Cost & financial aid brief
The Chicago School at Los Angeles Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does The Chicago School at Los Angeles cost after financial aid?
The Chicago School at Los Angeles enrolls 337 undergraduates, and 56.5% of them receive Pell Grants. That share provides context for who the lowest-income aid packages serve.
The university's pricing structure means aid packages are built against a published cost of $21,780. Borrowers who complete a degree leave with a median of $20,000 in federal student loans, $5,000 below the peer median of $25,000.
If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $227 a month. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $21,265 in Parent PLUS loans.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Completing borrowers at The Chicago School at Los Angeles hold a median of $20,000 in federal student debt. This amount is $5,000 below the median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
At those institutions, the median is $25,000. The median is the middle value for borrowers who completed.
It excludes both Parent PLUS and private loans. If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $227 a month.
Parents who borrow through the federal Parent PLUS program are a separate borrower population.
Four years after completing a degree at The Chicago School at Los Angeles, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $82,068. That is $26,153 above the $55,915 median for comparable institutions (same type and size), and it sits in the 90th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Graduates earn about $11,232 more than expects for similar students. That puts the gap at the 86th percentile.
Borrowers who finish carry a median of $20,000 in federal loans, $5,000 below the median for comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $227 a month if repaid over ten years.
For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $21,265. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $227 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
- $21,265
- Estimated parent payment
- $270/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 | 15.9% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 7.1% | Caution |
| $150,000 | 3.4% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 2.2% | 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
- $20,000
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $21,265
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $227/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $270/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $497/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 $82,068, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
4.7% 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.