The total support cost per full-time equivalent student (FTES) includes the expenditures for current operations, including payments made to students in the form of financial aid, and all fully reimbursed programs contained in state appropriations. The average support cost is determined by dividing the total cost by the number of FTES. The total CSU 2015/16 budget amounts were $2,987,063,000 from state General Fund (GF) appropriations and before adding $20.5 million CalPERS retirement adjustment, $1,654,161,000 from tuition fee revenue and after tuition fee discounts (forgone revenue), and $491,651,000 from other fee revenues for a total of $5,132,875,000. The 2015/16 resident FTES target is 356,450 and the non-resident FTES based on past-year actual is 18,630 for a total of 375,080 FTES. The GF appropriation is applicable to resident students only whereas fee revenues are collected from resident and nonresident students. FTES is determined by dividing the total academic student load (e.g., 15 units per semester) (the figure used here to define a full-time student’s academic load).
The 2015/16 average support cost per FTES based on GF appropriation and net tuition fee revenue only is $12,790 and when including all sources as indicated below is $14,101, which includes all fee revenue (e.g., tuition fees, application fees, and other campus mandatory fees) in the CSU Operating Fund. Of this amount, the average net tuition and other fee revenue per FTES is $5,721.
| 2015/16 | Amount | Average Cost per FTE Student | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| State Appropriation (GF)* | $2,987,063,000 | $8,380 | 59.4% |
| Net Tuition Fee Revenue** | $1,654,161,000 | $4,410 | 31.3% |
| Other Fees Revenue** | $491,651,000 | $1,311 | 9.3% |
| Total Support Cost | $5,132,875,000 | $14,101 | 100% |
*Represents state GF appropriation in the Budget Act of 2015/16; GF is divisible by resident students only (356,450 FTES).
**Represents CSU Operating Fund, Tuition Fee and other fees revenue amounts (net of tuition fee discounts) submitted in campus August 2015/16 final budgets. Revenues are divisible by resident and nonresident students (375,080 FTES).
The average CSU 2015/16 academic year, resident, undergraduate student basic tuition fee and other mandatory fees required to apply to, enroll in, or attend the University is $6,815 ($5,472 tuition fee plus $1,343 average campus-based fees). However, the costs paid by individual students will vary depending on campus, program, and whether a student is part-time, full-time, resident, or nonresident.