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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Kettering University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

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

**On this page**+

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

At Kettering University, aid lowers the published price, yet the average cost for recipients remains above that of comparable colleges. The standard cost of attendance is $61,250, made up in part of tuition and fees of $48,470 and room and board of $10,400.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $34,660. Financial aid offsets $26,590 of the published cost on average.

Among comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median net price is $22,347; this university's average is $12,313 above that benchmark. Azimuth ranks the university #1,308 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. That price gap and affordability standing point in the same direction.

Affordability is a weak point at Kettering University, where aid recipients have an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—what they pay after grants and scholarships—of $34,660. That figure is $12,313 above the peer median of $22,347, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth places the affordability pillar in the 8th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The average net price is $24,910 for aid recipients in the low-income band and $39,399 for those in the high-income band.

Completers who borrowed have median federal student loan debt of $27,000, which is $2,000 above the $25,000 peer median. Higher net prices and borrowing than peers point in the same direction.

The income pattern is uneven: the second-lowest band has a lower average price than the lowest band. For families earning under thirty thousand dollars, average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $24,910; from thirty thousand one dollars to forty-eight thousand dollars, it is $23,273; from forty-eight thousand one dollars to seventy-five thousand dollars, $31,544; from seventy-five thousand one dollars to one hundred ten thousand dollars, $33,401; and above one hundred ten thousand dollars, $39,399.

Pell Grants reach 17.0% of undergraduates, providing financial-access context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $14,489.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$24,910

**$30–48K**
$23,273

**$48–75K**
$31,544

**$75–110K**
$33,401

**$110K+**
$39,399

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$34,660**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

For the average aid recipient at Kettering University, aid covers about 43% of the published cost, but the remaining price is still substantial. The sticker-to-net gap described above is an average across recipients, not a quoted bill for a particular family.

Across the lowest, second-lowest, middle, second-highest, and highest income bands, pricing is lowest in the second-lowest band and becomes higher in each later band. The lowest band does not have the lowest listed price, so the pattern is uneven rather than a uniform income-based discount.

That pattern shows where average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s sit across family-income bands; it does not describe any individual aid package.

For families considering Kettering University, published costs remain high even after aid: the cost of attendance is $61,250. Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $24,910 for the lowest family-income band, $23,273 for the lower-middle band, $31,544 for the middle band, $33,401 for the upper-middle band, and $39,399 for the highest band.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $14,489, and Azimuth ranks the university #1,308 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid covers about 43% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, rather than promising that result for every family.

Across all aid recipients, the average net price is $34,660, with $26,590 in average aid savings against the sticker price. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $22,347; Kettering's average is $12,313 above it.

Published tuition and fees are $48,470, and room and board are $10,400. Borrowing is common at completion: median federal student loan debt among borrowers who complete is $27,000.

That is $2,000 above the $25,000 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size), and 94.8% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years.

[Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowers have median borrowing of $35,000.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Kettering University pairs a high federal borrowing share with debt levels that vary widely among borrowers who complete. Federal loans are used by 94.8% of federal aid recipients, and median federal student loan debt at completion is $27,000.

At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median federal debt is $25,000, leaving the university's median $2,000 above that benchmark. For the separate parent-borrower population, median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $35,000.

Kettering University has a strong return picture centered on earnings well after students finish. Graduates working and not enrolled have median earnings of $99,943 four years after completion.

Azimuth places those earnings in the 97th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. [Earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) also favor the university.

That measure compares what graduates earn to what the model expects for similar students. Graduates earn about $25,120 more than the model expects for similar students.

Azimuth places that measure in the 98th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The downside earnings scenario is $91,693, the typical scenario is $99,943, and the upside scenario is $113,106.

Median federal debt is $2,000 above the $25,000 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years. High modeled earnings sit alongside debt above the peer benchmark.

For the separate parent-borrower population, median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing at Kettering University is $35,000. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 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**
$35,000

**Estimated parent payment**
$445/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| Income | Risk level |
| --- | --- |
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | High pressure |
| $150,000 | Safe |
| $200,000 | Safe |

The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. [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**
$27,000

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$35,000

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

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$307/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$445/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$752/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 $99,943, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**4.8%** of income above the allowance · Excellent

1.  Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
2.  Good 8–under 12%
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, $22,590, uses the published framework’s 2024 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=kettering-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.