Cost & financial aid brief
Kean University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Kean University cost after financial aid?
At Kean University, the published cost is $26,949 (an average across living arrangements), while the average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $12,447. The average sticker-to-net reduction is $14,502.
Aid covers about 54% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. Across the income bands from lowest to highest, average net prices are $7,374, $7,859, $12,136, $20,146, and $20,110.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $12,736. These are averages within each band, not individual bills, and the lower prices in the lower-income bands show aid concentrated more heavily there than in the upper bands.
The published cost of attendance at Kean University is $26,949 (an average across living arrangements). Azimuth ranks the university #332 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $7,374 in the lowest family-income band, $7,859 in the lower-middle band, $12,136 in the middle band, $20,146 in the upper-middle band, and $20,110 in the highest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $12,736.
Aid covers about 54% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, bringing the average net price across all bands to $12,447. That is $3,187 below the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Borrowers who finish carry a median of $23,250 in federal student loans, $3,174 above the peer median of $20,076. 85.7% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.
Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $22,000 in Parent PLUS loans. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $264 a month.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Borrowing is widespread at Kean University, so federal debt is an important part of its cost picture. Among federal-loan borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $23,250.
Federal loans are used by 85.7% of federal aid recipients. Comparable institutions (same type and size) have a peer median federal debt of $20,076, with Kean’s median $3,174 above that figure.
The difference points to somewhat higher borrowing at completion than at its peers. For Parent PLUS parent borrowers, a separate population, median borrowing is $22,000.
Access is Kean University’s strongest pillar, but the financial return picture is mixed. Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $59,472 four years after completion.
That figure is in the 49th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what expects for similar students, sit in the 53rd percentile according to Azimuth.
Graduates earn about $332 less than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level. The downside earnings scenario is $50,435, the typical scenario is $59,472, and the upside scenario is $74,121.
Median federal debt is $23,250, which is $3,174 above the $20,076 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $264 a month if repaid over ten years. Earnings near the model’s expectation sit alongside debt above the peer median.
Parent borrowers using Parent PLUS have median borrowing of $22,000, a separate federal population from student borrowers. For completers with median federal student debt, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $264 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
- $22,000
- Estimated parent payment
- $280/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 | 16.5% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 7.4% | Caution |
| $150,000 | 3.5% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 2.3% | 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
- $23,250
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $22,000
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $264/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $280/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $544/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 $59,472, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
8.9% 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.