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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Bemidji State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

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

**On this page**+

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

For aid recipients, Bemidji State University has an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) of $15,261, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships. The published cost of attendance is $22,744.

In-state tuition and fees are $10,237, and out-of-state tuition and fees are also $10,237. Published room and board is $10,462.

Average aid savings of $7,483 offset the sticker price, and aid covers about 33% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median net price is $14,068.

Bemidji State University stands above that figure by $1,193. Azimuth ranks Bemidji State University #275 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. The affordability rank and peer price comparison point in different directions.

Bemidji State University shows a comparatively strong affordability profile, with an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, of $15,261. That is $1,193 above the peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), of $14,068.

Azimuth places the affordability pillar in the 81st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. For aid recipients in the lowest-income band, average net price is $10,073, compared with $19,940 in the highest-income band.

Median federal student loan debt among borrowers who completed is $19,750, $1,479 below the comparable-institution median of $21,229. Prices sit above peers, but borrower debt sits below them.

For aid recipients at Bemidji State University, average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, varies by family income. Families earning under thirty thousand dollars average $10,073; those earning thirty thousand one dollars through forty-eight thousand dollars average $10,207; those earning forty-eight thousand one dollars through seventy-five thousand dollars average $12,201; those earning seventy-five thousand one dollars through one hundred ten thousand dollars average $15,857; and families earning over one hundred ten thousand dollars average $19,940.

Pell Grants reach 28.3% of undergraduates, giving context for the lowest income band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $9,867.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$10,073

**$30–48K**
$10,207

**$48–75K**
$12,201

**$75–110K**
$15,857

**$110K+**
$19,940

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$15,261**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) is weaker: graduates earn about $7,538 less than the model 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](#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**
$12,173

**Estimated parent payment**
$155/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| 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](/financial-gps/?tool=parent&school=bemidji-state-university#parent-tool). [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**
$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

1.  Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
2.  Good 8–under 12%
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, $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.

[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=bemidji-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.