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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Carroll University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much does Carroll University cost after financial aid?

For aid recipients, Carroll University has an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) well below both its published charge and the comparable-school benchmark. The published cost of attendance is $52,639, an average across living arrangements.

On-campus tuition and fees are $38,890, and room and board is $14,280. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $15,193.

Average aid savings against the published cost total $37,446, leaving a markedly different cost picture from the sticker charge. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $27,371.

Carroll’s average net price sits $12,178 below that benchmark. Azimuth places Carroll University in the 55th percentile for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The lower net price and the affordability standing point in the same direction for aid recipients.

Carroll University pairs a low [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) with higher-than-peer borrowing. Azimuth places the university in the 55th percentile for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

For aid recipients, average net price, what they pay after grants and scholarships, is $15,193, $12,178 below the median at comparable institutions (same type and size), $27,371. Median federal debt for borrowers who completed is $27,000, $2,801 above the median at comparable institutions (same type and size), $24,199.

The lowest income band faces an average net price of $15,718, while the highest band faces $14,891. Low prices and high debt send mixed signals.

Prices across the reported family-income bands stay fairly close rather than moving steadily with income. In the lowest band, average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $15,718; in the next band it is $16,875; in the middle band, $14,134; in the next-highest band, $15,730; and in the highest band, $14,891.

Pell Grants reach 22.9% of undergraduates, providing financial-access context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $827.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$15,718

**$30–48K**
$16,875

**$48–75K**
$14,134

**$75–110K**
$15,730

**$110K+**
$14,891

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$15,193**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $32,186.

Return is the strongest pillar 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](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/), the gap between what graduates earn and what the model 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](#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**
$32,186

**Estimated parent payment**
$409/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 | 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](/financial-gps/?tool=parent&school=carroll-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**
$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

1.  Excellent Under 8%
2.  Good 8–under 12% · selected scenario
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=carroll-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.