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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Clayton State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much does Clayton State University cost after financial aid?

For aid recipients, Clayton State University has a comparatively low average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) after grants and scholarships. Azimuth places the university's affordability pillar in the 85th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The published cost of attendance is $17,415. Published in-state tuition and fees are $5,180, and room and board are $12,226.

Out-of-state tuition and fees are $16,532. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $8,365, with average financial-aid savings of $9,050 against the published cost.

That net price is $5,703 below the $14,068 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size). The lower price and the affordability standing point in the same direction.

Aid covers about 52% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. After grants and scholarships, the average aid recipient pays $8,365, $5,703 below the median at comparable institutions (same type and size).

By income band, the lowest families pay $7,405 on average and the highest pay $14,161. Borrowers who finish hold a median of $25,706 in federal loans, $4,477 above the peer median of $21,229 at comparable institutions (same type and size).

Affordability lands at the 85th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) sits below the peer median, though debt runs above it.

The lowest listed income band has an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) of $7,405, followed by $7,032 in the next-lowest band, $9,755 in the middle band, $12,095 in the next-highest band, and $14,161 in the highest band. Pell Grants go to 52.2% of undergraduates, providing financial-access context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $6,756.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$7,405

**$30–48K**
$7,032

**$48–75K**
$9,755

**$75–110K**
$12,095

**$110K+**
$14,161

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$8,365**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowers are a separate parent-borrower population, with median borrowing of $12,973.

Earnings at Clayton State University sit below the peer median and the model's 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](#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**
$12,973

**Estimated parent payment**
$165/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| 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](#cost-data-notes).

## 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

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, $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.

[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=clayton-state-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.