Cost & financial aid brief
East Carolina University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does East Carolina University cost after financial aid?
At East Carolina University, average aid reduces the published price, with lower average costs concentrated in the lower family-income bands. The published cost of attendance is $23,867, while the average net price for aid recipients is $15,739, a difference of $8,128.
Aid covers about 34% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. Average net price ranges from $10,046 in the lowest income band to $23,028 in the highest, with $11,699, $14,904, and $20,417 in the intervening bands.
That ordering shows a pricing pattern in which aid is more concentrated toward lower-income recipients, rather than a promise for any individual family.
The published cost of attendance is $23,867. Azimuth ranks East Carolina University #438 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $10,046 for families earning under $30,000, $14,904 for families earning $48,001 to $75,000, and $23,028 for families earning over $110,000. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $12,982.
Aid covers about 34% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The average net price across all aid recipients is $15,739, which is $105 above the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Borrowers who finish carry a median of $22,750 in federal student loans, $2,674 above the peer median of $20,076. 88.1% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.
Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $19,710 in Parent PLUS loans. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $259 a month.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal borrowing reaches 88.1% of federal aid recipients at East Carolina University, so debt is part of the cost picture for many students. Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $22,750.
These federal figures cover borrowers who completed and exclude Parent PLUS loans and private loans. Comparable institutions (same type and size) have a peer median federal debt of $20,076; the university's median is $2,674 above it.
The figures describe borrowing among federal-loan users rather than every undergraduate. For the separate parent-borrower population, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $19,710.
At East Carolina University, the investment picture is shaped by earnings that sit below the peer median and borrowing that runs above it. Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $60,888.
That is $4,722 below the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Graduates earn about $3,154 less than expects for similar students, an outcome that falls in the 43rd percentile nationally.
Earnings scenarios, estimated from the university's program mix, range from $47,580 in a downside case to $83,444 in an upside case, with a typical outcome of $60,888. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $22,750 in federal loans, $2,674 above the peer median of $20,076.
If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $259 a month.
For parent borrowers, a population separate from student federal-loan borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $19,710. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $259 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
- $19,710
- Estimated parent payment
- $250/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 | 14.8% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 6.6% | Caution |
| $150,000 | 3.2% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 2.1% | 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
- $22,750
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $19,710
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $259/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $250/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $509/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 $60,888, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
8.4% 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.