Cost & financial aid brief
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Cal Poly Pomona cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 52% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The size of that reduction differs across family incomes, with average net prices rising from $7,851 in the lowest band to $20,716 in the highest, a spread of $12,865.
The pattern shows lower average net prices at lower incomes. The gap between the bottom two bands is narrow: families earning under $30,000 average $7,851, and those earning $30,001 to $48,000 average $8,433. The middle bands sit at $10,734 and $13,894.
The published cost of attendance at California State Polytechnic University-Pomona is $23,955. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $7,851, and for families in the $48,001–$75,000 band it is $10,734.
Families earning over $110,000 see an average net price of $20,716. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $12,865.
Azimuth ranks Cal Poly Pomona #106 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid covers about 52% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an average offset of $12,424.
The average net price for first-time, full-time Title IV aid recipients is $11,531, which is below the median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $4,103. The median federal student loan debt at completion is $16,000, with about 53.6% of federal aid recipients borrowing.
That median is below the peer median of $20,076 by $4,076. Median Parent PLUS borrowing stands at $15,000.
The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $182 a month if repaid over ten years.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal borrowing at California State Polytechnic University-Pomona is concentrated among a little over half of undergraduates: 53.6% take federal loans, and the median federal debt at completion is $16,000. Compared with the $20,076 median at comparable institutions (same type and size), the university's median is below by $4,076.
Parent borrowers, a separate population, hold a median Parent PLUS loan of $15,000.
Earnings scenarios tied to the program mix at California State Polytechnic University-Pomona stretch from a downside of $49,890 to an upside of $98,620, with a typical scenario of $71,138. Four years after completion, federally aided completers earn a median of $71,138, a level in the 78th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Graduates earn about $15,260 more than expects for similar students, a result that falls in the 92nd percentile. The median federal student debt at completion is $16,000, which is below the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
The estimated monthly payment is $182. Earnings sit above the peer median of $65,610 for comparable institutions, a gap of $5,528.
Parent borrowers at Cal Poly Pomona took on a median of $15,000 in Parent PLUS loans, a separate federal borrowing population. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $182.
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
- $15,000
- Estimated parent payment
- $191/mo
| Household income | Share of income above basic expenses | Risk level |
|---|---|---|
| $35,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $50,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $75,000 | 11.2% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 5.0% | Safe |
| $150,000 | 2.4% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 1.6% | Safe |
The 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS balance, as a share of household income above basic expenses ($54,640 a year: 200% of the 2026 federal poverty guideline for a household of three). No room is High pressure. Open the parent tool for your own numbers. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $16,000
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $15,000
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $182/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $191/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $373/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 $71,138, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
4.6% of income above the allowance · Excellent
- Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
- Good 8–under 12%
- Concerning 12–20%
- High risk Over 20%
How this estimate works
The income spectrum compares the estimated student payment with the income left after the selected annual expense allowance. Changing the earnings scenario or allowance changes that comparison; parent payments are not included in this calculation.
The earnings choices are planning scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles or predictions of an individual graduate’s pay. The allowance is an adjustable model input, not a verified budget for your household.
Read the result as a comparison under those assumptions, not a guarantee that a payment is affordable.
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.
Federal student and Parent PLUS borrowing figures do not capture all private education loans. A federal balance therefore should not be described as a family’s complete borrowing total.
Annual loan awards in a Common Data Set, when available, answer a different question from accumulated borrower debt. Compare amounts only after identifying the loan type, reporting period and population; annual school-wide awards cannot be added to a median borrower balance.
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.