How much will it cost?

2011-2012 Academic Year

(If you are not a resident of California, add $372.00 per unit to the totals listed above.)

*The CSU makes every effort to keep student costs to a minimum. Fees listed in published schedules or student accounts may need to be increased when public funding is inadequate. Therefore, CSU must reserve the right, even after initial fee payments are made, to increase or modify any listed fees, without notice, until the date when instruction for a particular semester or quarter has begun. All CSU listed fees should be regarded as estimates that are subject to change upon approval by The Board of Trustees.

How much do books cost?

The average Cal State Northridge undergraduate spends about $1,746 a year on books and supplies. But there are ways to reduce your costs.

The most common way is to purchase used textbooks, which will save you 25 percent off the price of a new textbook. But shop early as these less-expensive volumes sell out quickly. There's a chance that your textbook may be available as an electronic download. E-books will save you 50 percent off the price of a new textbook. About 100 textbooks are now available as e-books and the number is growing every semester. Visit the Matador Bookstore to find out if your textbook is available as an e-book or visit the bookstore in person.

Are you aware you can sell back used textbooks to the Matador Bookstore? The amount that you will get depends on the condition of the book and whether an instructor has requested the text for the following semester (in which case you can get up to 50 percent, maybe more, of the original purchase price).

The Matador Bookstore also offers the rent-a-textbook program. A limited number of titles are available for rent and if your textbook is among them, you can save 55 percent off the price of a new textbook. Rented textbooks must be returned (in rentable condition) at the end of the semester. You are free to highlight and make notations in rented textbooks, just as you would in a textbook you plan to sell back.