Cost & financial aid brief
California State University-Sacramento Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Sac State cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 59% of the published cost for the average aid recipient at California State University-Sacramento, a reduction of $13,607 from the sticker price. The pattern across income bands is relatively flat.
The lowest-income band averages $6,501 while the highest band averages $18,861, a spread of $12,360 between the two ends. The middle bands sit close together, with families earning $48,001 to $75,000 averaging $9,212 and those earning $75,001 to $110,000 averaging $11,814.
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that for the 2025-26 academic year, first-year students with financial need received an average need-based grant of $20,794. Of the 2,853 first-year students determined to have need, 389 had their need fully met, and the average share of need met across aided students was 59%.
Merit aid for students without need was limited: 8 recipients received an average of $1,013.
The published cost of attendance is $22,945, and the average aid recipient pays considerably less. Azimuth ranks California State University-Sacramento #67 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $6,501, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $9,212, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $18,861. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $12,360.
Grants and scholarships lower the sticker price by an average of $13,607 for aid recipients. The average net price for first-time full-time aid recipients is $9,338, which is $6,296 below the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
About 53.2% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $15,000 in federal student loans, which is $5,076 below the peer median of $20,076 for comparable institutions.
Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $16,507 in Parent PLUS loans. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $170 a month. It estimates what a family at your income level might pay and borrow here.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal borrowing is common at California State University-Sacramento: 53.2% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Among borrowers who complete, the median federal student debt is $15,000.
That median is $5,076 below the peer median of $20,076 for comparable institutions (same type and size). Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $16,507 in Parent PLUS loans.
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 34% of graduates borrowed from any source, with an average cumulative debt of $17,459 per borrower. Federal loans accounted for most of that, including 34% of graduates with federal loans averaging $16,606. A smaller share, 2%, held private loans, averaging $20,921.
Graduates of California State University-Sacramento earn about $14,073 more than expects for similar students, an outcome in the 90th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The median earnings four years after completion stand at $64,511, which is in the 64th percentile nationally.
Earnings scenarios based on the university's program mix show a typical earnings level of $64,511, with a downside scenario of $52,979 and an upside scenario reaching $92,083. Borrowers complete their degrees with a median federal debt of $15,000, which is below the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
If repaid over ten years, that debt yields an estimated monthly payment of $170.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $16,507. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $170.
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
- $16,507
- Estimated parent payment
- $210/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 | 12.4% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 5.5% | Safe |
| $150,000 | 2.6% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 1.7% | 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
- $15,000
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $16,507
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $170/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $210/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $380/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 $64,511, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
5.0% 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.