1.  [College research](/)
2.  /
3.  [Cal Poly Maritime Academy](/school/cal-poly-maritime-academy/)
4.  /
5.  Cost & financial aid brief

Cost & financial aid brief

Copy linkPrint brief

# Cal Poly Maritime Academy Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/cal-poly-maritime-academy/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/cal-poly-maritime-academy/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/cal-poly-maritime-academy/admissions/)[Majors](/school/cal-poly-maritime-academy/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/cal-poly-maritime-academy/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does Cal Poly Maritime Academy cost after financial aid?

Cal Poly Maritime Academy sets a cost of attendance of $29,853, which includes $9,944 in-state tuition and fees and $14,536 for room and board. Nonresident tuition and fees are $22,544.

At this public university the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $20,555. Grants and scholarships lower the published sticker price by $9,298 on average.

That average sits $7,733 above the $12,822 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Aid covers about 31% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.

Azimuth ranks the university #896 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Cal Poly Maritime Academy publishes a cost of attendance of $29,853. The average cost after grants and scholarships is $20,555.

That figure runs $7,733 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size). The affordability pillar is in the 37th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

After grants and scholarships, the lowest income band averages $13,552, while the highest averages $24,911. Borrowers who finish hold a median of $24,965 in federal student loans.

That amount sits $5,465 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients is $13,552 in the lowest family-income band (under $30,000). It dips to $9,768 for the $30,001–$48,000 band.

The average net price is $16,948 for $48,001–$75,000, $21,257 for $75,001–$110,000, and $24,911 for families earning over $110,000. 25.1% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, which is the population the lowest band applies to. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $11,359.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$13,552

**$30–48K**
$9,768

**$48–75K**
$16,948

**$75–110K**
$21,257

**$110K+**
$24,911

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$20,555**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

Aid covers about 31% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, leaving a sticker-to-net gap of $9,298. The pattern across income bands shows lower average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s at the bottom of the scale, though the middle bands do not follow a straight line.

The lowest band averages $13,552, while the $30,001–$48,000 band dips to $9,768 before costs increase again through the higher bands. The $11,359 spread between the ends describes a structure where aid narrows the gap but does not flatten it.

A family's actual package will depend on its specific circumstances, not just its income band.

The published cost of attendance at Cal Poly Maritime Academy is $29,853. Azimuth ranks the university #896 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $13,552, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $16,948, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $24,911. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $11,359.

Aid covers about 31% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The average net price across all aid recipients is $20,555, which is $7,733 above the $12,822 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median of $24,965 in federal student loans. That is $5,465 above the $19,500 median for comparable institutions.

91.5% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $38,432 in [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) loans.

If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $284 a month.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Most undergraduates at Cal Poly Maritime Academy borrow: 91.5% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Among borrowers who complete, median federal student debt is $24,965.

The peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $19,500, so the school's median runs $5,465 above it. Parents who borrow through [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) hold a separate median of $38,432.

Four years after completing a degree, graduates earn a median of $108,757, a figure that places Cal Poly Maritime Academy at the 98th percentile nationally. That is $55,641 above the $53,116 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Graduates earn about $37,803 more than the model expects for similar students. The gap sits at the 99th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, show a range: a downside scenario of $69,450 and an upside of $126,355, with the typical scenario at $108,757. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $24,965 in federal student loans, $5,465 above the peer median.

If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $284 a month.

For the separate population of parent borrowers, median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $38,432. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $284 a month if repaid over ten years.

[Repayment figures](#combined-borrowing) are in the Financial GPS card below. [Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes).

## Parent loans: what can the family afford?

[How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/)

**Median Parent PLUS debt**
$38,432

**Estimated parent payment**
$488/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| Income | Risk level |
| --- | --- |
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | High pressure |
| $150,000 | Caution |
| $200,000 | Safe |

The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. [Read the assumptions and limits](#cost-data-notes).

## Student and parent loans: the monthly payments

Financial GPS

### What does repayment look like?

**Institution median student debt**
$24,965

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$38,432

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$284/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$488/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$772/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

#### Student payment as a share of available income

At median graduate earnings of $108,757, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**4.0%** of income above the allowance · Excellent

1.  Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
2.  Good 8–under 12%
3.  Concerning 12–20%
4.  High risk Over 20%

How this estimate works

These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $22,590, uses the published framework’s 2024 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

[Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=cal-poly-maritime-academy#student-tool)

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. [About College Azimuth](/about/).

**Net price and borrowing.** The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. [College Scorecard data and documentation](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/).

A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.