Chico, CA · Public · Every figure is for a student starting in fall 2027. We work each one out again whenever we update the site.
How to pay for California State University-Chico
What a year costs here, what brings it down, and what a SmartTuition plan could save a family like yours.
Paying for four years here
Four years here, after grants
$69,780
A SmartTuition plan could save a family like this about $4,600.
A SmartTuition plan shows what to pay from where, each semester, using your own numbers.
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A family of four with good credit and $500 a month for college. How we worked these out ↓
A year at California State University-Chico
| Full price, in state | $26,922 |
| Full price, out of state | $42,561 |
| After grants, at your income | $16,209 |
At this income, 17 of California's other 64 colleges cost less after grants, and 47 cost more. See them all →
What can bring it down
Merit scholarships. Chico State's Wildcat Scholarships go to more than 1,000 incoming and continuing students a year, over $1.6 million in all. Students apply from January 2 to February 15, and need-based awards also require the FAFSA or Dream Act application (and 1 more below).
Pay less for college
A SmartTuition plan shows what to pay from where, each semester.
At California State University-Chico, our scenarios for California households with good parent credit show a SmartTuition plan saving a median of about $7,200 over four years. How we worked this out ↓
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Put your schools side by side →Merit scholarships
What California State University-Chico says it awards for grades and test scores.
Chico State's Wildcat Scholarships go to more than 1,000 incoming and continuing students a year, over $1.6 million in all. Students apply from January 2 to February 15, and need-based awards also require the FAFSA or Dream Act application.
Out of state: students from the exchange states pay 150 percent of the state university fees and all of the campus fees. Other out-of-state students pay $420 a unit more, in addition to the state fees.
How we worked these out
The family
A family of four with good parent credit and $500 a month to put toward college, and the savings you pick. In state, the grants are what California State University-Chico reports families at that income got, on average. Your own will differ, and a family with no aid pays close to the full price. Out of state, there are no grants: the price is before any scholarship from the college.
What a SmartTuition plan saves
The difference, over four years, between a SmartTuition plan and the standard approach: savings first, then loans for the rest. It counts loan interest and the federal tax credit.
The $7,200 in the “Pay less for college” box near the top of this page is the median saving in California State University-Chico's own scenarios. Each scenario is a household that lives in California, with an income from $45,000 to $200,000 and savings of none, $40,000 or $100,000 in a 529. We price California State University-Chico at the aid it reports for that income.
Every scenario has parents with good credit and $500 a month toward college. The card above uses the same two. A scenario where the parents would borrow more than $65,000 is left out.
The prices by income
- They describe students who got aid.
- “Over $110,000” has no upper limit, so it averages families just over $110,000 with far wealthier ones. A family at $115,000 should expect to pay less than it shows.
- Each range is reported on its own, so the prices do not always rise with income.
Where the prices come from
Where the prices come from: California State University-Chico's own 2026-27 tuition, fees, housing, food and books, from its website, carried forward to 2027 at 3.0% a year. The grants are the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard (2025-26 figures), carried forward the same way. Each price after grants is the cost less those grants. The out-of-state figure uses the published out-of-state tuition instead. The average price after grants counts the students who get federal aid. Your own figure will be different.
California State University-Chico's own budget for 2026-27 is $29,546. It also counts costs the university doesn't bill for, such as travel and personal spending. We leave those out.
SmartTuition.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by California State University-Chico. Aid policies change; check current terms with the college's aid office.
Nearby at your income
- California State University-San Bernardino$15,666 a year
- California State University-Monterey Bay$16,158 a year
- California State University-Chico$16,209 a year
- California State University-Bakersfield$16,256 a year
- California State University-Channel Islands$16,344 a year
What each college charges, less the average grant for your income. Every California college →