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Cost & financial aid brief

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# California State University-Dominguez Hills Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much does CSUDH cost after financial aid?

California State University-Dominguez Hills publishes a total cost of attendance of $23,191, an average across living arrangements. In-state tuition is $7,449 and room and board is $18,444.

Out-of-state students pay tuition of $20,049. For aid recipients, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) falls to $8,615, an annual savings of $14,576 off the sticker total.

That figure sits below the median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $7,019. Azimuth ranks the university #53 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The affordability pillar at California State University-Dominguez Hills reaches the 96th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for first-time full-time Title IV aid recipients is $8,615, a figure below the median for comparable institutions (same type and size) of $15,634 by $7,019.

Borrowers who completed carry a median federal student debt of $13,807, below the median for comparable institutions (same type and size) of $20,076 by $6,269. Average net prices stand at $7,303 for the low-income band and $18,947 for the high-income band.

63.3% of undergraduates at California State University-Dominguez Hills receive Pell Grants, a marker of the families who fall into the lowest income band. Those families face an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) of $7,303.

The $30,001–$48,000 band averages $8,090, while the $48,001–$75,000 band comes in at $8,855. For the $75,001–$110,000 group the average is $12,323, and for families earning over $110,000 it is $18,947. The distance from the bottom to the top band is $11,644.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$7,303

**$30–48K**
$8,090

**$48–75K**
$8,855

**$75–110K**
$12,323

**$110K+**
$18,947

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$8,615**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

Aid covers about 63% of the published cost for the average aid recipient at California State University-Dominguez Hills. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $7,303 for families earning under $30,000.

It moves to $8,090 in the $30,001 to $48,000 band, and to $8,855 for those earning $48,001 to $75,000. At the upper end, families earning $75,001 to $110,000 average $12,323, and those over $110,000 average $18,947.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $11,644. The middle three bands sit within a few thousand dollars of each other, so the largest step up occurs only at the top of the income scale.

California State University-Dominguez Hills publishes a cost of attendance of $23,191, an average across living arrangements. In-state tuition and fees are $7,449, and room and board are $18,444.

For families earning under $30,000 the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $7,303, rising to $8,855 for the $48,001–$75,000 band and $18,947 for families earning over $110,000. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $11,644.

Azimuth ranks the university #53 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid covers about 63% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an offset of $14,576.

The average net price across all aid recipients is $8,615, which sits below the median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $7,019. Median federal student debt at completion is $13,807, with about 44.7% of federal aid recipients borrowing.

That median is below the peer median of $20,076 by $6,269. Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing stands at $11,061.

If repaid over ten years, the estimated monthly payment for a borrower with the median federal debt is $157.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Borrowers who complete a degree at California State University-Dominguez Hills leave with a median of $13,807 in federal student loans. That is $6,269 below the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

About 44.7% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Parents who borrow through the separate [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) program hold a median of $11,061.

The investment picture at California State University-Dominguez Hills is shaped by earnings that exceed the model's expectations and borrowing that stays below the peer median. Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $58,922.

That is $6,688 below the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Graduates earn about $13,012 more than the model expects for similar students, an outcome at the 89th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Earnings scenarios, estimated from the university's program mix, range from $47,950 in a downside case to $87,690 in an upside case, with $58,922 as the typical outcome. On the borrowing side, the median federal debt of $13,807 is $6,269 below the peer median.

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $157 a month if repaid over ten years.

Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $11,061. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $157.

[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**
$11,061

**Estimated parent payment**
$141/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| Income | Risk level |
| --- | --- |
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | Caution |
| $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**
$13,807

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$11,061

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

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$157/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$141/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$298/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 $58,922, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**5.2%** 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-dominguez-hills#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.