UCSD Loans, Tuition, Costs & More

This is the complete guide to UCSD tuition, costs and student loans. If you’re considering University of California-San Diego (UC San Diego), you’re likely focussed on that huge, glaring sticker price: $N/A.

If you’re still trying to figure out if you can get into the school, try our college chances calculator for UCSD

That expensive sticker price can be extremely misleading and does not usually represent the true cost of UCSD. The reality is that a huge percentage of students who attend UCSD do not pay that number.

What you are most likely concerned with is what you and your family will pay for University of California-San Diego (UC San Diego), which is dependent on a range of factors from family income to state residency.

Before we get started, if you have any doubts about your ability to afford UCSD and are interested in student loans to support your education, the below vendors specifically lend to UCSD students - click any of them to learn more about their rates and requirements.

Now, let’s break down that scary sticker price first.

How much is UCSD tuition?

The stated tuition for out-of-state students at University of California-San Diego (UC San Diego) is $43159 while in-state students pay $14167. The dictionary definition of tuition is the “price of payment for instruction.” That’s an important distinction from the total cost of attending UCSD.

Essentially, tuition is only what you pay to attend classes at UCSD. The annual charge of $43159 or $14167 often excludes dozens of other miscellaneous expenses, such as housing, textbooks, meals, fees and more. Therefore, the true cost of UCSD is much higher than either of these prices (more on this later).

At the same time, however, tuition does not take into account factors that can help a student or family afford college, such as scholarships, student loans and grants.

Therefore, although an important benchmark, the $14167 for University of California-San Diego (UC San Diego) is likely not a good indicator of what you can expect to pay if you attend the school.

What is the total cost of UCSD?

If you’re already thinking of this question, you’re one step ahead of us! And you’re on the right track… .The total cost of attending UCSD is $N/A and is much more indicative of how much you will pay over the course of one year to attend the school - with one BIG caveat: total cost excludes financial supports that help reduce the cost of attending school, like scholarships at UCSD.

Still, if you do not plan on receiving financial aid, student loans and the like then the University of California-San Diego (UC San Diego) cost of attendance is the best indicator to consider.

What does the total cost of UCSD include?

The total cost of UCSD includes tuition and other common, material expenses, like textbooks and supplies, room and board, and meal costs, minus the average amount of financial aid and scholarships.

Importantly, this does not reflect the price you will likely pay based on your income bracket.

What is the price of room and board at UCSD?

UCSD doesn’t report the cost of rooming and dorms. However, we know that average room and board costs from private universities around the country is estimated to be about $10,800. Although there is variability in this price, mostly determined by school location, UCSD dorm costs are likely similar give or take 10%.

UCSD doesn’t report meal/boarding charges.

The combined room and board charge for UCSD is $13115.

How much is UCSD out of state tuition?

Out of state tuition for UCSD is $43159.

How much is University of California-San Diego (UC San Diego) in state tuition?

In state state tuition for UCSD is $14167.

How can I afford UCSD?

You should use a variety of financial tools to offset the cost of UCSD.

It’s easy to lose track of all the assets at your disposal, but the most common can be categorized into grants, loans, and scholarships.

At University of California-San Diego (UC San Diego), 0.3629% of students receive a pell grant. Furthermore, 0.3554% of students borrow federal student loans to help pay for the school.

If you will use student loans to help pay for UCSD, these providers below all work with UCSD students.

How much will I pay for UCSD?

This is the million dollar question - literally! UCSD students pay a variety of prices to attend the institution, as you already know. A very easy way to determine an average price you can expect to pay is by using your average family income and comparing it to the table below.

For additional insight, try using the University of California-San Diego (UC San Diego) net price calculator.

How much debt will I graduate with from UCSD?

Beyond the years you plan on spending at University of California-San Diego (UC San Diego), the financial repercussions of UCSD tuition will stay with you for awhile, especially if you take out loans to finance the education.

The median debt for students who have completed a degree at UCSD is $16808.0. We can break down this number further by household income and student type (see where you might fit in):

Is UCSD worth the cost?

Going to college is an investment, and like all investments, you should look at the ROI of attending University of California-San Diego (UC San Diego).

Luckily, we can provide some insightful data to help determine whether or not UCSD is worth the cost by examining what past graduates are earning now.

The average salary of students who were working six years after graduating from UCSD is $48200 (the median is $43400).

After 8 years, the average salary for UCSD graduates is $N/A.

10 years out, the average salary for UCSD graduates is $69600.

I think it’s particularly interesting to look at the salary 10 years after graduation, and it’s probably more indicative of whether UCSD is worth the cost. The real upside of a college degree is that it puts you on a path where your future salary can increase substantially, and it may be hard to achieve that upside without a college degree.

For example, after graduating from UCSD you may get a job where the salary is not too much more than you’d make without a college degree, and you may have taken out a lot of loans to get there!

However, if you stay in that position for 5 or 10 years, you will likely begin doubling and tripling what you’re making.

The future earnings potential is going to be much higher if you go to UCSD compared to not attending college at all. Therefore, it’s about maximizing that opportunity and reducing the debt needed to get there.

How do UCSD graduates fare compared to similar schools?

This is an important question because if you’re considering UCSD, you likely have other options on the table.

Often times, students enroll in the cheapest university available to them. But, as we know from above, this isn’t the whole story.

For example, you would pay 5% more for a college if you knew the average salary would also be 10% higher, wouldn’t you?

There’s a lot of reasons why the average salary for UCSD students would differ from its peer schools. Perhaps the most popular areas of study align with higher or lower paying careers, or the school has a massive and supportive alumni network.

Here are just a few related schools to UCSD that may be of interest. Click on any one to break down their costs and performance outcomes further.

How much does UCSD cost per semester?

Assuming there are two semesters at UCSD and you are an in-state student, you will pay $7083 per semester. If you are out-of-state, you will pay $21579 per semester.

How much does UCSD cost per year?

This is effectively the total annual cost of UCSD, which is $N/A. However, you can also add room and board, textbooks, and other fees listed above onto that number to better determine how you will really spend in one year of attendance.

Is it possible to attend UCSD for free?

In theory, yes it is possible to attend UCSD for free. If you are a stellar student, you may get a scholarship to cover the entire cost of the education.

Similarly, if you are a student athlete, you may receive a full scholarship to be on a sports team.

Unless you are receiving a “full ride” (e.g. full scholarship) to attend UCSD, though, it won’t be free. If you take out loans to finance the school, you may pay very little in the near term but all of that money must still be paid off in the long term.

If you're trying to get in to UCSD read about the requirements here