2020-21 Academic Year Fee Information

We understand students have questions and uncertainties surrounding 2020-21 academic year fees and services. The campus has received an increased volume of questions about tuition and fees. As we navigate this pandemic with you, our office would like to provide the following information and resources regarding the 2020-21 academic year.

(1) Student services that are offered during the COVID-19 pandemic, and
(2) An explanation from the CSU and Chico State regarding questions about tuition and campus-based mandatory fees.

The link below provides information about student services offered during the COVID pandemic and will be modified for the 2020-21 academic year.

Student Services  https://www.csuchico.edu/coronavirus/students.shtml#services(opens in new window)

Tuition and Campus-Based Mandatory Fees

Tuition and campus-based mandatory fees generally cover fixed and ongoing expenses that the university continues to incur during the pandemic to maintain instruction, and operate student programs and facilities, many of which remain available to students virtually. Examples of these expenses include but are not limited to ongoing administrative and overhead costs for faculty and staff  wages and benefits, utilities, repair and maintenance, payment of existing financing and long-term debt obligations for some facilities, academic retention and support services, library research and resources, academic counseling, supplemental student instructional services, academic student success centers, career development programs, student government programs, virtual recreation services and programs, diversity and inclusion programs, physical and mental health services from our student health centers, student clubs and activities, and mentorship and internship programs.

The most significant costs associated with delivering all CSU instruction and programs, whether virtual or in-person, are personnel costs, which are not decreasing during this time.  Additionally, for the upcoming 2020-2021 academic year, funding from the State of California for the CSU has been substantially reduced as a result of the economic downturn caused by the pandemic, which creates an additional financial strain on the university.

We strongly encourage you to contact our Financial Aid Office at (530) 898-6451, email finaid@csuchico.edu or their website www.csuchico.edu/fa/index.shtml(opens in new window) to explore whether you might qualify for any available need or performance-based grant or aid. 

Campus-Based Mandatory Fee Update

Instructionally Related Activities (IRA) are essential to a quality educational program. In a typical year, IRA baseline fee dollars are often spent to support student travel for out-of-town competitions and conference participation, and to support on-campus student activities such as performances and recreation. On September 10, Chancellor White announced that the CSU will extend the Fall 2020 primarily virtual instruction directive into the spring semester of 2021. This directive had, and will continue, to restrict travel and in-person events through this academic year.

Students currently pay a $49/semester IRA baseline fee. A careful analysis of prior years and this year’s planned activities was undertaken to estimate the impact of the virtual environment. We also confirmed that some activities – such as registration and production costs for virtual events - will continue and will need IRA funding. This analysis determined the 2020-21 IRA baseline fees could be reduced by $29/semester due to the CSU restrictions on travel and in-person events that limit the realization of related planned IRA activities.

The university has revised the IRA baseline fee on student accounts and has coordinated any possible adjustments to financial aid awards or sponsoring agencies as applicable. These adjustments were completed in November 2020. For more information on the timeline, whether students should expect a refund, and how credits will be handled please refer to this FAQ page: www.csuchico.edu/sfin/faq-ira.shtml(opens in new window)

The university has reviewed the fee schedule for the 2020-21 academic year and at this time has determined that all other scheduled fees remain warranted.

For more information, please click on the link below and see Category II for campus-based mandatory fees.
https://www.csuchico.edu/bud/student-fee-info.shtml(opens in new window)

CARES/CRRSA Federal Funding