How to pay for college · Updated September 29, 2026
Cost of attendance (COA) is a college’s official estimate of what one academic year costs, including tuition and fees, housing and food, books and supplies, transportation and personal expenses. It’s the starting point for financial aid: your need is roughly COA minus your Student Aid Index (SAI), and your total aid generally can’t exceed COA. In California, 2026-27 COA ranges from about $29,500 at Chico State to more than $100,000 at USC for students living on campus.
Cost of attendance is much bigger than tuition. At UCLA, for example, 2026-27 tuition and fees for California residents are $16,430, but the full budget for a student in a residence hall is $45,500.
This guide explains what COA includes, how it’s used in financial aid, and how it compares at California colleges.
| College | Tuition and fees | Cost of attendance |
|---|---|---|
| Chico State (CSU) | $9,344 | $29,546 on campus |
| San José State (CSU) | $9,553 | $37,735 in campus housing; $27,483 living with parents |
| UCLA (UC, residents) | $16,430 | $45,500 in a residence hall |
| Stanford | $67,731 tuition | $97,545 |
| USC | $77,336 | $103,162 on campus |
Sources: Chico State, SJSU, UCLA, Stanford and USC cost of attendance pages, 2026-27. Full list at the end of the article.
In This Article
What Is Cost of Attendance?
Cost of attendance is the total estimated cost of one academic year at a specific college. Every school that offers federal student aid must set a COA, and it usually publishes separate budgets for students living on campus, off campus and with family, and for residents and nonresidents at public universities.
Some parts of COA are bills you pay to the school, such as tuition, fees and campus housing. Others, such as transportation and personal expenses, are allowances that estimate what a typical student spends.
What Does COA Include?
- Tuition and fees
- Housing and food
- Books, course materials, supplies and equipment, including a computer
- Transportation
- Miscellaneous personal expenses
- For some students: federal loan fees, dependent care, disability-related costs, study abroad costs and professional licensing costs
Here’s how one COA breaks down. UCLA’s 2026-27 budget for a California resident living in a residence hall includes:
| UCLA budget item, 2026-27 (resident, residence hall) | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition and fees | $16,430 |
| Food and housing | $19,867 |
| Books, course materials, supplies and equipment | $1,588 |
| Transportation | $969 |
| Personal | $2,761 |
| Health insurance (can be waived) | $3,885 |
| Total | $45,500 |
Source: UCLA Undergraduate Admission, Estimated Undergraduate Student Budget, 2026-27.
How Financial Aid Uses Cost of Attendance
When you file the FAFSA, you receive a Student Aid Index (SAI). Each college subtracts your SAI from its COA to find your financial need. Need-based aid such as Pell Grants, Cal Grants, the Middle Class Scholarship and college grants is built around that number.
COA also sets the ceiling on aid. In general, your total aid, including loans, can’t be more than your COA. That’s why the same FAFSA can produce very different aid offers at different colleges.
“Don’t compare colleges by tuition alone. A CSU with low tuition can cost more than you expect once housing is added, and a private college with a six-figure COA can cost less than a public one if its grants are large enough.”
CalChannel Editorial Team
Cost of Attendance vs. Net Price
COA is the price before aid. Net price is what you pay after grants and scholarships. Loans and work-study help you pay, but they don’t lower your net price, because loans must be repaid and work-study must be earned.
Every college that takes federal aid has a net price calculator on its website. Use it with your family’s real numbers to estimate what you’d pay before you apply.
Why COA Differs by College and Housing
Tuition explains most of the gap between public and private colleges, but housing matters almost as much. At San José State, living in campus housing adds about $10,000 to COA compared with living with parents. At community colleges, where tuition is low, living costs are most of the budget: Orange Coast College‘s 2024-25 cost was $8,230 living with family and $32,708 living off campus, according to federal data.
COA is updated every year. Your school may also adjust your COA for documented expenses, such as disability-related costs or study abroad, through the financial aid office.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is cost of attendance what I’ll actually pay?
Usually not. COA is the full price before aid. What you pay depends on the grants and scholarships you receive. Use each college’s net price calculator for an estimate.
What is the cost of attendance at a UC?
It depends on the campus and your housing. For 2026-27, UCLA’s budget for a California resident in a residence hall is $45,500. See our UC tuition guide for every campus.
How does the FAFSA use cost of attendance?
The FAFSA calculates your Student Aid Index. Your college subtracts it from COA to determine your financial need and builds your aid offer from that.
Can my cost of attendance change?
Yes. Colleges update COA every year, and your aid office may adjust yours for documented expenses such as disability-related costs, dependent care or study abroad.
Does COA include summer?
Standard COA budgets usually cover the fall-through-spring academic year. Ask your aid office how summer costs and aid are handled.
The Bottom Line on Cost of Attendance
Cost of attendance is a college’s full yearly price, not just tuition. It drives how much aid you can get, and in California it ranged in 2026-27 from about $29,500 at Chico State to more than $100,000 at USC. Compare COA and net price, not tuition, when choosing a college.
See our guide to how to pay for college for ways to close the gap.
Sources
- UCLA Undergraduate Admission. “Tuition and Fees: Estimated Undergraduate Student Budget.” ucla.edu.
- SJSU Financial Aid and Scholarship Office. “Cost of Attendance.” sjsu.edu.
- Chico State. “Cost of Attendance, 2026-27.” csuchico.edu.
- USC Financial Aid. “Cost of Attendance.” usc.edu.
- Stanford Financial Aid. “Student Budget.” stanford.edu.
- National Center for Education Statistics. “College Navigator: Orange Coast College.”
- Federal Student Aid. “How Financial Aid Is Calculated.” studentaid.gov.
CalChannel Editorial Team California college guides
The CalChannel editorial team researches and writes guides to California colleges, admissions and financial aid. We build our college profiles and aid guides from colleges’ own published data, federal IPEDS data and the California Student Aid Commission. Read our editorial policy.
