The CSU understands the impact financial aid has on social mobility–a student’s ability to attend college, earn a baccalaureate degree, and enter the California workforce in a position to attain greater lifetime earnings. The CSU strives to keep costs to a minimum by offering institutional aid in addition to federal and state grant and loan programs. Financial aid allows CSU students to better focus on their academics by easing the pressure of educational and personal costs. Although CSU tuition is among the lowest in the nation at $5,742 per year for a resident undergraduate student, 81 percent of all CSU students receiving financial aid and 60.5 percent of all enrolled undergraduate students receive non-loan aid to cover the full cost of tuition. The CSU currently provides nearly $945 million of institutional aid, which includes $701 million for the State University Grant program. An additional $821 million from the state Cal Grant program and over $1 billion from the federal Pell Grant program help CSU undergraduate students cover tuition, fees, and some personal expenses. These CSU, state, and federal financial aid programs help defray the cost of attendance for the lowest-income students and keep CSU student debt well below the national average. In 2020-21, CSU baccalaureate degree recipients have lower average debt ($17,966) than other students in California ($21,125) compared to the 2019-20 national average ($28,950).