Cost & financial aid brief
San Diego State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does SDSU cost after financial aid?
The average net price across all aid recipients is $15,364, and aid covers about 45% of the published cost for that group. Across income bands, the average net price starts at $9,910 for families earning under $30,000 and reaches $23,821 for families earning over $110,000.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $13,911, a difference of averages that shows the largest discounts flow to families with lower incomes. The lowest-band average sits well below the overall average, a pattern that coincides with aid concentrated on the lowest-income families.
San Diego State University publishes a cost of attendance of $27,780, an average across living arrangements. In-state tuition is $8,728 and out-of-state tuition is $21,328.
For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $9,910. The average net price for families earning $48,001–$75,000 is $12,697, and for families earning over $110,000 it is $23,821.
Azimuth ranks the university #214 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Financial aid reduces the sticker price by an average of $12,416, bringing the average net price for first-time full-time Title IV aid recipients to $15,364.
The median net price at comparable institutions (same type and size) is $15,634, which places San Diego State University below that figure by $270. The median federal student debt at completion is $15,000.
About 59.8% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. The median debt is below the peer median of $20,076 by $5,076.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing stands at $25,565. If repaid over ten years, the estimated monthly payment on the median federal debt is $170.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal-loan borrowing at San Diego State University covers 59.8% of federal aid recipients. For completers who used federal loans, the median debt at completion is $15,000.
Measured against comparable institutions (same type and size), the university's median is below the $20,076 peer median figure by $5,076. Parent borrowers, tracked as a separate population, hold a median Parent PLUS debt of $25,565.
San Diego State University graduates earn a median of $68,268 four years after completion, a figure in the 73rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $21 less than expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level, an outcome in the 54th percentile nationally.
Earnings scenarios, shaped by the university's program mix, place the typical outcome at $68,268, with a downside scenario of $49,071 and an upside scenario of $90,895. Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median federal student debt of $15,000, which is below the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). The estimated monthly payment if repaid over ten years is $170.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $25,565. 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
- $25,565
- Estimated parent payment
- $325/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 | 19.1% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 8.6% | Caution |
| $150,000 | 4.1% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 2.7% | 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
- $25,565
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $170/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $325/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $495/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 $68,268, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
4.6% 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.