San Jose State and Fresno State financial aid?

[snoves]

Hey guys, so I'm applying to these two schools but was wondering if any one who has been accepted/gone here for undergrad/is going to these schools now could give me a heads up on financial aid these schools offer for graduate students.

From what I've read on the website, SJSU offers a few different grants specifically for SLP grads, but I was wondering how competitive these grants are, and when you apply for them (before or after admission to the program, specifically). Fresno is super freaking vague about what grants, if any, are offered for grad students. From their financial aid website all I can really see is that they offer some specific grants for students that have to complete internships during the program and that you can apply for other scholarships/grants, but you need a FresnoStateID in order to even access the application. Their webpage for the speech pathology program doesn't even really mention anything other than, of course, to check out their financial aid page...which obviously is very helpful.

If you guys could offer me any more information on these programs (especially Fresno State), I'd really appreciate it! If I can't find any I'm probably going to email admissions but I'm worried I'll get a vague response that doesn't really offer any help

Thanks!!

[pbandj]

I went to Fresno State for undergrad. I believe they automatically offer a grant that is applicable for all California residents attending a CSU for graduate school. Other than that, all I know are the scholarships/grants that you can apply for. The speech path program itself has quite a late due date compared to other programs, but if I remember correctly the university application due date is the same as other programs. You should be able to access the scholarship apps right after applying to the university because at that point you will already receive a Fresno State ID. I wouldn't worry about accessing those opportunities "too late." Keep in mind Fresno itself is an inexpensive city to live in while being diverse and relatively big, and Fresno State is one of the cheaper CSUs for sure. Taking out loans for grad school there would be much easier than taking out loans elsewhere. An easy side job like babysitting is something many grad students are able to do as well.

As for how the program itself is, it's unfortunate the website doesn't talk too much about what the program is like - many things we find out only in our undergrad classes. One cool aspect is that you'll definitely get experience in both school and hospital settings, in addition to experience in the on-campus clinic. The program highlights behavioral principles in therapy more than most other programs; SLPs throughout the city are more pro-ABA than other SLPs I have seen. Fresno State has a very pro-ASL approach to therapy as well. Overall, it's a pretty great program that will prepare you for a variety of settings and won't be nearly as expensive as other program. SLPs are well respected in Fresno and there are plenty of opportunities throughout the area. I loved living in Fresno and studying there! PM me if you have any more questions about the program or city and I'll try my best to answer, or ask my friends currently in the program. And don't be afraid to call the department, they are all very friendly there   Good luck with applications!

[snoves]

9 hours ago, pbandj said:

I went to Fresno State for undergrad. I believe they automatically offer a grant that is applicable for all California residents attending a CSU for graduate school. Other than that, all I know are the scholarships/grants that you can apply for. The speech path program itself has quite a late due date compared to other programs, but if I remember correctly the university application due date is the same as other programs. You should be able to access the scholarship apps right after applying to the university because at that point you will already receive a Fresno State ID. I wouldn't worry about accessing those opportunities "too late." Keep in mind Fresno itself is an inexpensive city to live in while being diverse and relatively big, and Fresno State is one of the cheaper CSUs for sure. Taking out loans for grad school there would be much easier than taking out loans elsewhere. An easy side job like babysitting is something many grad students are able to do as well.

As for how the program itself is, it's unfortunate the website doesn't talk too much about what the program is like - many things we find out only in our undergrad classes. One cool aspect is that you'll definitely get experience in both school and hospital settings, in addition to experience in the on-campus clinic. The program highlights behavioral principles in therapy more than most other programs; SLPs throughout the city are more pro-ABA than other SLPs I have seen. Fresno State has a very pro-ASL approach to therapy as well. Overall, it's a pretty great program that will prepare you for a variety of settings and won't be nearly as expensive as other program. SLPs are well respected in Fresno and there are plenty of opportunities throughout the area. I loved living in Fresno and studying there! PM me if you have any more questions about the program or city and I'll try my best to answer, or ask my friends currently in the program. And don't be afraid to call the department, they are all very friendly there   Good luck with applications!

Thank you so much for the info! Seriously just what I was looking for. I'm only applying to a few schools (all CSUs lol) this time because I reeeeally don't want to get stuck with hella loans if I can help it haha. I already have quite a bit from undergrad so I'm really trying to do my best to find a balance between a great program and price and looking for somewhere I could possibly get a grant/scholarship to partially cover tuition.

I've heard great things about Fresno, but I totally agree that their website is seriously lacking information! Which makes it hard to write a good letter of intent/SOP about what I like about their program, but ya know.  I've emailed the grad admissions coordinator a few times already to ask about a few other things and I don't want to annoy them with tons of dumb questions just yet!

Thanks again!

[pbandj]

10 hours ago, snoves said:

Thank you so much for the info! Seriously just what I was looking for. I'm only applying to a few schools (all CSUs lol) this time because I reeeeally don't want to get stuck with hella loans if I can help it haha. I already have quite a bit from undergrad so I'm really trying to do my best to find a balance between a great program and price and looking for somewhere I could possibly get a grant/scholarship to partially cover tuition.

I've heard great things about Fresno, but I totally agree that their website is seriously lacking information! Which makes it hard to write a good letter of intent/SOP about what I like about their program, but ya know.  I've emailed the grad admissions coordinator a few times already to ask about a few other things and I don't want to annoy them with tons of dumb questions just yet!

Thanks again!

I wanna say they don't give too much information because it's mostly their own undergrads who apply, but that does make it pretty difficult for other students trying to get more information! I had the same issues with other CSUs that didn't give too much information about their program lol... Anyway, I'm glad I can help! There are definitely programs out there that can offer quite substantial grants/scholarships, but imo they tend to be in areas I personally would not want to study and the costs to some of those programs are already high. In the end, it might just even out anyway lol. I see you're a Spanish double major so I know Fresno would be a great place for you to study given its population! It really is such a diverse city! Feel free to contact me for more info down the line. Good luck with applications!

[CalSLP2Be]

Hi guys, I stumbled across this post and was wondering if either of you have any information regarding if San Jose or Fresno tend to favor their own undergrads? I am considering applying to both these schools.. any input on what % of their own undergrad are admitted into the masters?

[snoves]

On 10/20/2017 at 12:18 PM, BrookeH said:

Hi guys, I stumbled across this post and was wondering if either of you have any information regarding if San Jose or Fresno tend to favor their own undergrads? I am considering applying to both these schools.. any input on what % of their own undergrad are admitted into the masters?

I have no idea. As far as I can tell from their sites they aren't anywhere near the level of say, Sacramento State or CSU: Chico in terms of favoring their undergrads. I've heard of people both on and off this forum who have been admitted to both and did not attend those universities for undergrad. I think it's worth a shot!

[lacuna]

Hi! This is a very late reply, but I am a current student at SJSU in the SLP graduate program.

The grants are very selective and also short term. The current grants on the website I believe are going to end in the next 1-2 years. They are currently applying for more grants, I believe the program nearly always has grants available but the theme, name and nature of the grant, etc. is going to vary. There are a LOT of scholarships available for students and there's a scholarship portal. I applied to one that took me less than 30 minutes and was awarded $2,000.

In terms of aid in general, both schools are going to simply offer loans. There isn't really a lot of federal grants available for graduate students especially in the professional field. I was offered 17k a semester in loans for the program. 

[snoves]

2 hours ago, lacuna said:

Hi! This is a very late reply, but I am a current student at SJSU in the SLP graduate program.

The grants are very selective and also short term. The current grants on the website I believe are going to end in the next 1-2 years. They are currently applying for more grants, I believe the program nearly always has grants available but the theme, name and nature of the grant, etc. is going to vary. There are a LOT of scholarships available for students and there's a scholarship portal. I applied to one that took me less than 30 minutes and was awarded $2,000.

In terms of aid in general, both schools are going to simply offer loans. There isn't really a lot of federal grants available for graduate students especially in the professional field. I was offered 17k a semester in loans for the program. 

Thanks for the info! How much a semester did you end up needing to take out for loans from what you were offered?

[pbandj]

@BrookeH @snoves I'm not completely sure about Fresno State favoring their own undergrads. It can seem like that to me when looking at the matriculated students, but I think it's because most of the students applying to the program are from Fresno and are really set on staying so they're more likely to accept the offer. I've also heard of people getting accepted from outside the university, so it's definitely worth a shot! Fresno does have applications for spring admittance, which should be less competitive if that option becomes something you want to explore.

[GreenEyedTrombonist]

Not in SLP, but I did attend SJSU so take that for what it's worth.

I received a grant and only took out 5k in loans my first year (and got a job as a student researcher which helped me start paying that off). The next year, I became a TA (in a different department than my own) which covered all of my school tuition/fees. However, I'm also from San Jose and had a free place to stay while doing my MA, so my other expenses were extremely minor. It is important to note that San Jose is the worst housing market for renters in the entire country. There are places outside of the city that are relatively cheaper, but this does increase your commute by a lot. If you plan to drive, be aware parking can be a nightmare on campus. Do not buy a permit for a parking garage, get one for the park and ride lot (cheaper and easier to get parking there). Or, do what I did and memorize where all the free parking is near campus (there's also free parking around park and ride). There are definitely ways to make San Jose affordable, but you will have an easier time affording things in Fresno. As much as there is an undergrad rivalry between SJSU and Fresno, I do think Fresno has some pretty cool things (apparently the town has a ton of cool graffiti art and street murals, if that's your thing).