Cleveland, OH · 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 Cleveland State University
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
$75,890
A SmartTuition plan could save a family like this about $4,000.
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 Cleveland State University
| Full price, in state | $29,042 |
| Full price, out of state | $35,132 |
| After grants, at your income | $18,285 |
At this income, 4 of Ohio's other 38 colleges cost less after grants, and 34 cost more. See them all →
What can bring it down
Merit scholarships. Cleveland State reviews every first-year student for a merit scholarship of $2,000 to $7,000, based on GPA and test scores. It renews for up to eight semesters with a 2.0 GPA.
Cleveland State University's promise. The Cleveland State Commitment: tuition and mandatory fees, after other aid, for Ohio first-year students with a family income of $125,000 or less, for the fall 2027 class. The conditions ↓
Pay less for college
A SmartTuition plan shows what to pay from where, each semester.
At Cleveland State University, our scenarios for Ohio households with good parent credit show a SmartTuition plan saving a median of about $5,300 over four years. How we worked this out ↓
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Put your schools side by side →Merit scholarships
What Cleveland State University says it awards for grades and test scores.
Cleveland State reviews every first-year student for a merit scholarship of $2,000 to $7,000, based on GPA and test scores. It renews for up to eight semesters with a 2.0 GPA.
Published guarantees you may qualify for
We do not assume you qualify for any of these, and our plans never bank on them. Check each against your own situation with the aid office.
The Cleveland State Commitment: tuition and mandatory fees, after other aid, for Ohio first-year students with a family income of $125,000 or less, for the fall 2027 class
Household income up to $125,000. Covers tuition, fees.
- For an Ohio resident who graduates from high school in spring 2027 with a 3.0 GPA or higher. The student applies and files the FAFSA by February 15 and enrolls full time. It pays the tuition and mandatory fees left after grants and scholarships, for up to eight consecutive semesters. The family must stay at or under the limit each year. It does not pay housing, meals, books or course-specific fees.
“Spring 2027 high school graduates (transfer students not eligible) Eligibility is based on household AGI of $125,000 or less and is certified through the FAFSA process each year. A household AGI of $125,000 of less must be maintained each year for continued eligibility. The Cleveland State Commitment covers eligible direct tuition and mandatory fee charges remaining after applicable FAFSA-based grants and other qualifying financial aid (including scholarships) are applied.”
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 Cleveland State University 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. For a family that lives in Ohio, it also counts Ohio's tax deduction for money you put through its 529 plan.
The $5,300 in the “Pay less for college” box near the top of this page is the median saving in Cleveland State University's own scenarios. Each scenario is a household that lives in Ohio, with an income from $45,000 to $200,000 and savings of none, $40,000 or $100,000 in a 529. We price Cleveland State University 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: Cleveland State University's own 2026-27 tuition, fees, housing and food, from its website, carried forward to 2027 at 3.0% a year. Books are the College Scorecard's. 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.
Cleveland State University fixes tuition for four years for every class that starts in fall 2026 or later, under its CSU Guarantee. For students who start in fall 2027, our four-year figures keep that flat and let the rest of the cost rise.
SmartTuition.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Cleveland State University. Aid policies change; check current terms with the college's aid office.
Nearby at your income
- Ohio State$17,857 a year
- Bowling Green State University$18,231 a year
- Cleveland State University$18,285 a year
- Shawnee State University$18,852 a year
- Central State University$18,867 a year
What each college charges, less the average grant for your income. Every Ohio college →