California State University-Chico
Chico, California · Website
$64,172
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$64,172
median earnings, 10 years after starting
California State University-Chico is a public 4-year college in Chico, California with 13,631 undergraduates and 1,465 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $14,480 a year (tuition and fees $8,472 in-state, $21,072 out-of-state). It admits 93% of applicants and 63% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $64,172 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $16,552 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$14,480
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$8,472
Out-of-state $21,072
Admission rate
93%
US median 78%
Completion rate
63%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$16,552
About $175 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$64,172
Rank 560 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $14,480
- Tuition in-state
- $8,472
- Tuition out-of-state
- $21,072
- Cost of attendance
- $26,283
- Students with a need-based grant
- 43%
- Students with federal loans
- 32%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $9,902
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $10,099
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $12,961
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $16,506
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $23,566
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $7,022 in 2015-16 to $8,472 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 93%
- Undergraduates
- 13,631
- Graduate students
- 1,465
- Part-time students
- 9.1%
- Women
- 56%
- Students per teacher
- 23
- Completion rate
- 63%
- Retention rate
- 82%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 118
- Endowment
- $100.2M
- Other
- Hispanic-serving
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 560 of 5,094 US colleges and 93 of 494 in California (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | CA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $14,480 | $20,161 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $8,472 | $8,086 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 93% | 76% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 63% | 64% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 82% | 80% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $16,552 | $11,537 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $50,493 | $36,048 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $64,172 | $41,472 | $50,314 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 71% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 76% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
118 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 503 | $16,750 | $46,145 | $72,651 | $68,257 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 313 | $15,000 | $31,827 | $52,621 | $50,706 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 184 | $15,688 | $27,196 | $55,008 | $53,072 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 180 | $20,500 | $28,236 | $52,978 | $54,562 |
| SociologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 158 | $14,000 | $36,992 | $52,323 | $52,657 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 152 | $15,000 | $36,045 | $58,464 | $55,378 |
| Public HealthBachelor's | Bachelor's | 122 | $20,500 | $45,339 | Withheld | - |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's | Master's | 122 | $18,750 | $72,622 | $109,161 | $103,485 |
| Construction Engineering Technology/TechnicianBachelor's | Bachelor's | 116 | $20,761 | $88,648 | Withheld | - |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 113 | $16,500 | $113,181 | $117,543 | $88,910 |
| Animal SciencesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 98 | $17,606 | $33,387 | $48,474 | $49,634 |
| Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 94 | $16,125 | $38,421 | $58,391 | $56,359 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 89 | $17,600 | $37,120 | $71,726 | $57,214 |
| Mechanical EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 88 | $22,353 | $73,297 | $93,555 | $92,135 |
| Design and Applied ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 85 | $18,227 | $27,573 | $44,629 | $51,490 |
| Computer and Information Sciences, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 78 | $18,972 | $49,967 | $91,059 | $92,374 |
| Agricultural Business and ManagementBachelor's | Bachelor's | 69 | $11,250 | $47,937 | $65,198 | $66,647 |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 67 | $20,000 | $41,893 | $61,293 | $63,293 |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 66 | $20,000 | $81,021 | $127,498 | $107,009 |
| Social WorkBachelor's | Bachelor's | 63 | $15,829 | $36,840 | $57,146 | $51,790 |
| Civil EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 58 | $21,125 | $72,350 | $92,472 | $86,517 |
| English Language and Literature, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 56 | $15,000 | $27,045 | $49,189 | $48,590 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 55 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Fine and Studio ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 54 | $14,990 | $22,628 | $45,468 | $41,367 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 54 | $16,148 | $29,297 | $62,855 | $58,928 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: California on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in California
- Homes: Homes for sale in California
Questions and answers
How much does California State University-Chico cost?
$14,480 a year is the average net price at California State University-Chico after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $8,472 for in-state students and $21,072 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $26,283. Families earning under $30,000 pay $9,902 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at California State University-Chico?
93% of applicants are admitted to California State University-Chico. The median admission rate of colleges in California is 76%.
How much do California State University-Chico graduates earn?
$64,172 a year is the median pay of former California State University-Chico students who work, 10 years after they started ($50,493 after 6 years). That ranks 560 of 5,094 US colleges and 93 of 494 in California. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's) at $113,181.
How much student debt do California State University-Chico graduates have?
$16,552 is the median federal student loan debt of California State University-Chico graduates, about $175 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 32% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at California State University-Chico?
63% of first-time, full-time students at California State University-Chico finish within 6 years. 82% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 4-year colleges is 46%.
What are the most popular majors at California State University-Chico?
Business Administration, Management and Operations (503 bachelor's graduates), Psychology, General (313 bachelor's graduates), Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (184 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 118 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.