by our College Data Analytics TeamBelow is the data on what it actually costs to attend California State University-Northridge, spanning what it costs to attend, projected costs over a degree, net price, debt outcomes, and aid equity.
Use the section links below to navigate this overview:
Attendance costs at California State University-Northridge spanned $20,317.00 to $32,917.00 depending on your residency status.
In-state residents qualified for the lower cost, with out-of-state students paying more: roughly $20,317.00 in-state against $32,917.00 for out-of-state students.
The three scenarios below move from the full sticker price, to the net price after average aid, to the net price low-income students typically pay.
| Tuition and fees | $7,458.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $12,859.00 |
| Total cost | $20,317.00 |
| That is 6% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $20,317.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$13,464.00 |
| Net price | $6,853.00 |
| That is 64% below the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $20,317.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$15,580.00 |
| Net price | $4,737.00 |
| That is 75% below the national average net price. |
| Tuition and fees | $20,058.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $12,859.00 |
| Total cost | $32,917.00 |
| That is 71% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $32,917.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$13,464.00 |
| Net price | $19,453.00 |
| That is roughly at the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $32,917.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$15,580.00 |
| Net price | $17,337.00 |
| That is 10% below the national average net price. | |
| Want the line-by-line detail? Dig into tuition and fees plus room and board. |
The reported cost series has been increasing at about 2.0% per year, so the four-year total runs well above today’s cost. The tables below project the cost forward across a full degree, side by side for a low-income student with aid, a typical student with average aid, and a student paying full sticker price with 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 | 2.0% | 2.0% | 2.0% |
| Freshman year | $4,831.00 | $6,990.00 | $20,722.00 |
| Senior year | $5,126.00 | $7,416.00 | $21,987.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $19,912.00 | $28,806.00 | $85,401.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $7,586.00 | $10,974.00 | $32,535.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $229.00 | $332.00 | $983.00 |
| Total amount paid | $27,497.00 | $39,780.00 | $117,936.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 2.0% | 2.0% | 2.0% |
| Freshman year | $4,831.00 | $6,990.00 | $20,722.00 |
| Senior year | $4,928.00 | $7,129.00 | $21,135.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $9,759.00 | $14,119.00 | $41,857.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $3,718.00 | $5,379.00 | $15,946.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $112.00 | $162.00 | $482.00 |
| Total amount paid | $13,477.00 | $19,497.00 | $57,804.00 |
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 2.0% | 2.0% | 2.0% |
| Freshman year | $17,683.00 | $19,841.00 | $33,573.00 |
| Senior year | $18,762.00 | $21,052.00 | $35,622.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $72,875.00 | $81,769.00 | $138,364.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $27,763.00 | $31,151.00 | $52,712.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $839.00 | $941.00 | $1,592.00 |
| Total amount paid | $100,637.00 | $112,920.00 | $191,076.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 2.0% | 2.0% | 2.0% |
| Freshman year | $17,683.00 | $19,841.00 | $33,573.00 |
| Senior year | $18,035.00 | $20,237.00 | $34,243.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $35,718.00 | $40,077.00 | $67,816.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $13,607.00 | $15,268.00 | $25,836.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $411.00 | $461.00 | $780.00 |
| Total amount paid | $49,325.00 | $55,345.00 | $93,652.00 |
Jump to the net-price detail in the net-price section.
The net price figure shows the cost after grants and scholarships are deducted. For most students, this is the more useful number than published tuition because it reflects the real out-of-pocket cost.
| Average net price (on-campus) | $7,021.00 |
| Average net price (off-campus) | $7,599.00 |
What families actually pay shifts with income, since need-based grants are larger for lower-income students. The table below shows the average net price by family-income bracket:
| Family income | Average net price |
|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | $5,153.00 |
| $30,000 to $48,000 | $6,277.00 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $8,897.00 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $13,510.00 |
| Over $110,000 | $18,688.00 |
Run your own numbers with the California State University-Northridge Net Price Calculator, or contact the financial aid office.
Curious how grants and scholarships are distributed? Explore the grants & scholarships detail.
Median graduate debt at California State University-Northridge is $12,000.00, which federal data classifies as a Low ($10-20k) debt-load classification.
The full distribution of debt at graduation looks like this:
| Percentile | Debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| 10th | $3,250.00 |
| 25th | $5,500.00 |
| Median (50th) | $12,000.00 |
| 75th | $20,000.00 |
| 90th | $29,250.00 |
How far apart the 10th and 90th percentiles sit tells you how uneven debt outcomes are.
For the full borrowing and repayment picture, see the student loan debt detail.
Debt at graduation is far from uniform across income levels. The breakdown below segments borrowers by family income at entry:
| Family income | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| Low income | $11,333.00 |
| Middle income | $11,000.00 |
| High income | $13,717.00 |
First-generation college students often carry different debt loads than their continuing-generation peers.
| Student group | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $11,285.00 |
| Continuing-generation students | $12,809.00 |
Pell Grant eligibility is a useful proxy for low-income status among undergraduates. Contrasting Pell and non-Pell borrowers shows how need shapes debt.
The Pell-versus-non-Pell median debt difference at California State University-Northridge amounts to $-1,925.00.
The default-rate category at California State University-Northridge is Low (<5%).
| Window | Cohort default rate |
|---|---|
| 2-year | 5.6% |
To put the rates in context, Stafford loans at California State University-Northridge come to $1,710,265,785.00 across 84,326 student borrowers.
Veterans and active-duty service members may qualify for substantial federal education benefits like the Post-9/11 GI Bill and DoD tuition assistance.
| GI Bill recipients | 327 |
| Avg GI Bill amount | $4,763.00 |
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 8 |
| Avg DoD Tuition Assistance | $1,621.00 |
Explore GI Bill and military aid in detail on the veteran aid breakdown.
The data above is a foundation; round it out by asking yourself about California State University-Northridge, keep these questions in mind:
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.