Costs to Attend
The costs to attend California State University, Fullerton (CSUF) , also called the Cost of Attendance (COA), reflects the estimated expenses for the nine-month academic year. Standard expenses include the cost of state tuition fees, basic educational expenses such as books and supplies for two semesters, an allowance for room and board, transportation, and other basic living expenses.
In accordance with California Assembly Bill 990, CSUF provides the typical market cost of a one bedroom apartment in the Orange County, Santa Ana - Anaheim-Irvine CA HUD Metro area, which is $1,471 per month. The room and board expenses included in the off-campus cost of attendance represent the typical costs students pay when enrolled at CSUF, where many students living off-campus have roommates, which decreases their housing costs. Actual costs of room and board will vary.
*Note: All CSU tuition fees listed are estimates that are subject to change upon approval by the CSU Board of Trustees.
How does Cal State Fullerton assign my COA?
Costs vary based on your academic grade level and your housing plan. The links on the left side show the COAs for each academic level. If you attend CSUF only one semester, or if you attend summer session in addition to the regular semesters, we prorate your costs.
When we receive your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) or California Dream Act Application (CDA), we check to see if you indicated your housing plans on your FAFSA or CDA. If you did, we assign one of these three budgets:
- At home with parent/relative
- On-campus, if confirmed by Housing
- Off-campus apartment/house
What is the policy if I plan to live on-campus?
Initially we will establish your cost of attendance based on the housing plans you indicated on your FAFSA when you completed it. Starting in early summer, the Housing and Residential Life Office adds service indicators which note a student has an active housing contract. After this point only those student's with active service indicators will be assigned an On-Campus budget. If you initially indicated on your FAFSA that you planned to live on-campus but you do not have a housing service indicator we will adjust your cost of attendance to "at home" and make any necessary award adjustments due to the change in cost of attendance.
What if I need to Make Changes to My housing plan?
If you did not tell us your housing plan on your FAFSA, we will assign an "at home" budget. If this is not correct and you will not live at home, with a parent or relative, you need to notify the Office of Financial Aid of this correction.
You can update your housing plan by downloading and completing the Housing Update Form.
Have your landlord certify the form or attach the appropriate documentation to the form and submit it to the Office of Financial Aid.
What if I want my assigned COA to be changed?
A change in COA usually does not affect grant awards but it may affect the amount of loan you may borrow for the year. This is because the “family contribution” determines eligibility for most grant programs. If you need to know whether a change in housing status will affect your awards, please contact our office. We will be happy to change your COA if necessary. We may require documentation, such as a copy of your lease or rental agreement, before changing your budget from at home to off-campus. If your budget increases your eligibility for financial aid funds, we will adjust your awards according to funding availability at the time you make the request.
How does my COA affect my financial aid award package?
From a financial aid perspective, your cost of attendance (COA) reflects the maximum dollar amount of financial aid you may receive for the entire academic year. This includes federal grants, state grants, institutional grants, federal and private loans, scholarships, and other third-party aid.
