by our College Data Analytics TeamMany students are not billed the full sticker price of a school. Rather, they are offered a financial aid plan that includes a mix of loans, grants, scholarships, and possibly work-study opportunities. The sum total of attendance at California Lutheran University can sound tremendous, but do not forget that almost all students get some type of financial help.
What financing options does CLU offer, and what will you qualify for? Keep scrolling for more information. Read on to discover just how much financial aid could be open to you.
The amount of financial aid you can receive varies from person to person and will depend on your family’s economic situation. Continue reading to find information to help you understand just how much assistance you can expect to receive from California Lutheran University.
Through a mix of loans, grants, work-study and scholarships, schools bring down the effective cost so more students can attend. Bear in mind that not all aid is equal, and the amount any one student receives can vary widely.
Looking at the entering class at California Lutheran University, 99% of new full-time first-years were awarded at least some aid some 572 incoming students).
| Type of Aid | % of Freshmen Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 99% | $35,855 |
| Institutional grants & scholarships | 99% | $30,687 |
| Federal Pell grants | 34% | $5,801 |
| State/local grants | 35% | $8,638 |
| Federal student loans | 55% | $5,157 |
Gift aid — grants and scholarships — beats loans every time because none of it has to be repaid. At CLU, roughly 97% of the undergraduate population received grant aid that averaged $31,632 (among about 2308 recipients).
| Award | % of Undergrads Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 97% | $31,632 |
| Federal Pell grants | 31% | $5,718 |
| Federal student loans | 50% | $6,438 |
For students living on campus and receiving title-IV aid, grants averaged $38,317.
Need-based aid means lower-income families typically pay far less than the sticker price suggests.
| Family Income | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| $0 – $48,000 | $17,788 |
| $30,001 – $75,000 | $21,653 |
| Over $75,000 | $30,297 |
Each amount is the average cost remaining once grant aid is subtracted, by income band.
After grants and scholarships come off the published price, what remains is the net price — the best estimate of true out-of-pocket cost.
| Cohort | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| On-campus title-IV students | $30,109 |
| Off-campus title-IV students | $26,433 |
To project your own net price, use CLU’s official net price calculator: www.callutheran.edu/financial-aid/tuition-fees/net-price-calculator.html.
The median federal debt load at CLU comes to $18,970 in federal loans.
| Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
| Median federal debt (all student-aid borrowers) | $18,970 |
| Median federal debt (graduates only) | $21,669 |
| Typical 10-year monthly payment (graduates) | $229.73/mo |
The 10-year payment estimate assumes a standard federal repayment plan and the median graduate debt amount.
Looking only at the median can be misleading because it hides the spread. The figures below chart the debt distribution at CLU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,475 |
| 25th percentile | $8,750 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $34,000 |
The figures below break down median federal debt by income tier, first-generation status, and dependency.
Debt by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $18,750 |
| Middle income | $20,148 |
| High income | $17,500 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $19,373 |
| Continuing-generation students | $18,500 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $17,750 |
| Independent students | $21,900 |
These indicators are derived from the underlying debt data and summarize the overall picture at CLU.
The Stafford loan program is the largest source of federal direct loans to undergraduates. The totals below capture Stafford lending at CLU:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Stafford loan recipients | 12766 |
| Total Stafford loan amount | $335,279,704 |
GI Bill and DoD Tuition Assistance are the two federal aid programs targeted at military-affiliated students.
GI Bill volume
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| GI Bill recipients | 54 |
| Total GI Bill amount | $1,043,052 |
| Average GI Bill amount per recipient | $19,316 |
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.