The cost of a college degree is an enormous challenge for many students. Not only has tuition increased across the country in response to state disinvestment in higher education, but the additional costs associated with attending college (including books and supplies, transportation, and living expenses that can exceed $19,000 annually) present substantial -- and sometimes insurmountable -- financial barriers. In fact, not only are students struggling to come up with the resources to cover all of their college costs, but many recent studies have documented widespread food and housing insecurity among students. The California State University (CSU) serves over 475,000 students across 23 campuses, making it the largest public four-year university system in the country, with students of color and low-income students composing the majority of undergraduate enrollment. Thanks to the state Cal Grant program and the CSU's own grant program, low-income CSU students typically receive enough financial aid to cover tuition charges. Yet there is not enough aid available to CSU students to help cover non-tuition costs, and it is likely these costs that lead low-income students to borrow student loans. While many students work to earn money to help pay for college, either in addition to or instead of borrowing, low-income students' net costs are such that earning money to cover them would require working an untenable number of hours per week, jeopardizing their academic success. Importantly, recently available data show that lower income Pell Grant recipients graduate from CSU campuses at lower rates than their higher income peers. These are signals that the state must do more to support its under-resourced students. This brief explores college affordability challenges faced by financially needy students throughout the CSU system, and highlights how the burden of debt is borne inequitably across different demographic groups. [This report was jointly written by the Cal State Student Association (CSSA).]