by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is the data on what it actually costs to attend California Lutheran University, spanning what it costs to attend, projected costs over a degree, net price, debt outcomes, and aid equity.
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The full cost of attending California Lutheran University works out to about $63,768.00 a year.
The blocks below show what you would pay with no aid, with average aid, and as a low-income student.
| Tuition and fees | $52,560.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $11,208.00 |
| Total cost | $63,768.00 |
| That is 94% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $63,768.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$38,317.00 |
| Net price | $25,451.00 |
| That is 22% below the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $63,768.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$46,265.00 |
| Net price | $17,503.00 |
| That is 47% below the national average net price. | |
| Explore each piece on the tuition & fees page and room and board. |
Costs have trended upward in recent years at a recent average of 4.5% annually, so the projections below total more than one year of attendance. These tables carry the cost across a degree for three cases: low-income w/ aid, average aid, and no aid. The loan rows amortise the projected total over a ten-year, 6.8% repayment.
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 4.5% | 4.5% | 4.5% |
| Freshman year | $18,297.00 | $26,606.00 | $66,662.00 |
| Senior year | $20,903.00 | $30,395.00 | $76,154.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $78,323.00 | $113,889.00 | $285,350.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $29,838.00 | $43,387.00 | $108,708.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $901.00 | $1,311.00 | $3,284.00 |
| Total amount paid | $108,161.00 | $157,276.00 | $394,059.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 4.5% | 4.5% | 4.5% |
| Freshman year | $18,297.00 | $26,606.00 | $66,662.00 |
| Senior year | $19,127.00 | $27,813.00 | $69,686.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $37,425.00 | $54,419.00 | $136,348.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $14,257.00 | $20,732.00 | $51,944.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $431.00 | $626.00 | $1,569.00 |
| Total amount paid | $51,682.00 | $75,151.00 | $188,292.00 |
See the full net-price breakdown in the net-price section.
Net price strips out grant and scholarship aid to show what families really pay. It is usually a better planning number than the sticker cost above.
| Average net price (on-campus) | $30,109.00 |
| Average net price (off-campus) | $26,433.00 |
Net price is far from uniform: lower-income families typically pay much less after aid. The table below shows the average net price by family-income bracket:
| Family income | Average net price |
|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | $17,414.00 |
| $30,000 to $48,000 | $18,518.00 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $23,759.00 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $23,547.00 |
| Over $110,000 | $32,409.00 |
Get a tailored estimate from the California Lutheran University Net Price Calculator, or get in touch with the financial aid office.
Curious how grants and scholarships are distributed? Explore the financial aid breakdown.
Typical debt at graduation from California Lutheran University stands at $18,970.00, landing it in the Low ($10-20k) burden tier.
The full distribution of debt at graduation looks like this:
| Percentile | Debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| 10th | $5,475.00 |
| 25th | $8,750.00 |
| Median (50th) | $18,970.00 |
| 75th | $27,000.00 |
| 90th | $34,000.00 |
The distance from the 10th to the 90th percentile shows how widely debt outcomes vary.
Read the complete debt breakdown on the student loan debt detail.
Median debt at graduation differs meaningfully across income brackets. Below, debt is broken out by low, middle, and high family income:
| Family income | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| Low income | $18,750.00 |
| Middle income | $20,148.00 |
| High income | $17,500.00 |
Graduates from lower-income families carry $1,250.00 in extra median debt compared with high-income peers.
First-gen students typically face different financial-aid contexts than students whose parents attended college.
| Student group | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $19,373.00 |
| Continuing-generation students | $18,500.00 |
First-gen borrowers at California Lutheran University graduate with $873.00 more debt than continuing-generation students.
The Pell Grant is the main federal need-based award for undergraduates. The Pell vs non-Pell debt gap reveals how borrowing differs by need.
The Pell-versus-non-Pell median debt difference at California Lutheran University stands at $4,500.00. Federal data flags this school for Pell-related debt inequity.
The federal default-rate classification for California Lutheran University is Low (<5%).
| Window | Cohort default rate |
|---|---|
| 2-year | 2.3% |
For scale, federal Stafford loan disbursements at California Lutheran University add up to $335,279,704.00 over 12,766 disbursements.
Veterans and active-duty service members may qualify for substantial federal education benefits such as the Post-9/11 GI Bill and DoD Tuition Assistance.
| GI Bill recipients | 54 |
| Avg GI Bill amount | $19,316.00 |
For the full rundown of veteran and military benefits, see the college veterans page.
Use the figures above as a launch point, then think through California Lutheran University, think through the questions below:
Explore the related pages below for a deeper look at the cost picture:
Data sources. Figures on this page draw from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), and MediaFactual editorial review. Net-price calculator and financial-aid office links are taken from the institution’s own published data.