Cost & financial aid brief
Central Connecticut State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Central Connecticut State University cost after financial aid?
Aid reduces the published cost for recipients, and lower-income bands have lower average prices. Against a published cost of attendance of $24,870, the average net price is $16,857, an average savings of $8,013.
Aid covers about 32% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. Across the bands, average net price moves from $13,589 at the low end through $13,636, $15,091, and $18,336, reaching $21,562 at the high end.
The $7,973 difference of averages shows a pattern of lower average prices for lower-income families, alongside a substantial average aid offset.
For aid recipients, the published cost of attendance is $24,870, but prices vary across family-income bands. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $13,589 for the lowest-income band; $13,636 for the lower-middle band; $15,091 for the middle band; $18,336 for the upper-middle band; and $21,562 for the highest-income band.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $7,973. Azimuth ranks Central Connecticut State University #472 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
For the average aid recipient, aid lowers the published cost by $8,013 and covers about 32% of the published cost. The average net price across all aid recipients is $16,857.
The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $14,068, with the university's average net price above it by $2,789. Aid reduces the sticker price, though the average price remains above the comparable-institution midpoint.
Federal student loan borrowers who complete leave with median debt of $22,300, and 87.5% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. That median is above the $21,229 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,071.
For parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $19,642. The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $253 a month if repaid over ten years.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
At Central Connecticut State University, borrowers who complete typically leave with $22,300 in federal student loan debt. That is $1,071 above the $21,229 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
For the separate parent-borrower population, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $19,642. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 63% of graduates borrowed from any source, with an average cumulative amount of $26,504 per borrower.
That includes 62% of graduates with federal loans averaging $21,559. Of graduates, 12% had private loans averaging $27,821.
Central Connecticut State University has above-expected earnings, although its median federal debt is above the peer median. Four years after completion, federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $67,245; Azimuth places that figure in the 71st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Graduates earn about $5,190 more than expects for similar students. This is earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students; Azimuth places it in the 72nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Earnings scenarios put earnings at $54,363 in a downside case, $67,245 in a typical case, and $88,236 in an upside case. Median federal debt at completion is $22,300, which is $1,071 above the $21,229 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $253 a month if repaid over ten years. Above-expected earnings and higher borrowing point in different directions.
Families weighing parent borrowing should keep it separate from the student loan picture: median Parent PLUS borrowing is $19,642 for parent borrowers. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $253 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
- $19,642
- Estimated parent payment
- $250/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
- $22,300
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $19,642
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $253/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $250/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $503/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 $67,245, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
6.8% 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.