Cost & financial aid brief
Northwestern State University of Louisiana Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Northwestern State University of Louisiana cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 46% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, a reduction of $11,825 from the sticker price. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that for the 2025-26 academic year, 768 of its 974 first-year students were determined to have financial need.
Among those with need, the average share met was 72%, with an average need-based grant of $12,493 and an average package of $17,811. 84 students had their need fully met.
The university also reported 132 first-year students who received merit aid, averaging $4,963. The pattern across the income bands shows lower average net prices at lower incomes, with the spread between the ends at $7,384.
The published cost of attendance is $25,431. Azimuth ranks Northwestern State University of Louisiana #363 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 $11,693, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $12,549, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $19,077. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $7,384.
Aid covers about 46% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The across all aid recipients is $13,606, which is $462 below the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Borrowers who finish carry a median of $25,000 in federal student loans. That is $3,771 above the $21,229 peer median.
83.3% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $11,900 in Parent PLUS loans.
If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $284 a month. It estimates costs and payments for your own situation.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal borrowing is widespread at Northwestern State University of Louisiana: 83.3% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Among federal-loan borrowers who complete, the median debt is $25,000.
That median is $3,771 above the $21,229 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Parents who borrow through the separate Parent PLUS program hold a median of $11,900.
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 35% of bachelor's graduates borrowed from any source, with an average cumulative debt of $27,455 per borrower. Of those graduates, 27% held federal loans averaging $25,508.
Graduates of Northwestern State University of Louisiana earn about $3,020 more than expects for similar students. That result sits at the 66th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The median for federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled four years after completion is $56,762. The peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $57,301; the university sits $539 below that level.
That places the median at the 38th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The program mix supports earnings scenarios of $56,762 in a typical case, $42,696 on the downside, and $85,507 on the upside.
Borrowers who finish hold a median of $25,000 in federal loans, $3,771 above the peer median. If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $284 a month.
Graduates out-earn what the model predicts, yet the median trails the peer level and debt sits above it.
For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $11,900. For student borrowers, the median federal debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $284 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
- $11,900
- Estimated parent payment
- $151/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 | 8.9% | Caution |
| $100,000 | 4.0% | Safe |
| $150,000 | 1.9% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 1.2% | 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
- $25,000
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $11,900
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $284/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $151/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $435/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 $56,762, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
10.4% 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, $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.