Cost & financial aid brief
Lamar University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Lamar University cost after financial aid?
Grants and scholarships cut the published cost of $22,254 by $12,888 for the average aid recipient, leaving a net price of $9,366. Aid makes up about 58% of the sticker.
Average net prices track family income. Those earning under $30,000 pay $7,568, the $30,001–$48,000 band pays $8,261, and the $48,001–$75,000 band pays $8,545.
The step widens at higher incomes: $13,689 for the $75,001–$110,000 band and $16,292 for family income over $110,000. The spread between the two ends is $8,724.
Lamar University has a lower-cost profile for aid recipients, beginning with a published cost of attendance of $22,254. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $7,568 for the lowest-income band, $8,261 for the next band, $8,545 for the middle-income band, $13,689 for the band above that, and $16,292 for the highest-income band.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $8,724. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, Azimuth places the university at #132 for affordability.
For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 58% of the published cost, with average aid savings of $12,888. That leaves an average net price across all aid recipients of $9,366.
The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $14,068, and the university's average net price is $4,702 below it. The aid offset and lower peer comparison point in the same direction.
Federal-loan borrowing is common among undergraduates, and borrowers who complete have median federal student loan debt of $21,250. That is $21 above the $21,229 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size); 82.1% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $242 a month if repaid over ten years. Parent borrowers have median Parent PLUS borrowing of $11,359.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal borrowing is common at Lamar University, where completers who borrowed have median federal student loan debt of $21,250. Compared with the $21,229 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size), Lamar’s median is $21 above the peer median.
Separate parent borrowers have median Parent PLUS debt of $11,359.
The investment case at Lamar University rests on earnings that clear bar by a wide margin and a debt load that is ordinary for its peer group. Four years after graduating, federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $66,816, at the 70th percentile nationally.
That is $9,515 above the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Graduates earn about $11,623 more than the model expects for similar students, an outcome at the 86th percentile.
Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, range from $49,128 in a downside case to $94,884 in an upside case, with $66,816 as the typical scenario. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $21,250 in federal student loans, $21 above the peer median of $21,229.
If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $242 a month.
The separate parent-borrower population has median Parent PLUS borrowing of $11,359. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $242 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
- $11,359
- Estimated parent payment
- $144/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 | 8.5% | Caution |
| $100,000 | 3.8% | Safe |
| $150,000 | 1.8% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 1.2% | 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. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $21,250
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $11,359
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $242/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $144/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $386/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 $66,816, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
6.8% 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
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.