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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Minnesota State University-Mankato Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much does Minnesota State University-Mankato cost after financial aid?

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. Out-of-state students face tuition and fees of $18,942.

After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients is $19,139, a savings of $4,856 against the sticker price. That average net price sits above the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size), by $3,505.

Azimuth ranks the university #481 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. The net price for the lowest-income band is $12,339, well below the overall average, which reflects the concentration of aid on families with the greatest need.

The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) at Minnesota State University-Mankato is $19,139, which is $3,505 above the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Among nonprofit four-year institutions, the affordability pillar is in the 66th percentile.

By income band, the lowest-income aid recipients pay $12,339 on average, while those in the highest band pay $22,798 on average. Borrowers who finish hold a median of $21,106 in federal loans, which is $1,030 above the $20,076 median for comparable institutions. Both figures sit above their peer medians, pointing the same way.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s by family-income band show a progressive structure. For families earning under $30,000 the average net price is $12,339; for $30,001–$48,000 it is $12,750; for $48,001–$75,000 it is $15,137; for $75,001–$110,000 it is $18,921; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $22,798.

Pell Grant recipients make up 21.0% of undergraduates, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $10,459.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$12,339

**$30–48K**
$12,750

**$48–75K**
$15,137

**$75–110K**
$18,921

**$110K+**
$22,798

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$19,139**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/), 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 the model 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $13,695. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $240.

[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**
$13,695

**Estimated parent payment**
$174/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 | 10.3% | 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](/financial-gps/?tool=parent&school=minnesota-state-university-mankato#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**
$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

1.  Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
2.  Good 8–under 12%
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=minnesota-state-university-mankato#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.