Cost & financial aid brief
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does LSU cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 45% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, though the size of that reduction differs across family incomes. Average net prices range from $13,056 in the lowest income band to $26,489 in the highest, with $15,696, $20,223, and $23,878 in the bands between. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $13,433.
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College publishes a cost of attendance of $34,705, with in-state tuition and fees of $11,954 and out-of-state tuition and fees of $28,631. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $13,056, while families in the $48,001–$75,000 band see an average of $20,223 and those earning over $110,000 face an average of $26,489.
Azimuth ranks the university #532 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Financial aid reduces the sticker price by an average of $15,554, bringing the average net price across all aid recipients to $19,151.
That figure runs above the median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size), a gap of $3,517. The published in-state tuition and fees are $11,954, while out-of-state students see a published charge of $28,631.
Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, the median federal student debt is $20,500. The median debt is above the peer median of $20,076 for comparable institutions (same type and size).
About 79.9% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. Median Parent PLUS borrowing stands at $25,645.
The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $233 a month if repaid over ten years.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
About 79.9% of undergraduates at Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College take federal student loans, and among those who complete a degree the median federal debt is $20,500. That median is above the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Parent borrowers carry a separate obligation: the median Parent PLUS loan is $25,645.
Azimuth ranks Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College #42 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions, the university's strongest pillar. At the four-year horizon, graduates who are working and not enrolled record median earnings of $66,893, a level in the 70th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Graduates earn about $169 less than expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level, an outcome in the 54th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios anchored to the program mix show a typical earnings level of $66,893, alongside a downside scenario of $47,915 and an upside scenario of $93,470.
Borrowers who complete their degrees leave with a median federal debt of $20,500, a balance that is above the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, the estimated monthly payment is $233.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $25,645. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $233.
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
- $25,645
- Estimated parent payment
- $326/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 | 19.2% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 8.6% | Caution |
| $150,000 | 4.1% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 2.7% | 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
- $20,500
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $25,645
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $233/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $326/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $559/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 $66,893, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
6.5% 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.