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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Lamar University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

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

**On this page**+

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

Lamar University lists a published cost of attendance of $22,254. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported in-state tuition of $7,785 and required fees of $3,109 for the 2026-27 academic year.

Nonresidents face a published tuition of $19,935. After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients is $9,366, which is $4,702 below the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Aid covers about 58% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. Azimuth ranks the university #132 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

For aid recipients at Lamar University, average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $9,366. That figure is $4,702 below the peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), of $14,068.

Azimuth places the affordability pillar in the 91st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. For aid recipients in the lowest family-income band, average net price is $7,568; for those in the highest band, it is $16,292.

Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $21,250, $21 above the peer median of $21,229. Lower prices sit alongside borrowing that is close to comparable institutions.

Costs increase across the reported family-income bands rather than staying near a single average. Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $7,568 in the lowest band, $8,261 in the next band, $8,545 in the middle band, $13,689 in the next-highest band, and $16,292 in the highest band.

Pell Grants go to 46.5% of undergraduates, providing context for the lowest-income band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $8,724.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$7,568

**$30–48K**
$8,261

**$48–75K**
$8,545

**$75–110K**
$13,689

**$110K+**
$16,292

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$9,366**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

Grants and scholarships cut the published cost of $22,254 by $12,888 for the average aid recipient, leaving a [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) debt of $11,359.

The investment case at Lamar University rests on earnings that clear the model's 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](#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**
$11,359

**Estimated parent payment**
$144/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 | 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](/financial-gps/?tool=parent&school=lamar-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**
$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

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, $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=lamar-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.