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Cost & financial aid brief

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# North Central College Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

[Overview](/school/north-central-college/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/north-central-college/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/north-central-college/admissions/)[Majors](/school/north-central-college/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/north-central-college/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does North Central College cost after financial aid?

For aid recipients, North Central College is below comparable institutions on average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/). Its published cost of attendance is $57,219, an average across living arrangements.

Tuition and fees are $45,726, and room and board is $14,688. The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $21,044.

Average aid savings against the sticker price total $36,175. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $27,371, and North Central College is below that figure by $6,327.

Azimuth places the affordability pillar in the 43rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The lower-than-peer net price and average aid savings point in the same direction for aid recipients.

North Central College sits in the 43rd percentile for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $21,044, which falls $6,327 below the median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

The lowest income band averages $12,507 after aid, and the highest income band averages $26,961. Borrowers who complete a degree hold a median of $24,500 in federal student loans, $301 above the peer median.

Costs after grants and scholarships differ across the reported family-income bands. Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $12,507 for the lowest-income band, $13,486 for the next band, $16,362 for the middle band, $20,590 for the next-highest band, and $26,961 for the highest-income band.

Pell Grants reach 23.9% of undergraduates, providing financial-access context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $14,454.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$12,507

**$30–48K**
$13,486

**$48–75K**
$16,362

**$75–110K**
$20,590

**$110K+**
$26,961

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$21,044**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

For the average aid recipient, the published sticker cost of $57,219 (an average across living arrangements) falls to an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/), the gap between what graduates earn and what the model 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](#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**
$30,000

**Estimated parent payment**
$381/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 | 22.5% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 10.1% | High pressure |
| $150,000 | 4.8% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 3.1% | 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=north-central-college#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**
$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 $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**8.8%** 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=north-central-college#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.