Cost & financial aid brief
Frostburg State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Frostburg State University cost after financial aid?
Frostburg State University has a lower average net price in the lower listed income bands than in the upper bands, so aid recipients face different prices depending on family income. Aid covers about 38% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.
The sticker-to-net gap is reflected in the average net price rather than in a guaranteed package for any particular family. Across the income bands, the pricing pattern is lower at lower incomes and higher at higher incomes.
That pattern points to aid concentrated toward lower-income recipients, while individual grants and scholarships can still differ.
Family income makes a clear difference in what aid recipients pay at Frostburg State University, where the published cost of attendance is $27,056. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $12,129 in the lowest family-income band, $12,240 in the lower-middle band, $15,709 in the middle band, $19,727 in the upper-middle band, and $23,297 in the highest band.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $11,168. Azimuth ranks the university #427 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 38% of the published cost and offsets $10,341 from the sticker price. After grants and scholarships, aid recipients pay $16,715 on average.
The peer median net price, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $14,068, putting Frostburg State $2,647 above that benchmark. Published in-state tuition is $10,220, while out-of-state tuition is $25,814; the aid-recipient price is above the comparable-institution median.
Among borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $21,105, and 85.8% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. The peer median federal debt at comparable institutions (same type and size) is $21,229, leaving Frostburg State $124 below that figure.
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $240 a month if repaid over ten years. Median Parent PLUS borrowing is $21,004.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
At Frostburg State University, 85.8% of federal aid recipients take federal loans, making borrowing a central part of the cost picture for many families. Among federal-loan borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt at completion is $21,105.
The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $21,229; the university’s median is $124 below it. For the separate parent-borrower population, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $21,004.
At Frostburg State University, mobility is the strongest pillar, but the investment picture is mixed. Median earnings are $58,511 four years after completion, placing the university in the 45th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what expects for similar students, falls in the 34th percentile nationally. Graduates earn about $5,556 less than the model expects for similar students.
The downside, typical, and upside earnings scenarios are $48,003, $58,511, and $85,063. Median federal student loan debt at completion is $21,105, which is $124 below the peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), of $21,229.
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $240 a month if repaid over ten years. Lower debt than peers sits alongside earnings below the model's expectation.
Parent borrowing is a separate part of the financing picture: median Parent PLUS borrowing is $21,004 for parent borrowers. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $240 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
- $21,004
- Estimated parent payment
- $267/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 | 15.7% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 7.1% | Caution |
| $150,000 | 3.4% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 2.2% | 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
- $21,105
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $21,004
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $240/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $267/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $507/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 $58,511, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
8.3% 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.