Cost & financial aid brief
Arkansas State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Arkansas State University cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 51% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, creating a sticker-to-net gap of $12,716. The lower-income bands have lower average net prices than the middle and upper-income bands, though the second band dips below the first.
The pattern across income bands shows lower average net prices at lower incomes, though the spread of $6,346 is a difference of averages rather than what any individual family pays.
The published cost of attendance at Arkansas State University is $25,082. Azimuth ranks the university #195 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $10,098, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $12,205, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $16,444. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $6,346.
Aid saves the average recipient $12,716 against the sticker price, bringing the overall average net price to $12,366. That is $1,702 below the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Borrowers who finish carry a median of $20,500 in federal student loans, $729 below the peer median of $21,229. About 76.8% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.
Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $11,000 in Parent PLUS loans. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $233 a month. It estimates costs and payments for your own situation.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Borrowers who finish at Arkansas State University hold a median of $20,500 in federal loans. That debt is $729 below the peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
If repaid over ten years, it corresponds to an estimated payment of $233 a month. Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $56,631 four years after graduating.
It is $670 below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). That places earnings in the 38th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Completers earn about $1,588 less than expects for similar students. That outcome is at the 49th percentile.
Estimated from the program mix, earnings scenarios run from $42,704 on the downside to $79,001 on the upside; the typical scenario is $56,631.
For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $11,000. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $233 a month if repaid over ten years.
Repayment figures are in the Financial GPS card below. Borrowing populations and model assumptions.
Parent loans: what can the family afford?
How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families
- Median Parent PLUS debt
- $11,000
- Estimated parent payment
- $140/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | Caution |
| $100,000 | Safe |
| $150,000 | Safe |
| $200,000 | Safe |
The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $20,500
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $11,000
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $233/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $140/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $373/mo
Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.
Student payment as a share of available income
At median graduate earnings of $56,631, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
8.2% of income above the allowance · Good
- Excellent Under 8%
- Good 8–under 12% · selected scenario
- Concerning 12–20%
- High risk Over 20%
How this estimate works
These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $22,590, uses the published framework’s 2024 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.
Payment assumptions
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.
Net price and borrowing. The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. College Scorecard data and documentation.
A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.