Cost & financial aid brief
California State University-Stanislaus Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Stan State cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 69% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, bringing the average net price to $6,067. The pattern across income bands shows the largest discounts flowing to families with the lowest earnings: the average net price is $3,938 for families earning under $30,000, $4,467 for the $30,001–$48,000 band, $5,947 for $48,001–$75,000, $9,230 for $75,001–$110,000, and $16,810 for families earning over $110,000.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $12,872, a difference of averages that reflects how aid is concentrated on families with lower incomes.
California State University-Stanislaus delivers some of the strongest affordability numbers among nonprofit four-year institutions. The published cost of attendance is $19,739, an average across living arrangements.
In-state tuition and fees are $8,246, and room and board is $13,126. After grants and scholarships, the average net price—what aid recipients actually pay—is $3,938 for families earning under $30,000, $5,947 for families in the $48,001–$75,000 band, and $16,810 for families earning over $110,000.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $12,872. Azimuth ranks the university #38 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Aid covers about 69% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, a savings of $13,672 against the sticker price. The average net price across all aid recipients is $6,067, which sits below the peer median of $14,068 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $8,001.
For California residents, the in-state tuition and fees figure is the one cited above; out-of-state students face $20,846. Graduates who borrow federal loans leave with a median federal student debt of $13,540, well below the peer median of $21,229 by $7,689.
About 50.5% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $154 a month if repaid over ten years.
For parents, the median Parent PLUS borrowing is $12,700.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
50.5% of federal aid recipients at California State University-Stanislaus use federal student loans. Among borrowers who complete a degree, the median federal debt at completion is $13,540.
That puts the university below the $21,229 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $7,689. Among parent borrowers, a separate population, the median Parent PLUS loan is $12,700.
Graduates of California State University-Stanislaus working and not enrolled four years after completion record median earnings of $58,952, a level in the 47th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. They earn about $13,797 more than expects for similar students, placing that outcome in the 90th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix at California State University-Stanislaus show a typical outcome of $58,952, a downside case of $47,668, and an upside case of $80,979. For borrowers, the median federal debt at completion, $13,540, falls below the $21,229 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, the estimated monthly payment is $154.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $12,700. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $154.
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
- $12,700
- Estimated parent payment
- $161/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 | 9.5% | Caution |
| $100,000 | 4.3% | 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. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $13,540
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $12,700
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $154/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $161/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $315/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 $58,952, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
5.3% 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, $23,940, uses the published framework’s 2026 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.