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The real 4-year cost of University of California-Riverside in California
Over the 18 years from 2008 to 2026, published tuition and required fees at University of California-Riverside went from $7,845 to $16,745, an average of 2.0% a year. The 2026–27 figure is the school's own announced rate.
2026–27 rate announced: $16,7452026-27, first enrolled Fall 2026, per-quarter total (UC tuition+student service fee, UCR campus fees, UC Student Association fee) times 3 quarters; excludes waivable UC SHIP health insurance fee ($941.10/quarter) and one-time new-student fees.source
Read with care: this school's history shows a tuition freeze or guarantee, so a smooth projection may not hold.
2008–2030: history and projection
| Year | Published | Projected estimate | Estimate range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | $7,845 | – | – |
| 2009 | $9,152 | – | – |
| 2010 | $11,029 | – | – |
| 2011 | $12,924 | – | – |
| 2012 | $12,960 | – | – |
| 2013 | $12,960 | – | – |
| 2014 | $13,407 | – | – |
| 2015 | $13,527 | – | – |
| 2016 | $13,581 | – | – |
| 2017 | $13,917 | – | – |
| 2018 | $13,827 | – | – |
| 2019 | $13,853 | – | – |
| 2020 | $13,859 | – | – |
| 2021 | $13,754 | – | – |
| 2022 | $13,874 | – | – |
| 2023 | $14,170 | – | – |
| 2026 | $16,745 | $16,745 | – |
| 2027 | – | $17,073 | $15,926–$18,220 |
| 2028 | – | $17,407 | $15,147–$19,825 |
| 2029 | – | $17,749 | $14,407–$21,571 |
| 2030 | – | $18,096 | $13,702–$23,471 |
If you pay full sticker
Projected tuition + fees, entering fall 2026.
| Year 1 | $16,745 |
| Year 2 | $17,073 |
| Year 3 | $17,407 |
| Year 4 | $17,749 |
| 4-year total | $68,974 |
Two aid scenarios
4-year out-of-pocket total.
- $10,000/yr flat scholarship
- $28,974
- Flat aid doesn't grow, so it covers less each year.
- 50%-of-tuition scholarship
- $40,173
- Percentage aid keeps pace with tuition.
On-campus housing & meals
Room & board (housing plus the standard meal plan), on top of tuition.
- Latest (2023)
- $19,433/ yr
- rising 4.2% / yr
- Projected 4-year add-on
- $93,776
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 University of California-Riverside4-year schools with similar prices in California
Closest to University of California-Riverside by published tuition and fees. Similar sticker prices can still compound very differently.
- San Joaquin Valley College-Visalia$16,606
- University of California-Irvine$16,605
- Yeshiva Ohr Elchonon Chabad West Coast Talmudical Seminary$16,900
- University of California-Merced$16,535
- Antioch University-Los Angeles$16,350
- University of California-Santa Cruz$17,232
- University of California-Los Angeles$16,115
- Oak Valley College$16,100
Use this data
Published figures for University of California-Riverside from federal IPEDS data through 2023, free to download or embed with attribution. The embed stays current as the data updates.