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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Montclair State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much does Montclair State University cost after financial aid?

The published cost of attendance at Montclair State University is $28,305. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported in-state tuition of $15,678 and required fees of $1,176 for the 2026-27 academic year, with on-campus food and housing at $16,862.

Out-of-state students face a higher published tuition of $26,394. 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 $15,566.

That is $68 below the median at comparable institutions (same type and size), which is $15,634. Financial aid reduces the published cost by an average of $12,739.

Azimuth ranks the university #434 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Azimuth places Montclair State University in the 69th percentile for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. By family income, average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s stretch from $10,880 in the lowest band to $25,573 in the highest.

The average annual net price for aid recipients is $15,566, below the median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $68. Completers who borrowed carry median federal student debt of $22,000, above the median of $20,076 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,924.

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 $10,880; for $30,001–$48,000 it is $11,532; for $48,001–$75,000 it is $16,388; for $75,001–$110,000 it is $22,058; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $25,573.

Pell Grant recipients make up 47.0% of undergraduates, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $14,693.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$10,880

**$30–48K**
$11,532

**$48–75K**
$16,388

**$75–110K**
$22,058

**$110K+**
$25,573

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$15,566**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

Aid covers about 45% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, but the pattern differs across family incomes. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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 the model 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $24,693. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $250.

[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**
$24,693

**Estimated parent payment**
$314/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 | 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](/financial-gps/?tool=parent&school=montclair-state-university#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**
$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

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