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Cost & financial aid brief

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# California State University-Chico Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/california-state-university-chico/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/california-state-university-chico/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/california-state-university-chico/admissions/)[Majors](/school/california-state-university-chico/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/california-state-university-chico/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does Chico State cost after financial aid?

California State University-Chico publishes a cost of attendance of $26,283. In-state tuition and fees are $8,472, and room and board runs $16,500.

Out-of-state students face tuition and fees of $21,072. After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients is $14,480.

Aid reduces the published cost by an average of $11,803 for recipients. That net price is $1,154 below the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth ranks the university #185 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

For aid recipients at California State University-Chico, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $14,480, which runs below the median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,154. Azimuth ranks the university's affordability pillar in the 87th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Median federal student debt among completers who borrowed is $16,552, below the peer median of $20,076 by $3,524. Average net prices range from $9,902 for families earning under $30,000 to $23,566 for families earning over $110,000.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s by family-income band show a progressive structure. For families earning under $30,000 the average net price is $9,902; for $30,001–$48,000 it is $10,099; for $48,001–$75,000 it is $12,961; for $75,001–$110,000 it is $16,506; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $23,566.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $13,664. About 42.5% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, providing context for the lowest income band.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$9,902

**$30–48K**
$10,099

**$48–75K**
$12,961

**$75–110K**
$16,506

**$110K+**
$23,566

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$14,480**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

Aid covers about 45% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, a reduction of $11,803 from the sticker price. The pattern across income bands is relatively flat.

The lowest-income band averages $9,902 while the highest band averages $23,566, a spread of $13,664 between the two ends. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that first-year students with need received an average need-based grant of $14,474 in the 2025-26 academic year.

Those grants met an average of 61% of demonstrated need. Of the 1,269 first-year students determined to have need, 320 had their need fully met.

California State University-Chico publishes a cost of attendance of $26,283, with in-state tuition and fees of $8,472 and room and board at $16,500. For families earning under $30,000, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $9,902; it is $12,961 for the $48,001–$75,000 band and $23,566 for families earning over $110,000.

Azimuth ranks the university #185 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. The average net price for first-time full-time Title IV aid recipients is $14,480, which reflects an average financial aid savings of $11,803 against the published sticker price.

That average net price sits below the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size), a gap of $1,154. Out-of-state students face a published tuition and fees of $21,072 before any aid is applied.

74.4% of federal aid recipients take federal loans, and the median federal student debt at completion is $16,552. That figure is below the peer median of $20,076 for comparable institutions (same type and size), a difference of $3,524.

Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing stands at $17,585. If repaid over ten years, the estimated monthly payment on the median federal debt is $188.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Completers who borrowed federally left California State University-Chico with a median debt of $16,552. Against a comparable-institution median of $20,076 (same type and size), the university sits below by $3,524.

74.4% of federal aid recipients use federal loans. A separate parent-borrower population shows a median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) debt of $17,585.

In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 27% of graduates borrowed from any source, averaging $5,715 per borrower. Of those borrowers, 26% held federal loans averaging $5,303 and 3% carried private loans averaging $11,844.

Graduates of California State University-Chico earn about $12,980 more than the model expects for similar students, placing that outcome in the 88th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Four years after completion, graduates who are working and not enrolled record median earnings of $65,228, a level in the 66th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Earnings scenarios anchored on the university's program mix suggest a typical outcome of $65,228, a downside scenario of $48,437, and an upside scenario of $92,168. The median federal debt among completers who borrowed is $16,552, a balance that sits below the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, the estimated monthly payment is $188.

Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $17,585. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $188.

[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**
$17,585

**Estimated parent payment**
$223/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| 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](#cost-data-notes).

## Student and parent loans: the monthly payments

Financial GPS

### What does repayment look like?

**Institution median student debt**
$16,552

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$17,585

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

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$188/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$223/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$411/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 $65,228, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**5.3%** 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=california-state-university-chico#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.