Cost & financial aid brief
Carthage College Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Carthage College cost after financial aid?
Grant aid changes the published charge substantially for the average recipient, though the result is not a quote for any family’s package. The average reduction from the published cost is $24,257, leaving an average net price of $26,565.
Aid covers about 48% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. Across income bands, the middle-income group has the lowest average net price, the upper-middle group sits higher, and the highest-income group has the highest listed average.
That uneven ordering shows that aid reductions differ by family-income band rather than following a uniform schedule. Published price and family income therefore both shape the expected cost picture.
For families receiving aid, the remaining price stays substantial across every family-income band. Carthage College lists a published cost of attendance of $50,822 (an average across living arrangements).
Average net price is $23,293 in the lowest family-income band, $23,630 in the next band, $22,427 in the middle band, $24,995 in the next-highest band, and $29,176 in the highest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $5,883.
Azimuth ranks the college #1,168 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid offsets nearly half of the published price for the average aid recipient, yet the remaining average cost is slightly higher than at comparable schools.
Aid covers about 48% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, a savings of $24,257 against the sticker price. The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $26,565 across all aid recipients.
That is $806 below the peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), of $27,371. Published tuition and fees are $38,750.
Borrowing is common among Carthage College completers, and its typical federal debt sits above the comparable-school midpoint. Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $26,000, while 96.5% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.
That median is $1,801 above the $24,199 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $295 a month if repaid over ten years.
Parent PLUS borrowers have median borrowing of $42,940.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal borrowing is widespread at Carthage College, with 96.5% of federal aid recipients taking federal loans. Among completers who borrowed, median federal student loan debt at completion is $26,000.
The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $24,199. Carthage’s median is $1,801 above that figure, so its typical federal borrower debt is somewhat higher than the comparable-school middle value.
Parent PLUS borrowers are a separate parent-borrower population, with median borrowing of $42,940.
Carthage College’s return picture is mixed, with median earnings of $59,751 four years after completion. Azimuth places that earnings figure in the 50th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what expects for similar students: Graduates earn about $5,999 less than the model expects for similar students. Azimuth places that measure in the 32nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Earnings scenarios range from $50,506 in the downside scenario to $84,854 in the upside scenario, with $59,751 as the typical scenario. Median federal student loan debt at completion is $26,000, which is $1,801 above the peer median of $24,199 at comparable institutions (same type and size).
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $295 a month if repaid over ten years. Earnings sit near the middle of the national distribution, but both the model comparison and debt comparison are less favorable.
Parent borrowers have median Parent PLUS borrowing of $42,940, a separate population from student federal-loan borrowers. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $295 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
- $42,940
- Estimated parent payment
- $546/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 | 32.2% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 14.4% | High pressure |
| $150,000 | 6.9% | Caution |
| $200,000 | 4.5% | 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
- $26,000
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $42,940
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $295/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $546/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $841/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 $59,751, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
9.9% 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.