The Breakdown

Out of state students are a rare breed in Davis, they make up 3% of the undergraduate population (around 400 students). Even international students outnumber them at 4%, quite a commanding lead.

Many out of state students feel bitter for having to pay nearly three times as much as California residents (for *tuition* that is), in addition to paying extra money spent on transportation to visit their homeland far, far away over vacation. A California resident pays roughly $7,457 in fees each year, while an out-of-state student's yearly fees total $25,949. "Fees" here is just tuition, and doesn't include the cost of books, insurance, housing, food, etc. These numbers were taken from here. They may also feel bitter because in-state students sometimes imply that out-of-staters don't deserve to be there as much as Californians. 

In addition to having to pay more to attend UC Davis, out of state students are required to jump through additional rings of fire just to be admitted to the university. Out of state students are required to have a 3.4 (unweighted) minimum GPA when applying for admission, while in comparison, residents are required to have a 2.8 minimum GPA. Out of state students are required to have SAT scores of at least 1400, while resident requirement is lower (couldn't find the exact number). This information was taken from here.

The Cons

There are other trite frustrations we face, but some are kind of funny:

  • When showing ID, many people stop dead in their tracks if they don't see the oh-so-familiar California driver's license and assume that the out of state ID must be a fake one, or is inadequate. Some bars in Davis will not even accept out-of-state IDs. 
  • When stopped in the quad and being asked to sign some petition for a worthy cause that is only for registered California voters, yet they fail to tell you that before you start filling out the form.
  • Higher student fees than California Residents
  • Being asked, "So what part of California are you from?" <- the ultimate insult
  • Being asked, "Do you live on a farm?" if you're from anywhere in the midwest. 
  • When you tell people where you are from, they cannot even locate your state on a map. And when they visit you, they will be shocked that there are in fact large cities outside of California. 

The Pros

Despite our complaining, we have some advantages too:

  • Killer conversation starter, most people you meet don't get to say they are from 1,000+ miles away.
  • The California budget crisis doesn't affect us (as much).
  • If approached in the quad and asked to sign a petition for an *unworthy* cause we have the perfect excuse for saying no.
  • Our cars have neato license plates.
  • With the budget cuts, UC Davis (and all UCs) want to increase Out of State enrollment (more $$$ than from a CA Resident for the same slot)

In Summary

Though some out of staters tend to be bitter sometimes about tuition costs and whatnot, if you ask them, they'll most likely say that they are happy at UC Davis. After all, there must be a good reason that they left their home state in the first place, right?

In more recent news, there is a lawsuit being filed against the UC system because numerous students that are illegal aliens have been awarded in state tuition while American (yet non-Californian) have been stuck paying out-of-state tuition and student fees. Many out of state students at UC Davis have joined the lawsuit in hopes of having some of their tuition refunded.

Out of Staters on the Wiki

- See also: Davis Midwest Connection

Comments:

You must be logged in to comment on this page. Please log in.

2005-01-27 15:44:35   Take note though. There is a secret/devious way to avoid the out of state tution if you dare. OH, and I didnt get the 1400, but I'm from outta state..how does that work? —MattJojola

2005-01-27 18:23:02   I feel like a lot of out-of-state undergrads, especially those from eastern states, end up at UCD because of the USNews college rankings. A number of them have told me that they saw UCD ranked near schools they were considering, checked out the website, and decided to apply. For such a major university, UCD is relatively unknown outside the West. Also, it seems like most out-of-staters from the West are engineering majors. —RishiTrivedi

2005-03-11 18:22:42   The residency deputy is a real pain, too. She instantly detests anyone trying to get in state residency. —AdamAnderson

2005-03-28 16:47:49   I may be joining the ranks soon... Born in Cali, currently in Texas, and, barring an acceptance from the two remaining longshots, I'll be a Davis Freshman this fall. No nifty license plate for me, however; I don't have a car. —RyanBach

2005-05-13 20:42:00   People whose parents worked at Los Alamos labs used to be able to pay in-state tuition. Anyone know if that is still true? —RussBowlus

Yup, it's still true. I met someone a few weeks ago from New Mexio whose father worked at the lab, and he pays in-state tuition. -AbbyLawson

2005-06-09 18:43:20   How long do you have to reside here before you can claim residency? It was a year a long time ago, but I think they tightened it up since then. I has residency when I started, but I applied as an out of stater, so I had to jump through the additional admittance hoops. —RogerClark

2005-06-10 00:24:55   Go to mrak basement and ask for the "petition for classification to resident status". It's not available online (I don't think), but it details all the requirements. Continuous physical presence in California is required for 12 months prior to the quarter you're applying for. —CaptainRush

2005-08-05 14:04:25   I'm a CA resident for tuition purposes. Suckas. But I had to relinquish my TX license plates :( That was really sad. I still brake for Texans though. Serious. —LacyCollum

2005-08-31 21:59:19   Well I'm from texas and fighting my way to get residency one step at a time, including selling my truck out there after i move in and stuff. BUt the only reason i'm going is because i had to move out of texas(been there way to long) and UCDavis is the only good school i know with a Viticulture and Enology degree. —NathanielJarrett

2007-04-18 09:31:01   wow...i didn't know that out of state students are so rare when i applied! i'm coming from cold, stony new hampshire :D the tuition kills, but up here, the quality of state schools isn't that amazing (maybe umass amherst) except in highly specialized programs, and you pay almost 1.5 more to go to some tiny private liberal arts college with a limited range of resources. for those who changed residency status, did it hurt your parents on taxes a lot? my parents still claim me as an dependent. —AshleyMarie

2008-05-29 18:00:48   Wow, so many Texans out here. I'm from Texas too, but still have my Texas plates on my car AND I pay resident tuition. Yay, best of both worlds!

The trick is to get admitted (probably the hardest part to get accomplished for us out-of-staters), get a Cali license, defer your enrollment, take some time & get yourself situated, then petition for residency (once your year is up) and start classes once residency is granted. It made more sense to me to defer my graduation by a year to cut my total tuition down by 1/3. Otherwise, I figured that it would take MORE than a year after graduation to pay off the out-of-state portion of my tuition in the long run.

If you want to pay resident tuition AND keep the plates on your car AND your out-of-state license that badly, there is a legal loophole, but I'm not posting it for the whole world to see. :-p

—DannyLee

2010-08-24 03:05:26   Well you guys are from all over the US...Im from The Philippines. There are even fewer american passport holders who grew up around the world and are now out of state. Ive only met two other people like me, two of which i knew before coming to this school. Im applying for in-state residency now actually. A very grueling process. I payed out of state for one year, and hoping to pay in-state for the next three years. I sent my petition in months ago, and they still havent gotten back to me. Im nervous and I dont know what to do, but it is very troubling not knowing wether or not i will be in davis or somewhere else. —isabelnc

2010-08-24 17:55:11   I didn't think to find this page when I was a student... lol But seriously, If I hadn't been fortunate enough to receive a wicked awesome scholarship then there is no way in hell I could have paid the $130k+ that 4 years of out of state tuition cost me. I also agree that it's damn near impossible for an out of stater to convert to the in state rate while receiving ANY financial support from outside. (at least legally/honestly) I gave up after two years of searching for a legal way... —ARWENNHOLD

Add tags