For students at California public colleges, nontuition costs are a large part of overall expenses

Source: Data is from Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). Figure adapted from College Affordability in California fact sheet (PPIC, 2025).
NOTES: Figure shows price of attendance for full-time, first-time undergraduates in 2023-24. Food, housing, and other expenses are estimated as costs of living off-campus but not with family. Costs are averaged across institutions, using fall 2023 full-time, first-time, degree/certificate-seeking undergraduate enrollment as weights.
FROM: PPIC Blog, May 2026.
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