Cost & financial aid brief
Mississippi State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Mississippi State University cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 40% of the published cost for the average aid recipient at Mississippi State University. That leaves an average net price of $17,595 after an average aid offset of $11,672 from the $29,267 sticker price.
Pricing is lower in the lowest income bands and higher in the upper bands, with an $8,655 spread between those average net prices. This pattern shows larger average discounts at lower family-income levels, although individual packages vary.
The university’s average net price is $1,961 above the $15,634 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size). The aid offset is substantial, but the resulting average price remains above that peer reference.
At Mississippi State University, average net price—what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships—varies widely by family income, spanning $8,655 from the lowest to the highest band. Before aid, the total published cost is $29,267; after aid, the lowest family-income band averages $14,332, the second-lowest family-income band $14,372, the middle family-income band $18,671, the second-highest family-income band $20,704, and the highest family-income band $22,987.
Azimuth places the university at #529 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 40% of the published cost, lowering the sticker price by $11,672.
The average net price for first-time, full-time in-state aid recipients is $17,595, which sits $1,961 above the peer median of $15,634 at comparable institutions (same type and size). In-state tuition and fees are $10,202, and out-of-state tuition and fees are $27,637.
Grant and scholarship aid therefore cuts the published cost substantially, though the typical aid recipient still pays more than the peer median. Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $22,142, and 85.7% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.
That median is $2,066 above the $20,076 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $252 a month if repaid over ten years.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing is $25,567.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
At Mississippi State University, 85.7% of federal aid recipients take federal loans, so borrowing is part of the cost picture for many students. Among federal-loan borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $22,142.
The peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size) is $20,076, and Mississippi State’s median is above it by $2,066. For the separate population of Parent PLUS borrowers, median borrowing is $25,567.
Mobility is the strongest pillar for Mississippi State University, but the investment picture is mixed. Graduates working and not enrolled have median earnings of $59,311 four years after completion, placing them in the 48th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what expects for similar students, fall in the 46th percentile. Graduates earn about $2,513 less than the model expects for similar students.
Earnings scenarios from the program mix range from $41,041 in the downside scenario to $85,819 in the upside scenario, with $59,311 in the typical scenario. Borrowers complete with median federal student loan debt of $22,142, which is above the $20,076 median at comparable institutions (same type and size).
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $252 a month if repaid over ten years. Below-expected earnings and debt above the peer median point in the same direction.
For the separate parent-borrower population, Parent PLUS borrowing has a median of $25,567. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $252 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
- $25,567
- Estimated parent payment
- $325/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 | 19.1% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 8.6% | Caution |
| $150,000 | 4.1% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 2.7% | 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
- $22,142
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $25,567
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $252/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $325/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $577/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 $59,311, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
8.5% 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, $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.