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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Marshall University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

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

**On this page**+

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

Affordability is the strongest pillar at Marshall University, and the published cost of attendance is $22,022 (an average across living arrangements). For aid recipients, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) — what they pay after grants and scholarships — is $7,502.

That figure is $6,566 below the $14,068 median at comparable institutions (same type and size). In-state tuition and fees are $9,162, with room and board adding $13,292.

Out-of-state students face tuition and fees of $20,342. Azimuth ranks the university #140 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. That places the affordability pillar in the 90th percentile.

Aid recipients pay the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) after grants and scholarships are applied. At Marshall University that price is $7,502, $6,566 below the median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth places the affordability pillar in the 90th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Borrowers who complete leave with a median of $23,250 in federal student loans, $2,021 above the peer median.

Families in the lowest income band pay $4,648 on average, while those in the highest pay $15,076. The spread between the highest and lowest income bands is $10,428.

About 38.7% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, the group the lowest band applies to. After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients in that band is $4,648.

It is $4,430 for the $30,001–$48,000 band, $6,837 for the $48,001–$75,000 band, $11,227 for the $75,001–$110,000 band, and $15,076 for families earning over $110,000. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $10,428.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$4,648

**$30–48K**
$4,430

**$48–75K**
$6,837

**$75–110K**
$11,227

**$110K+**
$15,076

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$7,502**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

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 price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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 average net price 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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 the model 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](#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**
$13,944

**Estimated parent payment**
$177/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 | 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](/financial-gps/?tool=parent&school=marshall-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**
$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

1.  Excellent Under 8%
2.  Good 8–under 12% · selected scenario
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=marshall-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.