Cost & financial aid brief
Bemidji State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Bemidji State University cost after financial aid?
Lower-income families face lower average prices at Bemidji State University, rather than a uniform discount across income bands. The published cost is $22,744, and aid offsets $7,483 for aid recipients on average.
For first-time, full-time Title IV aid recipients, the average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $15,261. Aid covers about 33% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.
Across income bands, average net price moves from $10,073 in the lowest band to $10,207, $12,201, and $15,857 in the middle bands, before reaching $19,940 in the highest. That ordering shows larger average aid offsets at lower family incomes.
The overall aid offset and the income-band pattern both point toward lower average costs for families in the lower bands.
At Bemidji State University, the published cost of attendance is $22,744, but aid-recipient costs differ markedly by family-income band. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $10,073 in the lowest family-income band; $10,207 in the next band; $12,201 in the middle band; $15,857 in the next-highest band; and $19,940 in the highest band.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $9,867. Azimuth ranks the university #275 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 33% of the published cost, an average savings of $7,483 against the sticker price. Across aid recipients, the average net price is $15,261, $1,193 above the peer median of $14,068 for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Published in-state and out-of-state tuition are each $10,237. Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $19,750, which is $1,479 below the $21,229 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
An estimated 88.9% of federal aid recipients take federal loans, and that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $224 a month if repaid over ten years. Median Parent PLUS borrowing is $12,173.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal borrowing reaches 88.9% of federal aid recipients at Bemidji State University, making loan use a common part of the cost picture. Among federal-loan borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $19,750 at completion.
Comparable institutions (same type and size) have a median federal debt of $21,229; the university’s median is below that benchmark by $1,479. For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $12,173.
Lower borrowing softens an otherwise mixed return picture at Bemidji State University. Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $60,307 four years after completion.
Azimuth places those earnings in the 52nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings beyond expectations is weaker: graduates earn about $7,538 less than expects for similar students.
Azimuth places this measure in the 27th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The typical earnings scenario matches the reported median, while the downside scenario is $46,809 and the upside scenario is $81,062.
Median federal student debt at completion is $19,750. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $21,229.
The university is below by $1,479. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $224 a month if repaid over ten years.
Lower debt and earnings above comparable institutions sit alongside earnings below the model’s expectation.
Student and parent federal borrowing are separate measures here. Parent PLUS parent borrowers have median borrowing of $12,173.
For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $224 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
- $12,173
- Estimated parent payment
- $155/mo
| Household income | Share of income above basic expenses | Risk level |
|---|---|---|
| $35,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $50,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $75,000 | 9.1% | Caution |
| $100,000 | 4.1% | Safe |
| $150,000 | 1.9% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 1.3% | Safe |
The 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS balance, as a share of household income above basic expenses ($54,640 a year: 200% of the 2026 federal poverty guideline for a household of three). No room is High pressure. Open the parent tool for your own numbers. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $19,750
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $12,173
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $224/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $155/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $379/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 $60,307, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
7.4% of income above the allowance · Excellent
- Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
- Good 8–under 12%
- 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, $23,940, uses the published framework’s 2026 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.