Cost & financial aid brief
Kennesaw State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Kennesaw State University cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 37% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, though the size of the discount differs by family income. Average net prices range from $12,235 in the lowest income band to $19,309 in the highest, a spread of $7,074 between the two ends.
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that for the 2025-26 academic year, 6,551 first-year students were determined to have financial need. Among those with need, the average share of need met was 45%, with an average need-based grant of $9,385 and an average total package of $16,991.
Need was fully met for 432 of those students. For first-year students, 61 received merit aid, averaging $1,233.
The published cost of attendance at Kennesaw State University is $24,008. Azimuth ranks the university #436 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 $12,235, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $15,185, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $19,309. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $7,074.
Aid covers about 37% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, bringing the overall average net price to $15,048. That figure is $586 below the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median of $23,833 in federal student loans, which is $3,757 above the peer median of $20,076. 83.0% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.
Parents who borrow through the separate Parent PLUS program hold a median of $19,000. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $271 a month.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Kennesaw State University records a median federal debt of $23,833 among completers who borrowed. Against the $20,076 median at comparable institutions (same type and size), the university's figure is $3,757 above.
83.0% of federal aid recipients use federal loans. Parent borrowers represent a separate population; their median Parent PLUS loan is $19,000.
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 47% of its 4,227 bachelor's graduates borrowed from any source, averaging $24,067 per borrower. Of those graduates, 46% held federal loans averaging $21,038, including 6% who also carried private loans averaging $23,784.
Median earnings for Kennesaw State University graduates four years after completion stand at $68,306, a figure that places the university in the 73rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $268 less than expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level, a position in the 53rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Program-mix scenarios suggest a typical earnings level of $68,306, a downside of $49,339, and an upside of $91,791. The median federal student debt at completion is $23,833, which is above the $20,076 median at comparable institutions (same type and size) by $3,757.
If repaid over ten years, that balance corresponds to an estimated monthly payment of $271 for borrowers.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $19,000. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $271.
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
- $19,000
- Estimated parent payment
- $241/mo
| 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.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $23,833
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $19,000
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $271/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $241/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $512/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 $68,306, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
7.1% of income above the allowance · Excellent
- Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
- Good 8–under 12%
- Concerning 12–20%
- High risk Over 20%
How this estimate works
The income spectrum compares the estimated student payment with the income left after the selected annual expense allowance. Changing the earnings scenario or allowance changes that comparison; parent payments are not included in this calculation.
The earnings choices are planning scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles or predictions of an individual graduate’s pay. The allowance is an adjustable model input, not a verified budget for your household.
Read the result as a comparison under those assumptions, not a guarantee that a payment is affordable.
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.
Federal student and Parent PLUS borrowing figures do not capture all private education loans. A federal balance therefore should not be described as a family’s complete borrowing total.
Annual loan awards in a Common Data Set, when available, answer a different question from accumulated borrower debt. Compare amounts only after identifying the loan type, reporting period and population; annual school-wide awards cannot be added to a median borrower balance.
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.