Cost & financial aid brief
Montclair State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Montclair State University cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 45% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, but the pattern differs across family incomes. The average net price for families earning under $30,000 is $10,880, rising to $11,532 for the $30,001–$48,000 band, $16,388 for $48,001–$75,000, $22,058 for $75,001–$110,000, and $25,573 for those over $110,000.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $14,693, showing that aid is concentrated among lower-income families.
Montclair State University publishes a cost of attendance of $28,305. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $10,880; for families earning $48,001–$75,000, it is $16,388; and for families earning over $110,000, it is $25,573.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $14,693. Azimuth ranks the university #434 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Aid covers about 45% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an average savings of $12,739. The average net price across all aid recipients is $15,566, which is below the median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $68.
The median federal student debt at completion is $22,000. About 82.3% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.
That median is above the peer median of $20,076 by $1,924. Median Parent PLUS borrowing stands at $24,693.
The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $250 a month if repaid over ten years.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Among the 82.3% of federal aid recipients who take federal loans, the median federal student debt at completion is $22,000. That median runs above the $20,076 median at comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,924.
Parent borrowers, a separate population, carry a median Parent PLUS loan of $24,693. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 58% of a 2,300-graduate bachelor's cohort borrowed from any source, with an average cumulative amount of $39,728 per borrower.
Of those graduates, 56% held federal loans averaging $20,586, and the cohort included 15% with private loans averaging $44,836.
For Montclair State University, earnings scenarios tied to the university's mix of fields land at $61,351 in a typical case, $46,546 in a downside case, and $74,938 in an upside case. Among graduates who are working and not enrolled, the median earnings four years after completion are $61,351, a level in the 55th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Graduates earn about $3,501 more than expects for similar students, an outcome that ranks in the 67th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. At completion, borrowers hold a median federal student debt of $22,000, a level above the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). The estimated monthly payment is $250.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $24,693. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $250.
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
- $24,693
- Estimated parent payment
- $314/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 | 18.5% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 8.3% | Caution |
| $150,000 | 3.9% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 2.6% | 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
- $22,000
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $24,693
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $250/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $314/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $564/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 $61,351, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
8.0% 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.