Cost & financial aid brief
Indiana State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Indiana State University cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 56% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. Families earning under $30,000 average $6,455, while those earning $30,001 to $48,000 average $6,571.
The average is $9,317 for the $48,001 to $75,000 band, $15,450 for the $75,001 to $110,000 band, and $19,345 for families earning over $110,000. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $12,890.
The published cost of attendance at Indiana State University is $24,535. Azimuth ranks the university #270 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $6,455, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $9,317, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $19,345. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $12,890.
Aid covers about 56% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The average net price across all aid recipients is $10,873, which is $3,195 below the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
86.4% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $24,000 in federal student loans, which is $2,771 above the peer median of $21,229.
Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $17,049 in Parent PLUS loans. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $273 a month.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal loans reach 86.4% of federal aid recipients, and borrowers who complete leave with median federal student loan debt of $24,000. The median is $2,771 above the $21,229 peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size).
For the separate parent-borrower population, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $17,049. In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported that 67% of graduates borrowed from any source, averaging $27,948 in cumulative borrowing per borrower.
Its loan figures include federal loans held by 66% of graduates, averaging $21,118 per federal borrower. They also include private loans held by 14% of graduates, averaging $33,304 per private borrower.
The return picture at Indiana State University is mixed. Graduates earn a median of $57,688 four years after completion, a figure that lands in the 42nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
They earn about $763 more than expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level, an outcome in the 58th percentile nationally. Earnings scenarios derived from the university's program mix show a typical earnings level matching that median, with a downside scenario of $44,671 and an upside scenario of $84,204.
On the cost side, the median federal student debt at completion is $24,000, which is above the $21,229 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $2,771. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $273 a month if repaid over ten years.
Earnings that sit near the model's expectation, combined with debt that runs above the peer median, mean the financial equation here depends heavily on the specific program a student chooses.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $17,049. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $273.
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
- $17,049
- Estimated parent payment
- $217/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 | 12.8% | 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. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $24,000
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $17,049
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $273/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $217/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $490/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 $57,688, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
9.7% 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, $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.