First, let’s take a look at some actual college costs. Within California, the estimated Total Cost of Attendance tuition and fees, room and board and incidentals such as books, transportation, and entertainment for a freshman at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is $28,400 and at UCLA it’s $35,700. At Santa Clara University, a selective private school, it’s just under $72,000 and at Stanford, among the most selective schools, it’s about the same.