they have to pay higher tuition on behalf of out-of-state students for the first year. It should make no difference for private schools. So Berkeley, for example, might have a slight preference for in-state students but would very likely be willing to eat the higher first-year tuition cost if they think you're a really great fit. Stanford, for example, isn't all that likely to care.

 

I don't think they'll even think twice about someone from the East Coast moving to California. Universities are used to students making a major move to attend school. The concerns are purely financial.

[TakeruK]

However, if you are American, you would be able to switch to California residency after a year in California and then you will be the same as any other student (in terms of tuition cost). Some schools have a special fellowship to help offset this difference for the first year which the departments can take advantage of in order to "hire" out-of-state grad students and then you won't be at any disadvantage at all, financial or otherwise, for being an East Coaster.

[iphi]

I know that UC Berkeley at least doesn't really care. If you are admitted with funding they will pay your first year's tuition with the stipulation that you become a CA resident by the next academic year. So that first year (and then all subsequent) should all be free.

 

This is obviously for funded programs, not private universities that don't fund.

[TakeruK]

I know that UC Berkeley at least doesn't really care. If you are admitted with funding they will pay your first year's tuition with the stipulation that you become a CA resident by the next academic year. So that first year (and then all subsequent) should all be free.

 

 UC Berkeley was the school I had in mind when I said that some schools will have funding sources to pay for the first year of "out of state" students.

 

This is obviously for funded programs, not private universities that don't fund.

 

 

Not all private universities don't fund their students. Actually, private universities don't usually charge different tuition rates to in-state vs out-of-state vs. international applicants, so you won't even have to worry about this fact when applying to private universities that generally fully fund their PhD students (in California, e.g. Stanford and Caltech). 

[iphi]

Not all private universities don't fund their students. Actually, private universities don't usually charge different tuition rates to in-state vs out-of-state vs. international applicants, so you won't even have to worry about this fact when applying to private universities that generally fully fund their PhD students (in California, e.g. Stanford and Caltech). 

 

Right, I said "not private univiersities that don't fund" (vs private universities that do).

[TakeruK]

Right, I said "not private univiersities that don't fund" (vs private universities that do).

 

I didn't mean to contradict you I somehow read your sentence as implying all private universities don't fund, (i.e. as if you mean the phrase "that don't fund" to describe all of private universities, not just a describer of a subset!) Oops. Sorry for the misunderstanding!

[nerdfighter]

Thanks for all the responses, everyone! It's good to hear that they don't really care. It's hard to get the actual numbers of in-state students UC schools admit since they tell everyone to get California residency, so the percent of students that are CA residents is inflated.