1.  [College research](/)
2.  /
3.  [Bowie State University](/school/bowie-state-university/)
4.  /
5.  Cost & financial aid brief

Cost & financial aid brief

Copy linkPrint brief

# Bowie State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

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

**On this page**+

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

Bowie State University publishes a cost of attendance of $25,220 for the standard budget. In-state undergraduates see tuition and fees of $9,218 alongside published room and board of $12,241.

Nonresidents pay $19,938 in tuition and fees instead. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is what first-time, full-time aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, and here that figure is $19,298.

Aid covers about 23% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, lowering the sticker price by $5,922. The peer median is the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size).

That remaining cost is $5,230 above the peer median of $14,068. Azimuth ranks the university #629 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Affordability is the weakest pillar for Bowie State University, with the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) sitting above the peer median. Azimuth places the university in the 56th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Here, the average net price is $19,298, which is $5,230 above the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). By income band, families earning under $30,000 average $17,071, and those earning over $110,000 average $24,919.

Borrowers who complete leave with a median of $22,985 in federal loans, $1,756 above the peer median of $21,229.

About 44.4% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, the population the lowest band applies to. 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 $17,071.

For families earning $30,001–$48,000, it is $16,646; for $48,001–$75,000, it is $19,163; for $75,001–$110,000, it is $22,808; and for families earning over $110,000, it is $24,919. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $7,848.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$17,071

**$30–48K**
$16,646

**$48–75K**
$19,163

**$75–110K**
$22,808

**$110K+**
$24,919

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$19,298**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

Aid covers about 23% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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](/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 $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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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 the model 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](#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**
$23,158

**Estimated parent payment**
$294/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| 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](#cost-data-notes).

## 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

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, $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=bowie-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.