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Cost & financial aid brief

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# California State University-Los Angeles Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much does Cal State LA cost after financial aid?

The published cost of attendance at California State University-Los Angeles is $18,403. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported in-state tuition of $7,530 and required fees of $1,080 for the the 2026-27 academic year.

Out-of-state students face a published tuition of $20,850. After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients is $3,967, which is $11,667 below the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Financial aid reduces the published cost by $14,436 on average. Azimuth ranks the university #22 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Azimuth ranks California State University-Los Angeles #22 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $3,967.

That is $11,667 below the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). By income band, the average net price is $2,877 for families earning under $30,000, then $2,974, $5,002, $7,355, and $13,578 for families earning over $110,000.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $10,701. Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median of $13,000 in federal student loans, $7,076 below the $20,076 peer median.

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 $2,877; for $30,001–$48,000 it is $2,974; for $48,001–$75,000 it is $5,002; for $75,001–$110,000 it is $7,355; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $13,578.

Pell Grant recipients make up 66.3% of undergraduates, providing context for the lowest income band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $10,701.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$2,877

**$30–48K**
$2,974

**$48–75K**
$5,002

**$75–110K**
$7,355

**$110K+**
$13,578

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$3,967**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

Aid covers about 78% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an offset of $14,436 against the sticker price. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for the lowest-income band, families earning under $30,000, is $2,877, while the highest band, over $110,000, averages $13,578.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $10,701, a difference of averages that shows aid targeting narrows the out-of-pocket range across incomes. The pricing structure across bands places the $30,001–$48,000 band at $2,974, the $48,001–$75,000 band at $5,002, and the $75,001–$110,000 band at $7,355.

The lowest band's average remains well below the overall average of $3,967, reflecting the concentration of institutional and federal aid on students from lower-income families.

California State University-Los Angeles publishes a cost of attendance of $18,403. For families earning under $30,000, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $2,877; for families earning $48,001–$75,000, it is $5,002; and for families earning over $110,000, it is $13,578.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $10,701. Azimuth ranks the university #22 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Aid covers about 78% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an offset of $14,436. The average net price across all aid recipients is $3,967, which is below the median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $11,667.

The median federal student loan debt at completion is $13,000, with about 42.4% of federal aid recipients taking federal loans. That median is below the peer median of $20,076 by $7,076.

For parent borrowers, the median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $12,526. If repaid over ten years, the estimated monthly payment for a graduate with the median federal debt is $148.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Federal borrowing at California State University-Los Angeles is concentrated among a minority of undergraduates: about 42.4% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. For completers who do borrow, the median federal student debt is $13,000.

That median is below the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $7,076. [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate population from student borrowers, carries a median of $12,526.

Graduates of California State University-Los Angeles earn about $14,737 more than the model expects for similar students, a result that sits in the 91st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Four years after completion, the median earnings for working, non-enrolled completers reach $59,756, which falls in the 50th percentile nationally.

Earnings scenarios tied to the university's program mix show a typical earnings level of $59,756, with a downside scenario of $44,151 and an upside scenario of $79,675. Completers who borrow federal loans carry a median debt of $13,000, which is below the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $7,076. The estimated monthly payment if repaid over ten years is $148.

Parent borrowers at the university took on a median of $12,526 in [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) loans, a separate federal borrowing population. The estimated monthly payment on the median federal student debt if repaid over ten years is $148.

[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**
$12,526

**Estimated parent payment**
$159/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| Household income | Share of income above basic expenses | Risk level |
| --- | --- | --- |
| $35,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $50,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $75,000 | 9.4% | Caution |
| $100,000 | 4.2% | Safe |
| $150,000 | 2.0% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 1.3% | 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](/financial-gps/?tool=parent&school=california-state-university-los-angeles#parent-tool). [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**
$13,000

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$12,526

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

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$148/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$159/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$307/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 $59,756, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**5.0%** 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

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.

[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-los-angeles#student-tool)

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](/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.