Cost & financial aid brief
Northeastern State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Northeastern State University cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 41% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, a reduction of $8,841 from the sticker price. The pattern across income bands shows lower net prices for lower-income families.
The lowest band averages $10,598, while the highest band averages $19,511, a spread of $8,913 between the two ends. That structure keeps costs lower for students with the fewest resources.
The published cost of attendance is $21,551. Azimuth ranks Northeastern State University #133 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $10,598, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $12,612, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $19,511. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $8,913.
Aid covers about 41% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The across all aid recipients is $12,710, which is $1,358 below the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Borrowers who finish carry a median of $17,367 in federal student loans. That is $3,862 below the $21,229 peer median.
About 69.6% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $11,366 in Parent PLUS loans.
If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $197 a month. It estimates what a degree might cost and what graduates earn, based on your own circumstances.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Borrowers who complete a degree at Northeastern State University leave with a median of $17,367 in federal student loans. 69.6% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.
That median is $3,862 below the $21,229 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $11,366 in Parent PLUS loans.
The return picture at Northeastern State University is mixed. Graduates earn about $48 less than expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level, a result that lands at the 54th percentile.
But the median earnings four years after completion of $50,752 sits $6,549 below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Earnings scenarios, estimated from the university's program mix, show a range from a downside of $42,720 to an upside of $72,246, with a typical figure of $50,752.
On the cost side, the median federal debt for borrowers who finish is $17,367, which is $3,862 below the peer median. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $197 a month if repaid over ten years.
The combination of a low net price and below-peer debt points to affordability as the university's clearest financial strength, even as earnings run below the peer median.
For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $11,366. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $197 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
- $11,366
- Estimated parent payment
- $144/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | Caution |
| $100,000 | Safe |
| $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
- $17,367
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $11,366
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $197/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $144/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $341/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 $50,752, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
8.4% 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.