Average Support Cost Per Full-Time Equivalent Student and Sources of Funds
The total support cost per full-time equivalent student (FTES) includes the expenditures for current operations, including payments made to students in the form of financial aid, and all fully reimbursed programs contained in state appropriations. The average support cost is determined by dividing the total cost by the number of FTES. The total CSU 2025-26 budget amounts were $4,957,363,000 from state General Fund (GF) appropriations, $2,778,751,000, from gross tuition revenue, and $752,697,000 from other fee revenues for a total of $8,488,811,000. The 2025-26 resident FTES target is 90,598 and the nonresident FTES based on past-year actual is 21,242 for a total of 411,840 FTES. The GF appropriation is applicable to resident students only whereas fee revenues are collected from resident and nonresident students. FTES is derived by dividing the total student credit units attempted by a fixed amount depending on academic level (e.g., 30 for a semester university and 45 for a quarter university, the figures that define a full-time undergraduate or postbaccalaureate student’s academic load).
| 2025-26 | Amount | Percentage | Average Cost per FTES |
|---|---|---|---|
| State Appropriation (GF)1 | $4,957,363,000 | 58.4% | $12,692 |
| Gross Tuition Revenue2 | $778,751,000 | 32.7% | $6,747 |
| Other Fees Revenue2 | $752,697,000 | 8.9% | $1,828 |
| Total Support Cost | $8,488,811,000 | 100% | $21,267 |
1Represents state GF appropriation in the Budget Act of 2025-26; GF is divisible by resident students only (390,598 FTES).
2Represents CSU Operating Fund, gross tuition and other fees revenue amounts from the 2025-26 Final Budget Allocations memo. Revenues are divisible by resident and nonresident students (411,840 FTES).
The 2025-26 average support cost per FTES based on GF appropriation and tuition fee revenue only is $19,439 and is $21,267, with all fee revenue (e.g., tuition fees, application fees, and campus mandatory fees) in the CSU Operating Fund. Of this amount, the average tuition and other fee revenue per FTES is $8,575.
The average CSU 2025-26 academic year, resident, undergraduate student basic tuition and other mandatory fees required to apply to, enroll in, or attend the university is $8,644 ($6,450 tuition fee plus $2,194 average campus-based fees). However, the costs paid by individual students will vary depending on the university, program, and whether a student is part-time, full-time, resident, or nonresident.