by our College Data Analytics TeamMost students will never be charged the complete price tag of a school. Rather, they are presented a financial aid deal that includes a mix of loans, grants, scholarships, and possibly work-study opportunities. The total price of attendance at California State University-Fullerton can feel overpowering, but remember that the majority of students receive some sort of financial assistance.
What financing options does Cal State Fullerton offer, and what will you qualify for? Keep scrolling for more information. Read on to see how much school funding could be available 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 State University-Fullerton.
Colleges use loans, grants, scholarships and work-study to minimize what students actually pay out of pocket. However, some types of aid are more desirable than others, and some students will receive more than others.
For incoming first-year students at California State University-Fullerton, 83% of the incoming full-time class was awarded financial aid (about 5502 freshmen).
| Type of Aid | % of Freshmen Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 78% | $11,234 |
| Institutional grants & scholarships | 50% | $5,867 |
| Federal Pell grants | 54% | $6,036 |
| State/local grants | 68% | $3,596 |
| Federal student loans | 24% | $4,791 |
Grants and scholarships are the most valuable form of aid because, unlike loans, they never have to be repaid. Here, approximately 70% of the undergraduate population received grant aid that averaged $10,631 (covering around 25932 students).
| Award | % of Undergrads Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 70% | $10,631 |
| Federal Pell grants | 48% | $5,523 |
| Federal student loans | 22% | $6,354 |
For students living on campus and receiving title-IV aid, grants averaged $11,714.
Since aid is largely need-based, the real cost of attendance falls steeply for lower-income families.
| Family Income | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| $0 – $48,000 | $2,995 |
| $30,001 – $75,000 | $4,429 |
| Over $75,000 | $12,343 |
Each amount is the average cost remaining once grant aid is subtracted, by income band.
The net price strips out grant and scholarship aid from the sticker price to show roughly what families really pay.
| Cohort | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| On-campus title-IV students | $6,555 |
| Off-campus title-IV students | $5,646 |
For an estimate tailored to your family circumstances, see Cal State Fullerton’s NPC: www.fullerton.edu/financialaid/calculator/.
The median student at Cal State Fullerton graduates with $12,000 of federal borrowing.
| Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
| Median federal debt (all student-aid borrowers) | $12,000 |
| Median federal debt (graduates only) | $13,750 |
| Typical 10-year monthly payment (graduates) | $145.77/mo |
Under a standard ten-year plan, the median graduate’s monthly payment lands near the figure above.
Looking only at the median can be misleading because it hides the spread. The figures below chart the debt distribution at Cal State Fullerton.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,537 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $23,095 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $31,000 |
The figures below break down median federal debt by income tier, first-generation status, and dependency.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $10,957 |
| Middle income | $11,000 |
| High income | $14,500 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Median Debt
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $11,250 |
| Continuing-generation students | $13,309 |
Dependent vs Independent Students
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $11,250 |
| Independent students | $12,500 |
Federal data publishes pre-calculated indicators that summarize debt outcomes. Cal State Fullerton.
The Stafford loan program is the largest source of federal direct loans to undergraduates. The totals below capture Stafford lending at Cal State Fullerton:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Stafford loan recipients | 68714 |
| Total Stafford loan amount | $1,244,827,557 |
Military-affiliated students can tap the Post-9/11 GI Bill and DoD Tuition Assistance.
Post-9/11 GI Bill recipients
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| GI Bill recipients | 332 |
| Total GI Bill amount | $1,787,937 |
| Average GI Bill amount per recipient | $5,385 |
Active-duty Tuition Assistance recipients
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 19 |
| Total DoD amount | $44,112 |
| Average DoD amount per recipient | $2,322 |
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.