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The real 4-year cost of California State University-Chico in California
Over the 15 years from 2008 to 2023, published tuition and required fees at California State University-Chico went from $4,008 to $8,064, an average of 1.6% a year.
Read with care: this school's history shows a tuition freeze or guarantee, so a smooth projection may not hold.
2008–2027: history and projection
| Year | Published | Projected estimate | Estimate range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | $4,008 | – | – |
| 2009 | $5,336 | – | – |
| 2010 | $5,620 | – | – |
| 2011 | $6,890 | – | – |
| 2012 | $6,890 | – | – |
| 2013 | $6,972 | – | – |
| 2014 | $7,002 | – | – |
| 2015 | $7,022 | – | – |
| 2016 | $7,040 | – | – |
| 2017 | $7,348 | – | – |
| 2018 | $7,608 | – | – |
| 2019 | $7,806 | – | – |
| 2020 | $7,864 | – | – |
| 2021 | $7,864 | – | – |
| 2022 | $7,972 | – | – |
| 2023 | $8,064 | $8,064 | – |
| 2024 | – | $8,191 | $7,445–$8,938 |
| 2025 | – | $8,321 | $6,873–$9,907 |
| 2026 | – | $8,453 | $6,346–$10,980 |
| 2027 | – | $8,586 | $5,859–$12,171 |
If you pay full sticker
Projected tuition + fees, entering fall 2026.
| Year 1 | $8,453 |
| Year 2 | $8,586 |
| Year 3 | $8,722 |
| Year 4 | $8,860 |
| 4-year total | $34,621 |
Two aid scenarios
4-year out-of-pocket total.
- $10,000/yr flat scholarship
- $0
- Flat aid doesn't grow, so it covers less each year.
- 50%-of-tuition scholarship
- $22,295
- Percentage aid keeps pace with tuition.
On-campus housing & meals
Room & board (housing plus the standard meal plan), on top of tuition.
- Latest (2023)
- $16,020/ yr
- rising 4.0% / yr
- Projected 4-year add-on
- $76,687
Books & supplies typically add ~$1,200 a year (national median, not included).
Housing here has kept rising even while tuition was frozen; the creep moved to room & board.
Run your own numbers
Enter your actual scholarship offer to see your real 4-year total.
See my 4-year cost at California State University-Chico4-year schools with similar prices in California
Closest to California State University-Chico by published tuition and fees. Similar sticker prices can still compound very differently.
- The University of America$8,000
- Sonoma State University$8,190
- California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt$7,913
- California State University-Stanislaus$7,826
- University of West Los Angeles$7,795
- California State University-San Marcos$7,734
- Southern California University of Health Sciences$7,725
- California State University-Bakersfield$7,696
Use this data
Published figures for California State University-Chico from federal IPEDS data through 2023, free to download or embed with attribution. The embed stays current as the data updates.