Cost & financial aid brief
California State University-Monterey Bay Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does CSUMB cost after financial aid?
Aid is directed more heavily toward lower-income families, with a much smaller published cost remaining in the lowest income band than in the highest. Aid covers about 49% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.
The average net price of $13,663 represents $13,324 in savings against the published cost of attendance. Across the income bands, increase from the lowest band through the highest, rather than staying flat.
This pattern shows that the largest aid offsets are concentrated in the lower-income bands, while families in higher bands face more of the published cost.
The published cost of attendance is $26,987, and affordability is the strongest of the four pillars. Azimuth ranks California State University-Monterey Bay #96 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $9,970 in the lowest family-income band, $12,440 in the middle band, and $22,818 in the highest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $12,848.
Aid covers about 49% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The average net price across all aid recipients is $13,663, which is $405 below the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Borrowers who finish carry a median of $12,750 in federal student loans. That is $8,479 below the $21,229 peer median, and 66.2% of federal aid recipients borrow.
Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $16,836. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $145 a month.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
California State University-Monterey Bay borrowers finish with a comparatively low federal debt figure, though borrowing is common. The median federal student loan debt at completion is $12,750, and 66.2% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.
Comparable institutions (same type and size) have a median federal debt of $21,229; California State University-Monterey Bay stands below that mark by $8,479. Parent borrowers are a separate population, with median Parent PLUS borrowing of $16,836.
California State University-Monterey Bay presents an encouraging return-and-debt picture for federally aided completers. Median earnings are $62,324 four years after completion, placing the university in the 58th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Graduates earn about $14,732 more than expects for similar students. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, stands in the 91st percentile.
The modeled program-mix earnings scenarios run from $46,117 in the downside scenario to $90,775 in the upside scenario; the typical scenario aligns with the observed median. Median federal student loan debt at completion is $12,750, $8,479 below the $21,229 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $145 a month if repaid over ten years. Above-expected earnings and lower borrowing point in the same direction.
Parent borrowing is separate from student debt: median Parent PLUS borrowing is $16,836 among parent borrowers. The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $145 a month if repaid over ten years.
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
- $16,836
- Estimated parent payment
- $214/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
- $12,750
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $16,836
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $145/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $214/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $359/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 $62,324, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
4.4% 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
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.