Cost & financial aid brief
East Tennessee State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does East Tennessee State University cost after financial aid?
At East Tennessee State University, the published cost is reduced substantially for the average aid recipient, with lower prices concentrated in the lower family-income bands. The published cost of $27,042 falls to an average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, of $15,983, leaving $11,059 in average aid savings.
Aid covers about 41% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. Average net prices by family-income band are $12,433 for the lowest band, $14,289 for the next band, $16,400 for the middle band, $20,588 for the next-highest band, and $21,193 for the highest band.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $8,760, a difference between band averages rather than a price assigned to an individual family. This pattern shows aid is more concentrated among lower-income aid recipients.
East Tennessee State University has a published cost of attendance of $27,042, with aid-recipient costs differing substantially by family income. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $12,433 in the low-income family-income band, $14,289 in the lower-middle band, $16,400 in the middle band, $20,588 in the upper-middle band, and $21,193 in the high-income band.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $8,760. Azimuth ranks East Tennessee State University #320 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Aid offsets a notable portion of the published price, although the overall aid-recipient average sits above the comparable-institution median. For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 41% of the published cost, equal to average financial aid savings of $11,059 against the sticker price.
Across all aid recipients, the average net price is $15,983. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $15,634, leaving East Tennessee State’s average $349 above that figure.
Published in-state tuition is $10,472, and out-of-state tuition is $14,522. Borrowing at completion is below the comparable-institution median, but federal loans are used by a substantial share of undergraduates.
Federal loan borrowers who completed had median federal student loan debt of $19,442 at completion. For comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median federal debt is $20,076, placing the university’s median $634 below it; 75.9% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing is $16,938. The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $221 a month if repaid over ten years.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal borrowing is common at East Tennessee State University, with 75.9% of federal aid recipients taking federal loans. Among borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $19,442, which is $634 below the peer median of $20,076 for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Parent borrowers are a separate population, with median Parent PLUS borrowing of $16,938.
The investment picture at East Tennessee State University is mixed: graduates earn less than expects, but borrowing stays below the peer median. Four years after completion, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $53,033.
Azimuth places that figure in the 26th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $4,461 less than the model expects for similar students, an outcome at the 38th percentile.
Earnings scenarios, estimated from the university's program mix, range from $41,242 in a downside case to $75,987 in an upside case, with $53,033 as the typical scenario. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $19,442 in federal student loans, which is $634 below the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $221 a month if repaid over ten years.
Parent borrowers, a separate population from student federal-loan borrowers, have median Parent PLUS borrowing of $16,938. For student borrowers with median federal debt, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $221 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
- $16,938
- Estimated parent payment
- $215/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $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.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $19,442
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $16,938
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $221/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $215/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $436/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 $53,033, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
8.7% 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, $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.
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.