Cost & financial aid brief
Chicago State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Chicago State University cost after financial aid?
For the average aid recipient, the published price falls substantially after aid, though the remaining cost varies by family income. The published cost of attendance is $29,764, compared with an average net price of $12,335 after grants and scholarships.
That sticker-to-net difference is $17,429, and aid covers about 59% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. Across the income bands, are $9,073, $9,550, $11,334, $13,899, and $28,427 from lowest to highest income.
This pattern shows lower average prices for lower-income aid recipients, rather than a promise about any individual aid package.
Chicago State University publishes a cost of attendance of $29,764, and aid recipients face markedly different average net prices by family-income band. The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $9,073 for the lowest-income band, $9,550 for the lower-middle band, $11,334 for the middle band, $13,899 for the upper-middle band, and $28,427 for the highest-income band.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $19,354. Azimuth ranks the university #533 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 59% of the published cost and offsets $17,429. Across all aid recipients, the average net price comes to $12,335.
That figure is $487 below the peer median net price of $12,822, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size). Published in-state tuition and out-of-state tuition are each $12,754, with room and board listed at $11,550.
Federal student loan borrowers who completed have median debt of $30,625, and 86.0% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. That median is $11,125 above the peer median debt of $19,500 at comparable institutions (same type and size).
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $348 a month if repaid over ten years. Median Parent PLUS borrowing is $13,256.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Borrowing is widespread at Chicago State University, and completers’ federal debt is higher than the comparable-school midpoint. 86.0% of federal aid recipients take federal loans; among borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $30,625.
Comparable institutions (same type and size) have a peer median federal debt of $19,500, putting the university’s median $11,125 above that figure. For the separate parent-borrower population, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $13,256.
The investment picture at Chicago State University is mixed: federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $56,486 four years after completion. Azimuth places that earnings level in the 37th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what expects for similar students, are less favorable. Graduates earn about $4,699 less than the model expects for similar students.
Azimuth places in the 37th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The downside, typical, and upside earnings scenarios are $47,854, $56,486, and $81,723.
Median federal debt of $30,625 is $11,125 above the $19,500 peer median, and that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $348 a month if repaid over ten years. Earnings sit above peers, but the model comparison and borrowing figures point the other way.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing is $13,256 among parent borrowers, a separate population from student borrowers. For student borrowers with median federal debt, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $348 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
- $13,256
- Estimated parent payment
- $168/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 | 9.9% | Caution |
| $100,000 | 4.5% | Safe |
| $150,000 | 2.1% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 1.4% | 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
- $30,625
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $13,256
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $348/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $168/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $516/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 $56,486, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
12.8% of income above the allowance · Concerning
- Excellent Under 8%
- Good 8–under 12%
- Concerning 12–20% · selected scenario
- 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.