Cost & financial aid brief
Indiana University-Northwest Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Indiana University-Northwest cost after financial aid?
The aid pattern is concentrated toward families in the lower listed income bands rather than evenly spread across the income range. For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 63% of the published cost.
That figure describes an average across aid recipients, not a promise for any one family. The two lowest income bands have far lower average net prices than the middle and upper bands, though the first two bands do not follow a simple order.
Costs then move upward through the remaining bands, reaching the highest average net price for families in the top listed range. The published price and the band pattern therefore show aid associated with lower average costs at lower family incomes.
Indiana University-Northwest has a published cost of attendance of $13,989, with much lower prices after aid for many families. For aid recipients, average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $1,419 in the low-income family band.
It is $331 in the lower-middle band, $5,159 in the middle band, $10,047 in the upper-middle band, and $13,042 in the high-income band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $11,623.
Azimuth ranks Indiana University-Northwest #75 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. For the average aid recipient, financial aid offsets $8,859 against the sticker price, and aid covers about 63% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.
Across all aid recipients, the average net price is $5,130. That figure is $8,938 below the peer median net price of $14,068 at comparable institutions (same type and size).
Published in-state tuition is $8,424, versus $22,811 for out-of-state tuition. Lower average pricing than comparable institutions and substantial aid offsets point in the same direction.
Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $21,710, and 73.1% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. The peer median debt is $21,229, making this figure $481 above that benchmark.
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $247 a month if repaid over ten years. Parent borrowers have median Parent PLUS borrowing of $12,000.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Borrowing is widespread among Indiana University-Northwest undergraduates, though the federal debt level at completion is close to that of comparable institutions. 73.1% of federal aid recipients take federal loans, and borrowers who complete have median federal student loan debt of $21,710.
The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $21,229, placing the university's median $481 above it. For the separate parent-borrower population, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $12,000.
Affordability is the strongest pillar at Indiana University-Northwest, and it sets the terms for the investment picture. The average net price—what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships—is $5,130, which is $8,938 below the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $59,535, at the 49th percentile. Graduates earn about $1,922 more than expects for similar students, an outcome at the 62nd percentile.
Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, range from $44,736 in a downside case to $80,952 in an upside case, with $59,535 as the typical scenario. Borrowers who finish leave with a median of $21,710 in federal loans, $481 above the median for comparable institutions.
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $247 a month if repaid over ten years. A low net price and above-expected earnings point the same way.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing is $12,000 for the separate population of parent borrowers. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $247 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
- $12,000
- Estimated parent payment
- $152/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 | 9.0% | Caution |
| $100,000 | 4.0% | Safe |
| $150,000 | 1.9% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 1.3% | 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
- $21,710
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $12,000
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $247/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $152/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $399/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 $59,535, 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.