Cost & financial aid brief
Bowie State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Bowie State University cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 23% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The average net price is $17,071 in the lowest income band and $24,919 in the highest, a spread of $7,848.
The pattern shows a modest difference in cost across family incomes, with the lowest band paying less than the highest.
The published cost of attendance at Bowie State University is $25,220. Azimuth ranks the university #629 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 $17,071, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $19,163, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $24,919. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $7,848.
Aid covers about 23% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The average net price across all aid recipients is $19,298, which is $5,230 above the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Borrowers who finish carry a median of $22,985 in federal student loans. That is $1,756 above the peer median of $21,229 for comparable institutions.
84.2% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $23,158 in Parent PLUS loans.
If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $261 a month. It estimates what a family might pay based on their own finances.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal loans reach most undergraduates at Bowie State University: 84.2% of federal aid recipients borrow. Among borrowers who finish, the median federal student debt is $22,985.
That median runs $1,756 above the $21,229 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Parent PLUS borrowing is a separate figure for a separate population: parents who borrow hold a median of $23,158.
Federally aided graduates of Bowie State University who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $65,066 four years after completion. That amount is $7,765 above the peer median of $57,301 for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Among nonprofit four-year institutions, that figure sits at the 66th percentile. Graduates earn about $1,760 more than expects for similar students.
That result sits at the 61st percentile. The downside earnings scenario is $50,000, the typical scenario is $65,066, and the upside is $86,075.
Completers who borrowed hold a median of $22,985 in federal loans. For comparable institutions (same type and size), the median is $21,229, placing the university $1,756 above.
If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $261 a month.
For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $23,158. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $261 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
- $23,158
- Estimated parent payment
- $294/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | Caution |
| $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
- $22,985
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $23,158
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $261/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $294/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $555/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 $65,066, with a $22,590 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, $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.