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.
Sep 19, 2024: We’ve seen many students lately reporting 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.
Jul 11, 2024: We have updated the estimated expenses for international students for 2024-2025.
ESTIMATED EXPENSES TO ATTEND CSU 2024-2025
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 2024-2025 are $16,785 USD, which divided by 9 equals $1865 per month in estimated living expenses.
International Student health insurance for the 2024-2025 academic year is $2057. 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.
| Estimated Expenses for 2024-2025 | Non-Resident Tuition and Required Fees* | Living & Personal Expenses | Other Expenses (books, supplies, health insurance) | Total Estimated Funding Needed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Undergraduate | $35,278 USD | $16,817 USD | $5,003 USD | $57,098 USD |
| Graduate (standard) | $33,020 USD | $16,785 USD | $5,003 USD | $54,808 USD |
| Graduate: Occupational Therapy, Addiction Counseling, or Prof. Science Masters in Natural Sciences | $35,020 USD | $16,785 USD | $5,003 USD | $56,808 USD |
| Graduate: College of Business | $37,176 USD | $16,785 USD | $5,003 USD | $58,964 USD |
| Graduate: Impact MBA | $44,825 USD | $16,785 USD | $5,003 USD | $66,613 USD |
| Graduate: Accelerated Biomedical Sciences | $36,645 USD | $16,785 USD | $5,003 USD | $58,433 USD |
| Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) | $66,841 USD | $16,785 USD | $6,572 USD | $90,198 USD |
| SPUR campus MS in Agribusiness and Food Innovation Management | $24,221 USD | $26,400 USD | $5,863 USD | $56,484 USD |
*Some departments and courses will charge additional fees. CSU assistantships may not yet cover 100% of fees, so students receiving CSU assistantships should budget accordingly and pay particular attention, too, to course fees and differential tuition for their curriculum plan.
| 2024-2025 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 |
**These are minimum estimated expenses required to get an immigration document from CSU.
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 | $1071 USD | $22,380 USD | $2,057 USD | $25,508 USD |
| 9 Months | $714 USD | $16,785 USD | $2,057 USD | $19,556 USD |
| Fall 2024 | $357 USD | $8,393 USD | $980 USD | $9,730 USD |
| Spring 2025 | $357 USD | $8,393 USD | $1,077 USD | $9,827 USD |
| Summer 2025 | $357 USD | $5,595 USD | $0 (included in spring) | $5,952 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 60 credit hours. The College of Business charges differential tuition after 30 credit hours.
Those 60 (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 60 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. 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 2024-2025 | Graduate & PhD Students enrolled in 9 credits | Undergraduate Students enrolled in 12 credits |
|---|---|---|
| General Fees | $1,923 USD | $1,923 USD |
| University Technology Fee | $64 USD | $64 USD |
| University Facility Fee | $428 USD | $570 USD |
| University Alternative Transportation Fee | $74 USD | $74 USD |
| Immigration Services Fee* | $350 USD | $350 USD |
| Total Estimated Fees | $2,839 | $2,981 USD |