Cost & financial aid brief
Carroll University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Carroll University cost after financial aid?
Discounting changes the published charge substantially for the average aid recipient, though the pattern across income bands is uneven rather than a simple progression. Aid covers about 71% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.
The published charge remains the starting point before grants and scholarships, and the net-price figures describe aid recipients rather than a guaranteed family bill. Among the reported bands, the middle-income group has the lowest average net price, while the next-lowest group has the highest.
The lowest and highest bands fall between those points. That ordering shows that aid amounts differ across family incomes without following a straight income ladder.
The narrow spread across the bands also means family circumstances beyond income can matter to an individual package.
The published cost of attendance at Carroll University is $52,639 (an average across living arrangements). Azimuth ranks the university #638 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 $15,718, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $14,134, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $14,891. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $827.
Aid covers about 71% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, bringing the average net price across all bands to $15,193. That is $12,178 below the $27,371 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median of $27,000 in federal student loans, $2,801 above the $24,199 peer median. If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month.
Parents who borrow through the separate Parent PLUS program hold a median of $32,186.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
For Carroll University completers who borrowed federally, the middle debt balance at completion is $27,000, and 93.9% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median federal debt is $24,199, with the university’s figure $2,801 above that benchmark.
For the separate parent-borrower population, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $32,186.
Return is the strongest for Carroll University, though its investment picture includes a modeled earnings shortfall. Among federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, median earnings are $66,639 four years after completion.
Azimuth places those earnings in the 69th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what expects for similar students, provides a second lens.
Graduates earn about $2,553 less than the model expects for similar students. Azimuth puts this measure in the 45th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The downside scenario is $48,811, the typical scenario matches the reported median earnings, and the upside scenario is $78,931. Median federal student loan debt is $27,000, or $2,801 above the $24,199 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years. Strong reported earnings sit alongside debt above peers and earnings below the model's expectation.
Among parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $32,186, separate from the federal student debt held by completing borrowers. For borrowers with the median federal debt, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 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
- $32,186
- Estimated parent payment
- $409/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 | 24.1% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 10.8% | High pressure |
| $150,000 | 5.1% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 3.4% | 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
- $27,000
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $32,186
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $307/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $409/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $716/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 $66,639, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
8.6% of income above the allowance · Good
- Excellent Under 8%
- Good 8–under 12% · selected scenario
- 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.