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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Cleveland State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

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

**On this page**+

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

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 runs $15,104.

Out-of-state students pay $18,510 in tuition and fees. After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients is $14,764.

That is $696 above the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). On average, financial aid offsets $12,395 of the sticker price.

Azimuth ranks the university #345 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

For aid recipients, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is the cost after grants and scholarships. At Cleveland State University, that cost is $14,764, $696 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Families earning under $30,000 average $11,958. Those earning over $110,000 average $20,378.

By Azimuth's measure, affordability lands in the 76th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Among borrowers who finish, the median federal debt is $21,797, $568 above the peer median.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s by family-income band show a progressive structure. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $11,958; for $30,001–$48,000 it is $13,561; for $48,001–$75,000 it is $14,727; for $75,001–$110,000 it is $15,690; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $20,378.

Pell Grant recipients make up 40.5% of undergraduates, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $8,420.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$11,958

**$30–48K**
$13,561

**$48–75K**
$14,727

**$75–110K**
$15,690

**$110K+**
$20,378

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$14,764**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

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 price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) loan of $16,998.

Graduates of Cleveland State University earn about $6,645 more than the model 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $16,998. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $248.

[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**
$16,998

**Estimated parent payment**
$216/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| 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](/financial-gps/?tool=parent&school=cleveland-state-university#parent-tool). [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**
$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

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, $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.

[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=cleveland-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.