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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Illinois State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much does Illinois State cost after financial aid?

The published cost of attendance at Illinois State University is $34,309. In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported in-state tuition of $12,066 and required fees of $4,078 for the 2025-26 academic year, with on-campus food and housing at $11,410.

Out-of-state students face tuition of $24,132. After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients is $19,398, which is $3,764 above the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Financial aid reduces the published cost by $14,911 on average. Azimuth ranks the university #558 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The published cost of attendance is $34,309, and aid covers about 43% of that for the average recipient. After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $19,398, which is $3,764 above the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth places the affordability pillar in the 61st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Average net prices by income band range from $11,568 for families earning under $30,000 to $28,224 for those earning over $110,000, a spread of $16,656.

Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median of $20,482 in federal student loans, $406 above the peer median of $20,076.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s by family-income band show a progressive structure. For families earning under $30,000 the average net price is $11,568; for $30,001–$48,000 it is $12,301; for $48,001–$75,000 it is $16,348; for $75,001–$110,000 it is $23,865; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $28,224.

Pell Grant recipients make up 32.1% of undergraduates, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $16,656.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$11,568

**$30–48K**
$12,301

**$48–75K**
$16,348

**$75–110K**
$23,865

**$110K+**
$28,224

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$19,398**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

Illinois State University's average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships—is $19,398, which sits above the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size). Aid covers about 43% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an offset of $14,911 against the sticker total.

Across income bands, the average net price moves from $11,568 for families earning under $30,000 to $12,301 for the $30,001–$48,000 band, $16,348 for $48,001–$75,000, $23,865 for $75,001–$110,000, and $28,224 for families earning over $110,000. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $16,656, a difference of averages that shows the largest discounts flow to families with lower incomes.

In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported first-year aid figures for the 2024-25 academic year. Students with need received an average need-based grant of $14,941 and an average total package of $17,600, covering about 70% of need on average.

Of the 2,896 first-year students determined to have need, 352 had their need fully met. The university also awarded merit aid to 1,121 first-year students, averaging $4,917 per recipient.

The published cost of attendance at Illinois State University is $34,309. Azimuth ranks the university #558 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $11,568, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $16,348, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $28,224. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $16,656.

Aid covers about 43% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an offset of $14,911. The average net price across all aid recipients is $19,398, which is $3,764 above the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median of $20,482 in federal student loans, $406 above the $20,076 peer median. 91.5% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.

Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $28,767 in [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) loans. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $233 a month.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Borrowing is widespread at Illinois State University: 91.5% of federal aid recipients take federal loans, and the median federal student debt among those who complete a degree is $20,482. That median sits above the peer median of $20,076 at comparable institutions (same type and size) by $406, so the typical federal debt load is in line with peers.

Parent borrowers, a separate population, carry a median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) loan of $28,767. In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported that 59% of its 2,595 bachelor's graduates borrowed from any source, with an average cumulative debt of $26,698 per borrower.

Of those graduates, 57% held federal loans averaging $19,089. Another 14% of the graduates held private loans, which averaged $35,501 per private borrower.

Graduates of Illinois State University earn a median of $62,507 four years after completion, a figure in the 58th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. They earn about $369 more than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level, an outcome in the 56th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Earnings scenarios derived from the university's program mix suggest a typical earnings level of $62,507, with a downside scenario of $49,209 and an upside scenario of $87,051. The median federal student debt for borrowers who complete a degree is $20,482, which is above the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $406.

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $233 a month if repaid over ten years. Earnings that sit near the model's expectation and a debt level that mirrors the peer median point to a return picture that is steady but not outsized.

Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $28,767. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $233.

[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**
$28,767

**Estimated parent payment**
$365/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| Income | Risk level |
| --- | --- |
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | Caution |
| $150,000 | Safe |
| $200,000 | Safe |

The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. [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**
$20,482

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$28,767

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$233/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$365/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$598/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 $62,507, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**7.0%** of income above the allowance · Excellent

1.  Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
2.  Good 8–under 12%
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, $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.

[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=illinois-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.