Cost & financial aid brief
Clayton State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Clayton State University cost after financial aid?
The average net price for aid recipients at Clayton State University is $8,365, which is $5,703 below the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Aid covers about 52% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, but the pattern across income bands shows the discount is not uniform.
Families earning under $30,000 average $7,405, while those in the highest band, over $110,000, average $14,161. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $6,756, which is a narrow range that suggests aid is distributed fairly evenly rather than heavily targeted at the lowest incomes.
For families receiving aid, Clayton State University pairs a published cost of attendance of $17,415 with a wide range of prices across family-income bands. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $7,405 for the lowest family-income band, $7,032 for the lower-middle band, $9,755 for the middle band, $12,095 for the upper-middle band, and $14,161 for the highest band.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $6,756. Azimuth ranks the university #216 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Aid covers about 52% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an average savings of $9,050. For first-time full-time Title IV aid recipients, the average net price is $8,365, which is $5,703 below the peer median of $14,068 for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Published tuition is $5,180 for in-state students and $16,532 for out-of-state students. The lower average price relative to comparable institutions sits alongside a substantial average aid offset.
Among federal-loan borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $25,706, and 82.3% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. That median is $4,477 above the peer median of $21,229 for comparable institutions (same type and size).
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $292 a month if repaid over ten years. Median Parent PLUS borrowing among parent borrowers is $12,973.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal loan use is common at Clayton State University, where 82.3% of federal aid recipients borrow through the federal program. That makes debt a central part of the cost picture for many enrolled students.
Among federal-loan borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt at completion is $25,706. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $21,229, placing Clayton State’s median $4,477 above it.
Parent PLUS borrowers are a separate parent-borrower population, with median borrowing of $12,973.
Earnings at Clayton State University sit below the peer median and expectation, while debt runs above the comparable level. The median for federally aided completers working and not enrolled is $54,430 four years after completion.
That is $2,871 below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Among nonprofit four-year institutions, that figure falls at the 31st percentile.
Graduates earn about $5,772 less than the model expects for similar students, an outcome at the 33rd percentile. Scenarios from the program mix run from $39,707 on the downside to $78,690 on the upside, with $54,430 as the typical case.
Completers who borrowed hold a median of $25,706 in federal student debt, corresponding to an estimated payment of $292 a month if repaid over ten years. That is $4,477 above the $21,229 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Earnings sit below the peer median and debt sits above it.
Among parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $12,973. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $292 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
- $12,973
- Estimated parent payment
- $165/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | Caution |
| $100,000 | Safe |
| $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
- $25,706
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $12,973
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $292/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $165/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $457/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 $54,430, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
11.0% 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, $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.