Cost & financial aid brief
Minnesota State University Moorhead Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Minnesota State University Moorhead cost after financial aid?
The university's aid pattern gives lower-income bands lower average prices than higher-income bands. The published cost of attendance is $25,197, versus an average net price of $17,997 for aid recipients, an offset of $7,200.
Aid covers about 29% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. Within the lowest family-income band, the average net price is $11,129, compared with $11,547 in the next band, $13,907 in the middle band, $18,644 in the next-highest band, and $22,420 in the highest band.
Affordability is a relative strength at Minnesota State University Moorhead, where the published cost of attendance is $25,197. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $11,129 in the lowest family-income band; $11,547 in the lower-middle band; $13,907 in the middle band; $18,644 in the upper-middle band; and $22,420 in the highest band.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $11,291. Azimuth ranks the university #366 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 29% of the published cost, an average savings of $7,200. Across all aid recipients, the average net price is $17,997.
The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $14,068, and the university's average is $3,929 above it. Published in-state and out-of-state tuition are each $10,428, with room and board listed at $10,994.
Aid reduces the published price, though the average net price remains above the comparable-school median. Federal borrowing is common among undergraduates, but the median debt at completion is below the comparable-school figure.
Borrowers who complete have median federal student loan debt of $20,000, and 92.0% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. Comparable institutions (same type and size) have median federal debt of $21,229; the university's figure is $1,229 below that benchmark.
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $227 a month if repaid over ten years. Parent PLUS borrowers have median borrowing of $10,000.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal borrowing is common at Minnesota State University Moorhead: 92.0% of federal aid recipients take federal loans, and completing borrowers have median federal student loan debt of $20,000. That median sits below the $21,229 median at comparable institutions (same type and size), by $1,229.
For the separate population of Parent PLUS parent borrowers, median borrowing is $10,000. Lower typical federal debt coincides with a high share of undergraduates using federal loans.
Affordability is the stronger pillar at Minnesota State University Moorhead, while earnings provide a less favorable part of the investment picture. Among federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, median earnings four years after completion are $55,083.
Azimuth places those earnings in the 33rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $11,834 less than expects for similar students.
Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, falls in the 14th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The program mix yields earnings scenarios rather than observed groups: a downside scenario of $44,539, a typical scenario matching the observed median, and an upside scenario of $76,306.
Median federal student loan debt at completion is $20,000, which is $1,229 below the $21,229 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $227 a month if repaid over ten years. Lower debt and below-expected earnings point in different directions.
Family costs may involve both student and parent borrowing. The separate parent-borrower measure records median Parent PLUS borrowing of $10,000.
The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $227 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
- $10,000
- Estimated parent payment
- $127/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | Caution |
| $100,000 | Safe |
| $150,000 | Safe |
| $200,000 | Safe |
The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $20,000
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $10,000
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $227/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $127/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $354/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 $55,083, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
8.4% 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, $22,590, uses the published framework’s 2024 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.