With the start of a new semester, questions from students arise, with a major one being how to budget for the upcoming year. CSUN offers an online resource where students can find the estimated cost of tuition and fees.
However, in 2023, CSU voted to begin increasing the pricing of tuition by six percent. The CSUN website and archive state that the CSU system can change the price of tuition and other fees at any time without any warning or notice. As a result, this estimate may fall short of the true amount students have to pay for their education.
“I think it’s very harsh on the already struggling students,” Pamela Escobar, a third-year psychology major at CSUN, said.
The FAQ made by CSU explains that the rise in tuition is meant to help advance students’ education, as well as improve student and staff livelihood, as well as other facilities.
Mitch Yang, a third-year student at CSUN, shared their own thoughts. “Tuition is rising, but there isn’t any significant benefit to students,” they said.
In 2020 and 2021, students who took six units or more each semester could expect to pay $2,871. According to official CSUN archives, one academic year would cost a total of $5,742. This amount does not include the cost of parking and gas for those who commute or housing for those living in the dorms and apartments near the campus.
In 2024 and 2025, a student taking six or more units each semester paid $2,925. According to the 2024-2025 CSUN archives, the cost for six or more units would be $3,042, making $6,084 the total for one year.
Between parking permits, housing and other miscellaneous back-to-school necessities, it can currently cost students as much as $22,526 to attend CSUN for a full year.
Back in 2022, the cost of a parking permit for one semester at CSUN was $219. In 2025, this has now increased to $239.97 – a price increase of $20.97. Additionally, the price for gas in California ranges from four to five dollars per gallon.
“I feel that should be included in the already expensive tuition paid; the reason students end up getting parking tickets is because they can’t afford it on top of the tuition and attending expenses,” Escobar said.
The price of daily parking permits have also risen. In 2022, the two-hour permit would cost as much as two dollars, but has now increased to costing students over six dollars.
Fourth-year CSUN student Amy Lu said, “I feel that it’s ridiculous to increase certain prices of certain things when they’re not making any upgrades using that money. For example, you’re increasing the parking permit and tickets for CSUN, but you’re not providing more parking space or parking.”
This rise in tuition is ongoing. CSU announced the increases would begin in the 2024-2025 school year and continue through to the 2028-2029 school year, totalling to a 34 percent hike for students.
