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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Arkansas State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/arkansas-state-university/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/arkansas-state-university/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/arkansas-state-university/admissions/)[Majors](/school/arkansas-state-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/arkansas-state-university/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does Arkansas State University cost after financial aid?

Arkansas State University publishes a cost of attendance of $25,082. In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported in-state tuition of $7,488 and required fees of $602 for the 2025-26 academic year.

On-campus food and housing added $11,550. Out-of-state students faced tuition of $13,920.

For Arkansas State University, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $12,366, which is $1,702 below the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). The average aid recipient receives $12,716 off the published cost.

Azimuth ranks the university #195 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Arkansas State University is in the 86th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions on Azimuth's affordability pillar. Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is what remains after grants and scholarships.

Here, that amount is $12,366, $1,702 below the median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Borrowers who finish hold a median of $20,500 in federal student loans, $729 below the peer median.

For the lowest income band, the average net price is $10,098. For the highest income band, it is $16,444.

The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is generally lower for students from families with lower income, though it does not fall at every step. Aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 pay an average of $10,098, while those in the $30,001–$48,000 band average $9,255.

The middle band, $48,001–$75,000, averages $12,205, rising to $15,839 for the $75,001–$110,000 band and $16,444 for families earning over $110,000. 38.4% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $6,346.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$10,098

**$30–48K**
$9,255

**$48–75K**
$12,205

**$75–110K**
$15,839

**$110K+**
$16,444

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$12,366**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

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 price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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 the model 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](#combined-borrowing) are in the Financial GPS card below. [Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes).

## Parent loans: what can the family afford?

[How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/)

**Median Parent PLUS debt**
$11,000

**Estimated parent payment**
$140/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| 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](#cost-data-notes).

## 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

1.  Excellent Under 8%
2.  Good 8–under 12% · selected scenario
3.  Concerning 12–20%
4.  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.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

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.

[Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=arkansas-state-university#student-tool)

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), 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](/about/).

**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](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/).

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.