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Cost & financial aid brief

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# University of California-San Diego Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

[Overview](/school/university-of-california-san-diego/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/university-of-california-san-diego/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/university-of-california-san-diego/admissions/)[Majors](/school/university-of-california-san-diego/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/university-of-california-san-diego/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does UC San Diego cost after financial aid?

The published cost of attendance at University of California-San Diego is $38,701. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported in-state tuition of $14,202 and required fees of $3,789 for the 2026-27 academic year; out-of-state tuition was $53,472.

On-campus food and housing added $20,443. After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients is $12,470, which is $3,164 below the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Financial aid reduces the published cost by $26,231 on average. Azimuth ranks the university #136 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Azimuth places the affordability pillar for University of California-San Diego in the 90th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients is $12,470, a level that sits below the median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $3,164.

Borrowers who finish owe a median federal debt of $15,500, which rests below the median of $20,076 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $4,576. At the bottom of the income scale, the average net price is $7,525; at the top, it is $28,785.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s by family-income band show a progressive structure. For families earning under $30,000 the average net price is $7,525; for $30,001–$48,000 it is $8,155; for $48,001–$75,000 it is $9,942; for $75,001–$110,000 it is $15,199; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $28,785.

Pell Grant recipients make up 34.2% of undergraduates, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $21,260.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$7,525

**$30–48K**
$8,155

**$48–75K**
$9,942

**$75–110K**
$15,199

**$110K+**
$28,785

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$12,470**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

Aid covers 68% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The sticker-to-net gap is $26,231, an average across all income bands rather than a promise for any particular family.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s are lower at the bottom of the income scale than at the top. Families earning under $30,000 pay an average of $7,525, while those earning over $110,000 pay $28,785.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $21,260. The pattern is one of lower average net prices at lower incomes, rather than an individual aid package.

The University of California-San Diego publishes a cost of attendance of $38,701. For families earning under $30,000, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $7,525; for the $48,001–$75,000 band it is $9,942; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $28,785.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $21,260. Azimuth ranks the university #136 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Aid covers about 68% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an offset of $26,231. The average net price across all aid recipients is $12,470, which is below the median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $3,164.

The median federal student loan debt at completion is $15,500, with about 74.1% of federal aid recipients borrowing. That median is below the peer median of $20,076 by $4,576.

Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing stands at $24,257. The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $176 a month if repaid over ten years.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

At University of California-San Diego, 74.1% of federal aid recipients rely on federal loans. For borrowers who complete, the median federal debt at completion stands at $15,500.

The gap to comparable institutions (same type and size) is $4,576, with the university's median below the peer figure of $20,076. For parent borrowers, the median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) debt is $24,257; this figure covers a separate parent-borrower population.

The University of California-San Diego combines earnings that run well ahead of its peers with debt that stays below them. Graduates earn about $24,112 more than the model expects for similar students, an outcome in the 98th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The median earnings figure four years after completion is $83,130, which lands in the 91st percentile nationally. Earnings scenarios based on the university's program mix show a typical earnings level of $83,130, with a downside scenario of $56,810 and an upside scenario of $128,687.

On the borrowing side, the median federal student debt at completion is $15,500, which is below the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). The estimated monthly payment if repaid over ten years is $176.

Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $24,257. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $176.

[Repayment figures](#combined-borrowing) are in the Financial GPS card below. [Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes).

## Parent loans: what can the family afford?

[How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/)

**Median Parent PLUS debt**
$24,257

**Estimated parent payment**
$308/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| Household income | Share of income above basic expenses | Risk level |
| --- | --- | --- |
| $35,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $50,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $75,000 | 18.2% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 8.2% | Caution |
| $150,000 | 3.9% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 2.5% | 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](/financial-gps/?tool=parent&school=university-of-california-san-diego#parent-tool). [Read the assumptions and limits](#cost-data-notes).

## Student and parent loans: the monthly payments

Financial GPS

### What does repayment look like?

**Institution median student debt**
$15,500

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$24,257

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$176/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$308/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$484/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 $83,130, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**3.6%** of income above the allowance · Excellent

1.  Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
2.  Good 8–under 12%
3.  Concerning 12–20%
4.  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.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

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.

[Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=university-of-california-san-diego#student-tool)

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](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), 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](/about/).

**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](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/).

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.