Cost & financial aid brief
Cleveland State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Cleveland State University cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 46% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. That is an average across all income bands, not a guarantee for any one family.
Average net prices are lowest for families earning under $30,000, at $11,958, and highest for those earning over $110,000, at $20,378. The bands in between sit at $13,561, $14,727, and $15,690.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $8,420. The pattern shows lower average net prices at lower incomes, indicating that aid is larger for lower-income families.
Cleveland State University publishes a cost of attendance of $27,159, an average across living arrangements. In-state tuition and fees are $12,988, and room and board are $15,104.
For aid recipients, the average net price—what families pay after grants and scholarships—is $11,958 for those earning under $30,000, $14,727 in the $48,001–$75,000 band, and $20,378 for families earning over $110,000. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $8,420.
Azimuth ranks the university #345 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid covers about 46% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an offset of roughly $12,395 against the sticker price.
The average net price across all aid recipients is $14,764, which sits above the peer median of $14,068 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $696. Out-of-state students face a higher published tuition of $18,510, though aid packages can narrow that gap.
Graduates who borrow federal loans leave with a median federal student debt of $21,797. That figure is above the peer median of $21,229 by $568, and about 87.5% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.
For parents, the median Parent PLUS borrowing is $16,998. The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $248 a month if repaid over ten years.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Most undergraduates at Cleveland State University borrow: 87.5% of federal aid recipients take federal loans, and the median federal student debt at completion is $21,797. That median is above the $21,229 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $568, a narrow gap.
Parent borrowers, a separate population, carry a median Parent PLUS loan of $16,998.
Graduates of Cleveland State University earn about $6,645 more than expects for similar students, a result in the 76th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The median earnings four years after completion are $61,322, which lands in the 55th percentile.
That figure runs above the $57,301 peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), by $4,021. Earnings scenarios derived from the university's program mix show a typical earnings level of $61,322, with a downside scenario of $43,829 and an upside scenario of $83,377.
Borrowers finish with a median federal debt of $21,797, which is above the $21,229 peer median. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $248 a month if repaid over ten years.
Earnings that beat the model alongside a debt level close to the peer median point to a return that leans positive but stays measured.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $16,998. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $248.
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
- $16,998
- Estimated parent payment
- $216/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 | 12.7% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 5.7% | Safe |
| $150,000 | 2.7% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 1.8% | 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
- $21,797
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $16,998
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $248/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $216/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $464/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 $61,322, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
8.0% 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, $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.