Colleges / California State University-Chico
College · Public · Chico, CA · City
CSU

California State University-Chico

Chico, CA

Hispanic-serving
AddressFirst and Normal Sts, Chico, CA 95929-0150
Websitewww.csuchico.edu
Price calculatorRun your numbers →
Admit rate93%
6-yr median pay$50k
Net price / yr$14k
Undergrad size13,631
§ I · The real read

What it's actually like.

The bet

Net price of $14k/yr for a shot at a $50k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.

Getting in

Admit rate of 93% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid.

If you get in

13,631 undergrads. Medium. Clubs matter for finding your people.

Where you live

City campus — public transit, off-campus food, weekends happen nearby.

§ II · Cost & aid

Sticker vs. real.

Sticker cost of attendance is $26k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $14k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.

Sticker · 4 yrs$105k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$58k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$47k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback1.1x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.

Where the money goes · annual sticker.

Tuition · in-state
$8.5k
Tuition · out-of-state
$21.1k
Room & board
$16.5k
Books & supplies
$1,096

How students pay for it.

Pell grants43%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans32%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$17k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $9k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes

Do people finish? Do they land?

1-yr retention83%
Solid.
Graduation · 6 yr63%
Majority finish.
6-yr median pay$50k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$64k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out4%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity

Setting, size, and who this school is.

Setting
City
Control
Public
Undergrad size
13,631
Location
Chico, CA
Region
Far West (AK, CA, HI, NV, OR, WA)
Carnegie class
Master's Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Size & setting
Four-year · large · primarily nonresidential
Undergrad program
Four-year · full-time, inclusive, higher transfer-in
Accreditor
Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission
Identity
Hispanic-serving
§ · Who studies here

The student body at a glance.

  • White41%
  • Hispanic39%
  • Two or more races6%
  • Asian5%
  • Unknown4%
  • Black3%
  • International1%
First-gen students47%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time9%
Mostly a full-time student body.
Veterans0%
Share using veteran education benefits.
Median family income$31k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 81

What you can study.

Colleges / California State University-Chico
College · Public · Chico, CA · City
CSU

California State University-Chico

Chico, CA

Hispanic-serving
AddressFirst and Normal Sts, Chico, CA 95929-0150
Websitewww.csuchico.edu
Price calculatorRun your numbers →
Admit rate93%
6-yr median pay$50k
Net price / yr$14k
Undergrad size13,631
§ I · The real read

What it's actually like.

The bet

Net price of $14k/yr for a shot at a $50k first-5-year salary. Math out whether that works for you — it does for some people, not for others.

Getting in

Admit rate of 93% means this is workable if your grades and essays are solid.

If you get in

13,631 undergrads. Medium. Clubs matter for finding your people.

Where you live

City campus — public transit, off-campus food, weekends happen nearby.

§ II · Cost & aid

Sticker vs. real.

Sticker cost of attendance is $26k/yr. After need-based aid, the average student pays $14k/yr. Merit aid varies. Run your EFC calculator before you rule anything out.

Sticker · 4 yrs$105k
Before any aid.
Net · 4 yrs$58k
What the average student pays.
Typical aid$47k
Difference over 4 years — higher for lower-income households.
Payback1.1x
4-yr net price ÷ first-5-year salary. Lower is better.

Where the money goes · annual sticker.

Tuition · in-state
$8.5k
Tuition · out-of-state
$21.1k
Room & board
$16.5k
Books & supplies
$1,096

How students pay for it.

Pell grants43%
Share of undergrads on federal Pell grants.
Federal loans32%
Share taking out federal student loans.
Median debt · grads$17k
What the median student owes at graduation. Non-completers: $9k.
3-yr default0%
Low — grads tend to pay on time.
§ III · Outcomes

Do people finish? Do they land?

1-yr retention83%
Solid.
Graduation · 6 yr63%
Majority finish.
6-yr median pay$50k
Cross-major. Your major's number can be very different.
10-yr median pay$64k
Ten years out — where grads tend to land career-wise.
Transfer out4%
Share of full-time students who transfer to another school.
§ IV · Campus & identity

Setting, size, and who this school is.

Setting
City
Control
Public
Undergrad size
13,631
Location
Chico, CA
Region
Far West (AK, CA, HI, NV, OR, WA)
Carnegie class
Master's Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Size & setting
Four-year · large · primarily nonresidential
Undergrad program
Four-year · full-time, inclusive, higher transfer-in
Accreditor
Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission
Identity
Hispanic-serving
§ · Who studies here

The student body at a glance.

  • White41%
  • Hispanic39%
  • Two or more races6%
  • Asian5%
  • Unknown4%
  • Black3%
  • International1%
First-gen students47%
Share whose parents didn't complete college.
Part-time9%
Mostly a full-time student body.
Veterans0%
Share using veteran education benefits.
Median family income$31k
Of enrolled students' households — useful for aid context.
§ V · Majors offered here · 81

What you can study.