by our College Data Analytics TeamThis overview lays out the cost of attending California State University-Chico, from sticker cost of attendance and projected degree cost to net price, debt at graduation, and aid breakdowns.
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The full cost of attending California State University-Chico came in between $25,590.00 through $38,190.00 depending on residency and living arrangement.
In-state residents qualified for the lower cost, with out-of-state students paying more: around $25,590.00 for in-state students versus $38,190.00 for non-residents.
Here the cost is broken out three ways: no aid, average aid, and the aid a low-income student typically receives.
| Tuition and fees | $8,472.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $17,118.00 |
| Total cost | $25,590.00 |
| That is 33% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $25,590.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$11,803.00 |
| Net price | $13,787.00 |
| That is 28% below the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $25,590.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$16,381.00 |
| Net price | $9,209.00 |
| That is 52% below the national average net price. |
| Tuition and fees | $21,072.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $17,118.00 |
| Total cost | $38,190.00 |
| That is 98% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $38,190.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$11,803.00 |
| Net price | $26,387.00 |
| That is 37% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $38,190.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$16,381.00 |
| Net price | $21,809.00 |
| That is 13% above the national average net price. | |
| Explore each piece on the tuition & fees page plus living costs. |
Published costs have climbed year over year by roughly 2.2% 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. Loan math assumes ten-year repayment at 6.8% interest.
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 2.2% | 2.2% | 2.2% |
| Freshman year | $9,414.00 | $14,093.00 | $26,159.00 |
| Senior year | $10,055.00 | $15,054.00 | $27,941.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $38,928.00 | $58,280.00 | $108,174.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $14,830.00 | $22,203.00 | $41,210.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $448.00 | $671.00 | $1,245.00 |
| Total amount paid | $53,759.00 | $80,483.00 | $149,385.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 2.2% | 2.2% | 2.2% |
| Freshman year | $9,414.00 | $14,093.00 | $26,159.00 |
| Senior year | $9,623.00 | $14,407.00 | $26,740.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $19,036.00 | $28,500.00 | $52,899.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $7,252.00 | $10,857.00 | $20,152.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $219.00 | $328.00 | $609.00 |
| Total amount paid | $26,289.00 | $39,357.00 | $73,051.00 |
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 2.2% | 2.2% | 2.2% |
| Freshman year | $22,294.00 | $26,973.00 | $39,039.00 |
| Senior year | $23,813.00 | $28,812.00 | $41,699.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $92,191.00 | $111,543.00 | $161,437.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $35,121.00 | $42,494.00 | $61,502.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $1,061.00 | $1,284.00 | $1,858.00 |
| Total amount paid | $127,313.00 | $154,037.00 | $222,938.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 2.2% | 2.2% | 2.2% |
| Freshman year | $22,294.00 | $26,973.00 | $39,039.00 |
| Senior year | $22,789.00 | $27,573.00 | $39,906.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $45,083.00 | $54,546.00 | $78,945.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $17,175.00 | $20,780.00 | $30,075.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $519.00 | $628.00 | $908.00 |
| Total amount paid | $62,257.00 | $75,326.00 | $109,020.00 |
Jump to the net-price detail in the net-price section.
The net price is the real out-of-pocket cost — what families pay after grant and scholarship aid is applied. For most prospective students, net price gives a more realistic estimate than sticker tuition.
| Average net price (on-campus) | $14,480.00 |
| Average net price (off-campus) | $14,838.00 |
The real cost varies by income because need-based aid scales with financial need. The figures below give average net price by income bracket:
| Family income | Average net price |
|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | $10,045.00 |
| $30,000 to $48,000 | $10,612.00 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $13,937.00 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $18,380.00 |
| Over $110,000 | $23,572.00 |
Estimate your specific net price using the school’s California State University-Chico Net Price Calculator, or get in touch with the financial aid office.
For the grant-and-scholarship detail behind these figures, see the financial aid page.
Typical debt at graduation from California State University-Chico amounts to $14,500.00, which the Department of Education classifies as a Low ($10-20k) debt-burden bucket.
The percentile breakdown reveals the full debt landscape:
| Percentile | Debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| 10th | $3,500.00 |
| 25th | $7,000.00 |
| Median (50th) | $14,500.00 |
| 75th | $22,700.00 |
| 90th | $29,596.00 |
The gap between 10th and 90th percentile borrowers gives a sense of how uneven debt outcomes are.
For the full borrowing and repayment picture, see the student loan debt detail.
Student debt at graduation is not evenly distributed across income levels. The breakdown below segments borrowers by family income at entry:
| Family income | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| Low income | $13,500.00 |
| Middle income | $14,000.00 |
| High income | $15,000.00 |
Whether your parents attended college is associated with differences in median debt at graduation.
| Student group | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $14,469.00 |
| Continuing-generation students | $14,740.00 |
Pell Grant eligibility is a useful proxy for low-income status among undergraduates. The Pell vs non-Pell debt gap reveals how borrowing differs by need.
The Pell-versus-non-Pell median debt difference at California State University-Chico amounts to $274.00. This school carries a federal Pell-debt-inequity flag.
The Department of Education default-rate tier for California State University-Chico is Low (<5%).
| Window | Cohort default rate |
|---|---|
| 2-year | 6.1% |
For a sense of scale, Stafford disbursements at California State University-Chico total $711,945,146.00 spread across 42,822 loan recipients.
Veterans and active-duty servicemembers can tap dedicated federal aid programs including the GI Bill and Department of Defense tuition support.
| GI Bill recipients | 162 |
| Avg GI Bill amount | $5,450.00 |
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 2 |
| Avg DoD Tuition Assistance | $3,000.00 |
Explore GI Bill and military aid in detail on the college veterans page.
Numbers only tell part of the story. As you weigh California State University-Chico, the questions below are worth your time:
Use the pages below to go deeper on a specific part of the cost story:
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.