Cost & financial aid brief
North Central College Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does North Central College cost after financial aid?
For the average aid recipient, the published sticker cost of $57,219 (an average across living arrangements) falls to an average net price of $21,044, a sticker-to-net gap of $36,175. Aid covers about 63% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.
Pricing is lower in the lower-income bands: average net price runs from $12,507 in the lowest band to $26,961 in the highest, with $13,486, $16,362, and $20,590 in between. The spread across bands shows a pattern of lower average net prices at lower incomes alongside a substantial average aid reduction.
The published cost of attendance at North Central College is $57,219 (an average across living arrangements), with aid changing the amount families pay. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $12,507 in the lowest family-income band, $13,486 in the lower-middle band, $16,362 in the middle band, $20,590 in the upper-middle band, and $26,961 in the highest band.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $14,454. Azimuth ranks the university #810 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 63% of the published cost, an average offset of $36,175. The average net price across all aid recipients is $21,044, which is $6,327 below the peer median of $27,371 for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Published tuition and fees are $45,726, and room and board are $14,688; the lower average price relative to peers sits alongside a much higher published charge before aid. Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $24,500, and 95.0% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.
That is $301 above the peer median debt of $24,199 at comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $278 a month if repaid over ten years.
Parent PLUS borrowers have median borrowing of $30,000.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal borrowing is widespread at North Central College, where 95.0% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt at completion is $24,500.
At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median is $24,199, placing the college $301 above that figure. For the separate parent-borrower population, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $30,000.
North Central College presents a mixed return picture: federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $61,656 four years after completion. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, that figure sits in the 56th percentile.
Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what expects for similar students, sits in the 37th percentile in that Azimuth cohort. Graduates earn about $4,996 less than the model expects for similar students.
The earnings scenarios place earnings at $49,627 in a downside case, $61,656 in a typical case, and $81,634 in an upside case. Median federal student loan debt at completion is $24,500, above the $24,199 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size).
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $278 a month if repaid over ten years. Below-expected earnings and debt above the peer median leave a mixed return picture.
Parent PLUS borrowers are a separate parent-borrower population, with median borrowing of $30,000. For student borrowers represented by the federal-debt figure, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $278 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
- $30,000
- Estimated parent payment
- $381/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | Caution |
| $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
- $24,500
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $30,000
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $278/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $381/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $659/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 $61,656, with a $22,590 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, $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.