Cost & financial aid brief
California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt cost after financial aid?
The average net price at California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt is $13,171, which sits below the peer median of $14,068 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $897. Aid covers about 48% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an offset of $11,999 against the sticker total.
Across income bands, the average net price starts at $8,483 for families earning under $30,000, moves to $8,812 for the $30,001–$48,000 band, $11,088 for $48,001–$75,000, $15,593 for $75,001–$110,000, and reaches $22,228 for families earning over $110,000. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $13,745.
The lowest-band net price sits well below the overall average, a pattern that coincides with the largest discounts flowing to families with lower incomes. The university's affordability rank of #194 among nonprofit four-year institutions reflects this structure, where aid keeps costs below the typical peer across most income levels.
The published cost of attendance is $25,170. Azimuth ranks California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt #194 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $8,483, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $11,088, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $22,228. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $13,745.
Aid covers about 48% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The average net price across all aid recipients is $13,171, which is $897 below the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Borrowers who finish carry a median of $18,000 in federal student loans. That is $3,229 below the $21,229 median for comparable institutions.
78.0% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $18,257.
If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $205 a month.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal borrowing is widespread at California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt but the amounts stay moderate. About 78.0% of federal aid recipients take federal loans, and among federal-loan borrowers who complete a degree the median debt is $18,000.
That median is $3,229 below the $21,229 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Parent borrowers, a separate population, carry a median Parent PLUS loan of $18,257.
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 53% of a 461-graduate bachelor's cohort borrowed from any source, with an average cumulative debt of $23,238 per borrower. Of all graduates, 52% held federal loans, averaging $22,047 per federal borrower.
The earnings picture at California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt is anchored by a median of $51,571 four years after completion. That figure sits below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions, which share the same type and size.
That median lands in the 22nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $507 more than expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level, a result in the 57th percentile nationally.
Earnings scenarios derived from the university's program mix show a typical earnings level of $51,571, with a downside scenario of $40,093 and an upside scenario of $65,121. Borrowers finish with a median federal debt of $18,000, which is below the $21,229 peer median.
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $205 a month if repaid over ten years. The return picture is mixed: earnings are near the model's expectation but trail the peer median, while the debt load is lighter than what comparable institutions carry.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $18,257. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $205.
Repayment figures are in the Financial GPS card below. Borrowing populations and model assumptions.
Parent loans: what can the family afford?
How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families
- Median Parent PLUS debt
- $18,257
- Estimated parent payment
- $232/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | Safe |
| $150,000 | Safe |
| $200,000 | Safe |
The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $18,000
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $18,257
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $205/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $232/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $437/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 $51,571, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
8.5% of income above the allowance · Good
- Excellent Under 8%
- Good 8–under 12% · selected scenario
- Concerning 12–20%
- 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.
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.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, 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.
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.
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.