Costs
Q: Will tuition cost more under the semester system?
A: No. Full-time tuition for an academic year under semesters will not cost more than what the cost of tuition for that same year would be under quarters. (See the Pledge to Students). CSU system tuition rates are set annually by the CSU Board of Trustees. At semester campuses, the academic year’s tuition cost is charged over two semesters. At quarter campuses, the academic year’s tuition is charged over three quarters.
Q: Will non-resident tuition be higher under the semester system?
A: No. As an example, a student enrolled in 15 units per semester would pay $372 per unit x 30 semester units per academic year for a cost of $11,160. Under the quarter system, the cost would be $248 per unit x 45 quarter units per academic year for a cost of $11,160. Students pay the same amount under each system. (See the Pledge to Students.)
Q: Will the Graduate Business Professional (MBA) Fee be higher under the semester system?
A: MBA students will pay a similar amount under each system. For example, an MBA student enrolled in 8 units per term would currently pay $4,056 per academic year under the quarter system ($169 per unit x 24 quarter units for the academic year). The same workload would cost that student $4,064 under the semester system ($254 per unit x 16 semester units for the academic year).
Q: How will my financial aid awards be affected?
A: Financial Aid awards will be disbursed over two semester terms instead of three quarter terms. Full-time students will receive up to 50% of their annual eligibility per semester instead of 33% per quarter.
Q: How will Satisfactory Academic Progress (SAP) for financial aid eligibility change?
A: GPA requirements will likely remain the same; however, the Pace requirement will likely increase from 66.6% to 67%, and Maximum Unit Limits will be converted to semester units since undergraduate degrees will require 120 semester units versus 180 quarter units. For more information on Satisfactory Academic Progress, please visit the Financial Aid SAP website.
