The CSU strives to keep costs to a minimum by offering institutional aid programs in addition
to federal and state grant and loan programs. Financial aid allows students attending the
CSU to better focus on their academics and eases the pressure of educational and personal
costs. CSU systemwide tuition is among the lowest in the nation, at $5,742 per year for a
resident undergraduate student. Numerous CSU, state and federal financial aid programs
help defray the cost of attendance for the lowest income students and keep student debt
well below the national average. In fact, CSU baccalaureate degree recipients have lower
average debt ($18,173) than other students in California ($21,485) and the nation ($28,950).
With 82 percent of all CSU students receiving financial aid and 73 percent of undergraduate
financial aid recipients receiving grants and scholarships to cover the full cost of tuition,
the CSU understands the impact that need-based aid has on social mobility—a student’s
ability to attend college, earn a baccalaureate degree and enter the California workforce in a
position to attain greater lifetime earnings. The CSU currently provides more than $941 million
of institutional aid, which includes $701 million for the State University Grant program. An
additional $815 million from the state Cal Grant program and over $1 billion from the federal
Pell Grant program help CSU undergraduate students cover tuition, fees and some personal
expenses. The result is average loan debt levels that are well below the national average.