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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Kean University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much does Kean University cost after financial aid?

For aid recipients, Kean University has an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, of $12,447. That figure is $3,187 below the peer median of $15,634, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size).

The published cost of attendance for a standard budget is $26,949 (an average across living arrangements). In-state tuition and fees are $14,299, out-of-state tuition and fees are $22,446, and room and board are $18,264.

Aid offsets the published cost by $14,502 on average for aid recipients. Azimuth places the affordability pillar in the 77th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

A lower average net price than comparable institutions and that affordability standing point in the same direction.

The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships—is $12,447 at Kean University, $3,187 below the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth places the university in the 77th percentile for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

By income band, average net prices run from $7,374 at the lowest end to $20,110 at the highest, a spread of $12,736. Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median of $23,250 in federal student loans, $3,174 above the peer median of $20,076.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $7,374 for families earning under thirty thousand dollars; $7,859 for families earning from thirty thousand and one dollars through forty-eight thousand dollars; $12,136 for families earning from forty-eight thousand and one dollars through seventy-five thousand dollars; $20,146 for families earning from seventy-five thousand and one dollars through one hundred ten thousand dollars; and $20,110 for families earning over one hundred ten thousand dollars. Pell Grants reach 47.9% of undergraduates, providing financial-access context for the lowest income band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $12,736.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$7,374

**$30–48K**
$7,859

**$48–75K**
$12,136

**$75–110K**
$20,146

**$110K+**
$20,110

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$12,447**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

At Kean University, the published cost is $26,949 (an average across living arrangements), while the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), 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](/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 $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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/), the gap between what graduates earn and what the model 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](#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**
$22,000

**Estimated parent payment**
$280/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| 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](/financial-gps/?tool=parent&school=kean-university#parent-tool). [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**
$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

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

[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=kean-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.