Cost & financial aid brief
North Carolina State University at Raleigh Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does NC State cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 35% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The sticker-to-net gap is $9,122, but the size of that reduction differs across family incomes.
Average net prices range from $6,382 in the lowest income band to $24,652 in the highest, a spread of $18,270 between the two ends. The pattern is one of lower average net prices at lower incomes, rather than an individual aid package.
The spread describes a pricing structure that scales with family income, not a flat discount.
For aid recipients from families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $6,382, while families in the $48,001–$75,000 band see an average of $13,334 and those earning over $110,000 average $24,652. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $18,270.
Azimuth ranks North Carolina State University at Raleigh #430 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. The published cost of attendance is $26,425, with in-state tuition and fees at $8,799 and room and board at $14,332.
Aid covers about 35% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an average offset of $9,122. The average net price for aid recipients is $17,303, which is above the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,669.
The median federal student debt at completion is $20,121, with 85.7% of federal aid recipients borrowing federal loans. That median is above the peer median of $20,076 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $45.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing stands at $23,000. If repaid over ten years, the estimated monthly payment for a borrower with the median federal debt is $229.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal borrowers who complete a degree at North Carolina State University at Raleigh face a median debt of $20,121. Against the $20,076 median at comparable institutions (same type and size), the university's median is above by $45.
The share of undergraduates with federal loans is 85.7%. Parents who borrow through Parent PLUS face a median debt of $23,000.
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 44% of graduates borrowed from any source, with an average cumulative amount of $25,393 per borrower. Of those borrowers, 43% held federal loans averaging $19,015 and 7% held private loans averaging $37,306.
Four years after completion, graduates of North Carolina State University at Raleigh earn a median of $75,943, a figure in the 84th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. They earn about $2,587 less than expects for similar students, an outcome that falls in the 45th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Earnings scenarios derived from the university's program mix suggest a typical outcome of $75,943, with a downside scenario of $53,483 and an upside scenario of $99,572. For borrowers, the median federal student debt at completion is $20,121, a level that is above the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $45.
If repaid over ten years, that debt implies an estimated monthly payment of $229.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $23,000. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $229.
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
- $23,000
- Estimated parent payment
- $292/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 | 17.2% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 7.7% | Caution |
| $150,000 | 3.7% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 2.4% | 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. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $20,121
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $23,000
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $229/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $292/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $521/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 $75,943, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
5.3% of income above the allowance · Excellent
- Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
- Good 8–under 12%
- 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.