Cost & financial aid brief
Franklin College Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Franklin College cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 58% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, so the sticker price is not the typical post-aid bill for that group. The published cost of $54,178 falls to an average net price of $22,855, a sticker-to-net gap of $31,323.
This is an average across aid recipients, not a promise for any particular family. Families in the lower-income bands have lower average net prices than those in the middle and upper-income bands: $14,790 in the lowest band and $30,316 in the highest.
The $15,526 spread shows aid is more concentrated at lower income levels in the reported pricing pattern.
Family income makes a clear difference in what aid recipients pay at Franklin College. The published cost of attendance is $54,178.
Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $14,790 for the lowest-income family band, $15,822 for the lower-middle band, $20,093 for the middle band, $23,439 for the upper-middle band, and $30,316 for the highest-income band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $15,526, a difference between band averages rather than a family bill.
Azimuth ranks the university #1,070 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid reduces the listed price for the average recipient, though the resulting average price sits slightly higher than at similar colleges.
Aid covers about 58% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, or average savings of $31,323 against the sticker price. Across all aid recipients, the average net price is $22,855, $508 above the peer median of $22,347 at comparable institutions (same type and size).
Published tuition and fees are $38,710, and room and board are $12,405. Average aid is substantial, but the overall aid-recipient price remains above the comparable-institution median.
Borrowing is common among undergraduates here, and federal debt at completion is above the comparable-college median. Federal student loan borrowers who complete have median debt of $27,000, while 92.7% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.
That median is $2,000 above the peer median of $25,000 at comparable institutions (same type and size). Median Parent PLUS borrowing for parent borrowers is $40,380.
The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Borrowing is common at Franklin College, where 92.7% of federal aid recipients take federal loans and borrowers who complete carry median federal student loan debt of $27,000. These federal figures describe borrowers who completed rather than every undergraduate, and they exclude Parent PLUS and private loans.
The median is $2,000 above the $25,000 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size). For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $40,380.
The investment picture at Franklin College is shaped by earnings that fall short of expectation and borrowing that runs above the peer median. Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $53,224.
That figure sits at the 27th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $14,172 less than the model expects for similar students, an outcome in the 10th percentile.
Earnings scenarios, estimated from the university's program mix, range from $48,242 in a downside case to $80,140 in an upside case, with $53,224 as the typical outcome. The median federal student debt at completion is $27,000, which is $2,000 above the $25,000 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years. The return picture is mixed: earnings beat neither the model's expectation nor the peer median, while the debt load sits above the peer median.
Among parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $40,380, separate from student federal loans. For completers with median federal student debt, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 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
- $40,380
- Estimated parent payment
- $513/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 | 30.2% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 13.6% | High pressure |
| $150,000 | 6.5% | Caution |
| $200,000 | 4.2% | 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
- $27,000
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $40,380
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $307/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $513/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $820/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 $53,224, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
12.6% of income above the allowance · Concerning
- Excellent Under 8%
- Good 8–under 12%
- Concerning 12–20% · selected scenario
- 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.