Cost & financial aid brief
Minnesota State University-Mankato Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Minnesota State University-Mankato cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 20% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The sticker-to-net gap is $4,856.
The pattern across income bands is relatively flat. Families earning under $30,000 average $12,339, and those in the highest band average $22,798.
The spread between the two ends is $10,459. The middle bands sit close together: $12,750 for the $30,001–$48,000 band, $15,137 for $48,001–$75,000, and $18,921 for $75,001–$110,000. The narrow range means aid does not ramp down sharply as income increases.
Minnesota State University-Mankato publishes a cost of attendance of $23,995, with in-state tuition and fees at $9,572 and room and board at $12,420. After grants and scholarships, the average net price—what aid recipients actually pay—is $12,339 for families earning under $30,000, $15,137 for families in the $48,001–$75,000 band, and $22,798 for families earning over $110,000.
The spread between the lowest and highest income bands is $10,459, a difference of averages that reflects how aid scales with need. Azimuth ranks the university #481 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Aid covers about 20% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an offset of $4,856 against the sticker price. The average net price across all aid recipients is $19,139, which sits above the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $3,505.
Out-of-state students face a higher published tuition of $18,942, though aid packages can narrow that gap. Graduates who borrow federal loans leave with a median federal student debt of $21,106; 91.0% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.
That median is above the peer median of $20,076 by $1,030. For a graduate at the median four-year earnings, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $240 a month if repaid over ten years.
Parents who take out Parent PLUS loans borrow a median of $13,695.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
The typical federal borrower who earns a degree at Minnesota State University-Mankato graduates with $21,106 in federal debt. That amount sits above the peer median of $20,076 by $1,030, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Federal loans are used by 91.0% of federal aid recipients at the university. Parents who borrow through Parent PLUS, a separate population from student borrowers, carry a median debt of $13,695.
Graduates of Minnesota State University-Mankato earn about $2,188 more than expects for similar students, an outcome in the 63rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The median earnings four years after completion reach $64,235, which sits in the 63rd percentile nationally.
Earnings scenarios from the university's program mix show a typical figure of $64,235, with a downside scenario of $50,643 and an upside scenario reaching $88,735. The median federal student debt at completion is $21,106.
That is above the peer median of $20,076 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,030. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $240 a month if repaid over ten years.
The median earnings figure is below the peer median of $65,610 by $1,375. So the return picture is mixed: graduates beat the model's expectations but sit below the peer earnings median.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $13,695. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $240.
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
- $13,695
- Estimated parent payment
- $174/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 | 10.3% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 4.6% | Safe |
| $150,000 | 2.2% | 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. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $21,106
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $13,695
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $240/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $174/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $414/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 $64,235, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
7.1% 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.