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The price listed on a college’s website is not what most families pay.
Financial aid, tuition guarantees, and lower-cost routes can cut that price sharply, and several of them reach families earning $100,000 to $200,000. Work through the steps below in the fall of senior year.
Start here: three steps for seniors
File the FAFSA or CADAA by your earliest college deadline. It is free and opens every year on October 1st. The federal and state governments use your FAFSA to decide what aid you qualify for, and each college uses it to build your financial aid offer. File at studentaid.gov. If you can’t file a FAFSA because of your immigration status, file the California Dream Act Application instead. File one, not both. Every college sets its own financial aid deadline, and most are months before the deadline. Look up the deadline on each college's financial aid page and file before the earliest one on your list. March 2, 2027, is the final cutoff to be considered for a Cal Grant.
Check whether your colleges require the CSS Profile. Many private colleges use it to award their own aid. It is free for families with income up to $100,000. Start at cssprofile.collegeboard.org.
Run the net price calculator on each college’s website. It estimates what your family would pay after aid. Do this before you rule a college out or in.
Extra help for low-income families: If your family’s income is low, there is more available: application fee waivers, state money that may already be in your name, and programs that pay the full cost of college.
Colleges that cover tuition based on family income
Colleges that cover tuition based on family income
University of California. Most California families earning up to $100,000 get enough grant aid to cover tuition at any UC campus. See UC tuition and financial aid.
Private colleges. More than 20 private colleges promise free tuition below a set family income, some for families earning $200,000 or more. A few also cover housing and food.
Lower-cost routes
Lower-cost routes
• Santa Rosa Junior College. SRJC for Free covers tuition for first-time, full-time students regardless of income. The Doyle Scholarship adds money for local graduates with a 2.0 GPA or higher. To be considered for both, file the FAFSA or Dream Act Application and list SRJC.
• Public colleges in other Western states. Through the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE), California residents pay no more than 150% of in-state tuition at participating public colleges.
• Career and technical programs. Cal Grant C helps pay for occupational and technical training. You apply the same way: complete your FAFSA/CADAA by your colleges' deadlines, and no later than March 2, 2027.
Scholarships
Scholarships
• 10,000 Degrees Scholarship: for Sonoma County students. 10,000 Degrees also offers free help with financial aid forms.
• Rise First scholarship directory: a searchable list of scholarships and programs.
• Never pay to apply. The FAFSA is free, and a real scholarship does not charge an application fee.
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