Estimated Expenses
The CSU Board of Governors reserves the right to increase tuition and fees at any time. All amounts below are estimated CSU tuition and fees, living and personal expenses, and expenses for dependents and presented in USD. These estimates may vary according to your living arrangements, major, marital status, and lifestyle. To avoid financial stress, please see our note at the top of the student employment page. ISSS cannot help you pay for your living expenses, health insurance, fees, tuition, or books and supplies, so please plan accordingly.
ESTIMATED EXPENSES TO ATTEND CSU 2025-26
Estimated expenses are calculated using Cost of Attendance estimates from the Office of Financial Aid. We also use the Base Tuition & Fees charts, specifically, the non-resident and completely in-person configurations of those charts, at 12 credits for undergrad students and 9 credits for most graduate students (exceptions have their own rows in the chart below).
For those who might live off campus, connect with CSU’s Off-Campus Life office for resources, and remember that you can divide the living expenses section below by 9 to see what some people’s monthly living expenses here might start at; but, again, those are just estimates.
Note, especially for those living off-campus, that housing in Fort Collins can be scarce, especially in the Fall, which means that available rooms may have inflated rent above those estimated living expenses. For example, the standard estimated Graduate living expenses for 2025 are $17,658 USD, which divided by 9 equals $1,962 per month in estimated living expenses.
International Student health insurance for the 2025-2026 academic year is $2,407. More details can be found on the CSU international student health insurance webpage.
For the most accurate estimate of the cost of your program, please refer to the CSU tuition calendar.
Degree Program Estimated Expenses
| Estimated Expenses for 2025-2026 | Non-Resident Tuition and Required Fees* | Living & Personal Expenses | Other Expenses (books, supplies, health insurance) | Total Estimated Funding Needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate | $36,620 USD | $17,508 USD | $5,335 USD | $59,463 USD |
| Graduate (standard) | $33,916 USD | $17,658 USD | $4,855 USD | $56,429 USD |
| Graduate: College of Business | $38,072 USD | $17,658 USD | $4,855 USD | $60,585 USD |
| Graduate: Impact MBA | $45,720 USD | $17,658 USD | $4,855 USD | $68,233 USD |
| Graduate: Addiction Counseling or Prof. Science Masters in Natural Sciences | $35,916 USD | $17,658 USD | $4,855 USD | $58,429 USD |
| Graduate: MS Social Work | $41,067 USD | $17,658 USD | $4,855 USD | $63,580 USD |
| Graduate: Occupational Therapy PhD | $57,733 USD | $17,658 USD | $4,855 USD | $77,877 USD |
| Graduate: Accelerated Biomedical Sciences MS | $37,541 USD | $17,658 USD | $4,855 USD | $60,054 USD |
| Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) | $67,293 USD | $17,658 USD | $5,325 USD | $90,626 USD |
*Some departments and courses will charge additional fees. Please pay particular attention to course fees and differential tuition for your personal curriculum plan. Moreover, if you are receiving Full CSU Assistantships for 2025/26, that will cover 100% of mandatory fees, so you should budget accordingly.
Intensive English Program Estimated Expenses
| Expense Category | Costs Per Term (8 weeks) | Costs Per Semester (16 weeks) | Costs Per Year (2 semesters/32 weeks) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & Fees | $4,758 | $7,858 | $15,716 |
| Living and personal expenses** | $4,415 | $8,829 | $17,658 |
| Other expenses (Books, Supplies, Health Insurance) | $439 | $1,337 | $2,557 |
| Total Estimated | $9,611 | $18,024 | $35,931 |
**These are minimum estimated expenses required to get an immigration document from CSU.
Bringing a spouse or child?
If you will bring an F-2/J-2 spouse or child dependent to the U.S., you must also show funds sufficient for their needs.
| 2025-2026 Estimated Expenses for Dependent Family Members (Spouse/Children) Costs for dependents should be added to the totals above, as they apply** | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Expenses for each dependent (spouse or child) | $9,500 USD | ||||
| Cap (someone bringing 3 or more dependents only needs to show this much for dependent expenses) | $28,500 USD |
Remember that this is an estimate only; actual expenses vary for different families, especially depending on the healthcare needs of that family. Please plan your budget according to your family’s needs.
Estimated Expenses for Graduate Students on Continuous Registration
| Tuition & Fees | Living Expenses | Health Insurance | TOTAL | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12 Months | $1,076 USD | $23,544 USD | $2,407 USD | $27,027 USD |
| 9 Months | $717 USD | $17,658 USD | $2,407 USD | $20,782 USD |
| Fall 2025 | $359 USD | $8,829 USD | $1,145 USD | $10,333 USD |
| Spring 2026 | $359 USD | $8,829 USD | $1,262 USD | $10,450 USD |
| Summer 2026 | $359 USD | $5,886 USD | $0 (included in spring) | $6,245 USD |
CALCULATING YOUR COST OF ATTENDANCE
The estimated expenses are the minimum funding levels the average student needs in order to attend Colorado State University. We are only able to create an immigration document for you after you show the minimum funding level required. Your actual expenses at CSU will vary according to your living arrangements, major, and lifestyle. The CSU Board of Governors reserves the right to increase tuition and fees at any time.
Differential Tuition
Differential tuition is tuition charged to students according to the specific courses they take after they have reached 64 credit hours. The College of Business charges differential tuition after 30 credit hours.
Those 64 (or 30) credits include any credits the student transferred from a previous institution, such as credits obtained at one of our strategic partner universities.
Differential tuition is not assessed for any student who is classified as a freshman. Students who enter CSU with enough transfer credits to be classified as upperclassmen will be charged differential tuition in their first semester.
The average semester-long course at CSU is three credits. Most students at CSU will reach 64 credit hours in their third year of study. College of Business students generally reach 30 credit hours in their second year of study.
Please visit the Office of Financial Aid website for more information about differential tuition.
Special Course and Program Fees
The tuition and fees estimates on the previous page are base tuition and fees for all students. Some classes and programs require additional special course and program fees. You can find additional information about those fees on the Office of Financial Aid website.
Assistantships do not necessarily cover all fees, particularly course fees or differential tuition. Students who are receiving assistantships from their academic departments are responsible for paying some fees themselves. Please see your assistantship contract for more specific information.
*The Immigration Services Fee
This is a fee our office manages. This fee is $175 per semester, for a total of $350 between Fall & Spring semesters. This fee is charged to all F-1 and J-1 students for each semester they are enrolled, including summer if summer registration/CR occurs. So if you register in anything at CSU during Fall, Spring, and Summer, you will be charged a total of $525. Learn more about this fee on our FAQ page.
| Estimated Fees for 2025-2026 Academic Year (Fall+Spring) | Graduate & PhD Students enrolled in 9 credits | Undergraduate Students enrolled in 12 credits |
|---|---|---|
| General Fees | $1,957 USD | $1,957 USD |
| University Technology Fee | $67 USD | $67 USD |
| University Facility Fee | $428 USD | $570 USD |
| University Alternative Transportation Fee | $87 USD | $87 USD |
| Immigration Services Fee* | $350 USD | $350 USD |
| Total Estimated Fees | $2,888 | $2,856 USD |