Cost & financial aid brief
Marshall University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Marshall University cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 66% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, reducing the sticker price by $14,520 on average. The pattern across income bands shows lower average net prices at lower incomes, with the lowest band paying $4,648 and the highest paying $15,076.
The pattern indicates that aid is concentrated toward lower-income recipients. That is a difference of $10,428 between the two ends.
The published cost of attendance at Marshall University is $22,022 (an average across living arrangements). Azimuth ranks the university #140 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $4,648, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $6,837, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $15,076. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $10,428.
Aid covers about 66% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The across all aid recipients is $7,502, which is $6,566 below the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median of $23,250 in federal student loans. That is $2,021 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size) of $21,229.
83.1% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $13,944 in Parent PLUS loans.
If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $264 a month.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
At Marshall University, 83.1% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Among those who complete, the median federal student loan debt is $23,250.
The median for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $21,229, so the university's figure runs $2,021 above it. Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate population of parent borrowers, carries a median of $13,944.
Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates of Marshall University who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $54,141. That is $3,160 below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size), and it places the university in the 30th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Graduates earn about $451 less than expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level, a result at the 53rd percentile. The program mix yields a range of earnings scenarios: a downside of $41,195, a typical scenario of $54,141, and an upside of $71,656.
The median federal debt at completion is $23,250, which is $2,021 above the median for comparable institutions. If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $264 a month.
For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $13,944. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $264 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
- $13,944
- Estimated parent payment
- $177/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 | 10.4% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 4.7% | Safe |
| $150,000 | 2.2% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 1.5% | 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
- $23,250
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $13,944
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $264/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $177/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $441/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 $54,141, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
10.5% of income above the allowance · Good
- Excellent Under 8%
- Good 8–under 12% · selected scenario
- 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.