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Cost & financial aid brief

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# McNeese State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much does McNeese State University cost after financial aid?

McNeese State University sets a published cost of attendance of $22,810 for the standard budget. Tuition and fees run $8,489 for residents of Louisiana and $9,989 for students from outside the state.

Room and board add $10,644. At this university, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $12,493.

Aid reduces the sticker price by $10,317 on average. Aid covers about 45% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.

That net price sits $1,575 below the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth ranks the university #278 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. That places the affordability pillar in the 80th percentile.

Affordability is a relative strength at McNeese State University. Azimuth places the university in the 80th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Here, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $12,493, which is $1,575 below the median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Borrowers who finish leave with a median of $23,000 in federal loans, $1,771 above the peer median of $21,229.

For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $10,482. For those earning over $110,000, it is $18,250.

34.6% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants. Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s are higher for higher family-income bands.

Aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 pay $10,482 on average, while those in the $30,001–$48,000 band pay $11,067, those in the $48,001–$75,000 band pay $11,640, those in the $75,001–$110,000 band pay $16,190, and those earning over $110,000 pay $18,250. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $7,768.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$10,482

**$30–48K**
$11,067

**$48–75K**
$11,640

**$75–110K**
$16,190

**$110K+**
$18,250

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$12,493**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

Aid covers about 45% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, bringing the sticker price of $22,810 down to an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) of $12,493. The pattern across income bands is relatively flat.

The lowest-income band averages $10,482 while the highest band averages $18,250, a spread of $7,768 between the two ends. That narrow spread means the pricing structure does not shift dramatically as family income increases.

The published cost of attendance at McNeese State University is $22,810. Azimuth ranks the university #278 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 $10,482, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $11,640, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $18,250. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $7,768.

In-state tuition and fees are $8,489, and out-of-state students pay $9,989. The average aid recipient saves $10,317 off the sticker price.

The average net price across all aid recipients is $12,493, which is $1,575 below the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Borrowers who finish carry a median of $23,000 in federal student loans.

That is $1,771 above the peer median of $21,229. 76.1% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.

Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $13,410 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 $261 a month.

It estimates what a family at a given income might pay and borrow, using the same federal data.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Federal-loan borrowers who complete at McNeese State University leave with a median of $23,000. Among comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median is $21,229, making the university's figure $1,771 above it.

Parent borrowers are a separate population, with median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing of $13,410.

McNeese State University records a median of $53,563 four years after completion for federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled. That is $3,738 below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth places that median at the 28th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $4,099 less than the model expects for similar students.

That outcome falls at the 39th percentile. Earnings scenarios are estimated from the program mix, not observed groups.

They span a typical path of $53,563, a downside of $42,215 and an upside of $91,865. Those who borrow and finish hold a median of $23,000 in federal debt, $1,771 above the $21,229 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $261 a month if repaid over ten years.

For the separate population of parent borrowers, median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $13,410. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $261 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**
$13,410

**Estimated parent payment**
$170/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 | 10.0% | Caution |
| $100,000 | 4.5% | Safe |
| $150,000 | 2.1% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 1.4% | 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=mcneese-state-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**
$23,000

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$13,410

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$261/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$170/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$431/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 $53,563, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**10.6%** 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=mcneese-state-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.