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Cost & financial aid brief

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# East Tennessee State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much does East Tennessee State University cost after financial aid?

At East Tennessee State University, aid recipients see a substantial reduction from the published charge, though their average price is somewhat higher than at comparable institutions. The published cost of attendance is $27,042, with in-state tuition and fees of $10,472 and room and board of $10,554.

Out-of-state tuition and fees are $14,522. Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $15,983.

Aid reduces the published cost by $11,059 on average, covering about 41% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median net price is $15,634, and this university is above it by $349.

Azimuth places East Tennessee State University in the 77th percentile for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid offsets much of the listed charge, but the average net price remains above the peer median.

For aid recipients, East Tennessee State University has a mixed cost picture: higher average prices than peers but lower borrower debt. Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $15,983, $349 above the peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Families in the lowest income band have an average net price of $12,433; in the highest band, it is $21,193. Completers who borrowed federally have median federal student loan debt of $19,442, $634 below the peer median of $20,076.

Azimuth puts affordability in the 77th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The price and debt comparisons point in different directions.

Aid recipients in lower family-income bands face lower average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s at East Tennessee State University. The average net price is $12,433 for the lowest band, $14,289 for the next band, and $16,400 for the middle band; it is $20,588 for the next-highest band and $21,193 for the highest band.

34.8% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, providing financial-access context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $8,760.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$12,433

**$30–48K**
$14,289

**$48–75K**
$16,400

**$75–110K**
$20,588

**$110K+**
$21,193

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$15,983**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing of $16,938.

The investment picture at East Tennessee State University is mixed: graduates earn less than the model 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](#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**
$16,938

**Estimated parent payment**
$215/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=east-tennessee-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**
$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 $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**9.1%** 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=east-tennessee-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.