<prompt> Human: For reasons that dont matter at this point, my parents and I have become estranged and they have said they are done helping me. I live in Hawaii and plan on moving back to California to continue my schooling at USC and finish my degree since I have 2-2.5 years left of schooling. Thankfully, I am very close with my girlfriend and her family who have offered me a place to stay and food to eat in exchange for minimal rent if I come to California. My parents have decided to cut me off financially entirely; no medical insurance, no tuition for school, no money for rent somewhere, groceries, phone bill, etc. My primary concern is how I am going to be able to continue affording my schooling at USC, a very expensive university. I really do not want to give up my place at the school because of the effort I took to get in and its academic standing. However, its also 1800 a unit and I need about 40 more credits to graduate. All in all, excluding books even which I hope most I can find PDF versions online for or from friends, its about 72000 minimum for me to finish my degree on my own, assuming all I did was pay for the units and not books and basic living expenses. Reddit, what can I do? Whats my plan here? I dont even know what I dont even know honestly because I have never been truly on my own. I really really need some help right now and I have till the end of summer to figure it out.  <response>: This happened to me when I was younger. Same exact situation. It turned out super well for me even though it was crazy stressful at the time. I was in my second year at a expensive east coast private school.For me, the key issue was that my parents incomeassets was way too high to qualify for any financial aid. Becoming legally independent was the first step. This allowed me to apply for Financial Aid using my own income, not my family. This took two years of living by myself or until you reach the age of 24. I moved to California. The reason was that the UCs are solid schools and were back then very very affordable. I figured that, as a safety, I would attend one of the UCs. I lived in SF for a couple of years two of the funnest in my life, then applied for financial aid. I also applied to additional universities as I wanted to see who would give me the best package. I ended up going to UCLA as I was qualified as an in-state student and they gave me a substantial scholarship. I received a very competitive package from my original school and a somewhat less competitive package from my ideal school first choice. Ended up at UCLA with no regrets. Took out about 20k in federal loans 2.99 so I wouldnt have to work too much and could focus on my studies. I would suggest waiting a year or two till you are independent, work and save up cash. Speak with USC and let them know your plan, they could have a better option than the one I lived. Personally, the entire experience was a bit of a blessing for me. Good luck. 