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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Kent State University at Kent Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much does Kent State University at Kent cost after financial aid?

Kent State University at Kent publishes a cost of attendance of $30,567, with in-state tuition and fees at $13,232 and out-of-state at $23,082. Room and board adds $13,794.

After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—what aid recipients actually pay—drops to $20,787, a savings of $9,780 against the sticker total. That average net price sits above the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $5,153.

Azimuth ranks the university #751 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid covers about 32% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an average offset that leaves the net price above the peer median.

The sticker-to-net gap is real, but the resulting net price is still higher than what comparable schools charge on average.

Azimuth places Kent State University at Kent in the 47th percentile for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. After grants and scholarships, aid recipients pay an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) of $20,787, $5,153 above the $15,634 median at comparable institutions (same type and size).

By income band, average net prices run from $15,280 for families earning under $30,000 to $26,278 for those earning over $110,000. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $24,500 in federal student loans, $4,424 above the peer median of $20,076.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s by family-income band show a progressive structure. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $15,280; for $30,001–$48,000 it is $15,718; for $48,001–$75,000 it is $17,296; for $75,001–$110,000 it is $23,685; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $26,278.

Pell Grant recipients make up 28.5% of undergraduates, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $10,998, a difference of averages that shows aid is concentrated on families with lower incomes.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$15,280

**$30–48K**
$15,718

**$48–75K**
$17,296

**$75–110K**
$23,685

**$110K+**
$26,278

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$20,787**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships—is $20,787, a savings of $9,780 against the published cost. Aid covers about 32% of the sticker price for the average aid recipient.

The pattern across income bands shows lower average net prices at lower incomes. Families earning under $30,000 average $15,280, while those in the highest band, over $110,000, average $26,278.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $10,998. These are averages within each band, not what any individual family pays.

The aid structure reduces the published price for most aid recipients, with the largest reductions concentrated at the bottom of the income scale.

Kent State University at Kent publishes a cost of attendance of $30,567, with in-state tuition and fees at $13,232 and room and board at $13,794. For aid recipients, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—what families pay after grants and scholarships—is $15,280 for families earning under $30,000, $17,296 for those in the $48,001–$75,000 band, and $26,278 for families earning over $110,000.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $10,998. Azimuth ranks the university #751 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Aid covers about 32% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, a savings of $9,780 against the sticker price. The average net price across all aid recipients is $20,787, which sits above the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $5,153.

Out-of-state students face a higher tuition of $23,082, and their net prices will reflect that starting point. Graduates who borrow federal loans leave with a median federal student debt of $24,500, and 88.6% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.

That debt is above the peer median of $20,076 by $4,424. If repaid over ten years, the median debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $278 a month.

Parents who borrow through [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) carry a separate median of $21,394.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

88.6% of federal aid recipients at Kent State University at Kent borrow through federal student loans. The typical borrower who completes a degree leaves with $24,500 in federal student loan debt at completion.

Comparable institutions (same type and size) have a median of $20,076, leaving the university above that level by $4,424. Parents who borrow through [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/), a separate population, hold a median debt of $21,394.

At Kent State University at Kent, the median for federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled is $56,839 four years after completion. That median is $8,771 below the $65,610 figure for comparable institutions (same type and size).

That places the median in the 38th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $1,582 less than the model expects for similar students.

That outcome sits at the 49th percentile. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix range from $41,314 on the downside to $77,223 on the upside.

The typical outcome for the mix is $56,839. Borrowers who complete leave with a median of $24,500 in federal loans.

That is $4,424 above the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $278 a month.

Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $21,394. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $278.

[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**
$21,394

**Estimated parent payment**
$272/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 | 16.0% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 7.2% | Caution |
| $150,000 | 3.4% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 2.2% | 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=kent-state-university-at-kent#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**
$24,500

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$21,394

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$278/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$272/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$550/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 $56,839, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**10.1%** 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=kent-state-university-at-kent#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.