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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Colorado State University-Fort Collins Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much does Colorado State University-Fort Collins cost after financial aid?

Colorado State University-Fort Collins publishes a cost of attendance of $31,642. The published in-state tuition and fees are $13,373, out-of-state tuition and fees are $34,783, and room and board is $16,817.

For Colorado State University-Fort Collins, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $21,279, which is $5,645 above the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size). Financial aid reduces the published cost by $10,363 on average.

Azimuth ranks the university #695 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. That places the affordability pillar in the 51st percentile.

The published cost of attendance is $31,642, but aid covers about 33% of that for the average aid recipient. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $21,279, which is $5,645 above the median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

The lowest band, for families earning under $30,000, averages $13,259, while the highest band averages $29,763, a spread of $16,504 between the two ends. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $20,000 in federal student loans, $76 below the peer median of $20,076.

Family income shapes the price most sharply at the ends of the scale. Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s are $13,259 in the lowest band, $14,460 in the next band, $15,905 in the middle band, $21,927 in the next-higher band, and $29,763 in the highest band.

Pell Grant recipients account for 21.1% of undergraduates, providing financial-access context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $16,504.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$13,259

**$30–48K**
$14,460

**$48–75K**
$15,905

**$75–110K**
$21,927

**$110K+**
$29,763

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$21,279**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

Aid covers about 33% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, leaving an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) of $21,279 against a sticker cost of $31,642. The resulting sticker-to-net gap is $10,363.

Across the income bands, average net prices run from $13,259 in the lowest band to $29,763 in the highest, with $14,460, $15,905, and $21,927 in the bands between. The spread of $16,504 shows a pricing pattern in which lower-income aid recipients face lower average prices than higher-income recipients.

At Colorado State University-Fort Collins, the published cost of attendance is $31,642, before grants and scholarships reduce what aid recipients pay. Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $13,259 for the lowest-income band, $14,460 for the next band, $15,905 for the middle-income band, $21,927 for the upper-middle band, and $29,763 for the highest-income band.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $16,504. Azimuth ranks the university #695 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 33% of the published cost, an offset of $10,363 that leaves an average net price of $21,279. That figure sits $5,645 above the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Published in-state tuition and fees are $13,373, while out-of-state tuition and fees are $34,783. Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $20,000, which is $76 below the peer median of $20,076 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

87.4% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $227 a month if repaid over ten years.

[Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowers have median borrowing of $36,000.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Federal borrowing is common at Colorado State University-Fort Collins, where an estimated 87.4% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Among federal-loan borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $20,000 at completion.

The median is below the $20,076 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size), by $76. For the separate population of parent borrowers, median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $36,000.

For federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, Colorado State University-Fort Collins shows a solid return picture four years after completion. Median earnings are $67,911, which Azimuth places in the 73rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $1,875 more than the model expects for similar students. [Earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/), the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, falls in the 62nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The modeled program-mix scenarios run from $47,896 in the downside case to $92,453 in the upside case, with the typical scenario matching the median earnings figure. Median federal student loan debt at completion is $20,000, below the $20,076 median at comparable institutions (same type and size) by $76.

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $227 a month if repaid over ten years. Above-expected earnings and lower debt relative to peers point the same way.

For parents who borrowed through [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/), median borrowing was $36,000, a separate parent-borrower population. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $227 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**
$36,000

**Estimated parent payment**
$457/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 | 27.0% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 12.1% | High pressure |
| $150,000 | 5.8% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 3.8% | 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=colorado-state-university-fort-collins#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**
$20,000

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$36,000

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$227/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$457/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$684/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 $67,911, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**6.2%** of income above the allowance · Excellent

1.  Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
2.  Good 8–under 12%
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=colorado-state-university-fort-collins#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.