1.  [College research](/)
2.  /
3.  [Ohio Northern University](/school/ohio-northern-university/)
4.  /
5.  Cost & financial aid brief

Cost & financial aid brief

Copy linkPrint brief

# Ohio Northern University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/ohio-northern-university/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/ohio-northern-university/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/ohio-northern-university/admissions/)[Majors](/school/ohio-northern-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/ohio-northern-university/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does Ohio Northern University cost after financial aid?

Ohio Northern University lists a published annual cost of attendance of $53,580 (an average across living arrangements), setting the sticker-price starting point before aid. Tuition and fees account for $39,800, and room and board add $14,604.

For aid recipients, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $24,478. Financial aid savings average $29,102 against the sticker price.

That net price is $2,893 below the peer median of $27,371, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth ranks the university #1,066 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The below-peer net price offers one favorable cost comparison, though the affordability placement is lower nationally.

At Ohio Northern University, average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $24,478. This is $2,893 below the peer median of $27,371 at comparable institutions (same type and size).

Completing federal borrowers have median federal student loan debt of $27,000, $2,801 above the $24,199 peer median. Azimuth places the university's affordability pillar in the 25th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Average net price is $18,525 for families in the low-income band and $27,710 in the high-income band. Lower net price than peers sits alongside higher borrowing.

Aid recipients in lower family-income bands face lower average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s here. The lowest income band averages $18,525, followed by $19,223 in the next band, $22,336 in the middle band, $25,605 in the next-highest band, and $27,710 in the highest band.

Pell Grant recipients make up 20.6% of undergraduates, providing financial-access context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $9,185.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$18,525

**$30–48K**
$19,223

**$48–75K**
$22,336

**$75–110K**
$25,605

**$110K+**
$27,710

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$24,478**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

Aid reduces the published price substantially for the average aid recipient, but the amount varies by family-income band. Aid covers about 54% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.

From the $53,580 (an average across living arrangements) sticker price, average aid savings of $29,102 leave an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) of $24,478. Average net prices move from $18,525 in the lowest income band to $19,223, $22,336, and $25,605 through the middle bands, before reaching $27,710 in the highest band.

The $9,185 spread between the lowest and highest bands shows that aid discounts are larger at lower family incomes on average.

At Ohio Northern University, the published cost of attendance is $53,580 (an average across living arrangements), making the aid package central to what a family pays. For aid recipients, average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what families pay after grants and scholarships, is $18,525 in the lowest family-income band; $19,223 in the next-lowest band; $22,336 in the middle band; $25,605 in the next-highest band; and $27,710 in the highest band.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $9,185. Azimuth ranks Ohio Northern University #1,066 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Aid covers about 54% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an average savings of $29,102. Across all aid recipients, the average net price is $24,478, which is $2,893 below the peer median of $27,371 at comparable institutions (same type and size).

Published tuition and fees are $39,800, and room and board are $14,604. The lower average net price compared with peers sits alongside a much higher published price before aid.

Federal student loan borrowers who complete have median debt of $27,000, and 94.3% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. That median is $2,801 above the peer median of $24,199 at comparable institutions (same type and size).

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years. [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowers have median borrowing of $32,246.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Federal borrowing is common at Ohio Northern University, where 94.3% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Among borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $27,000 at completion.

At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median federal debt is $24,199, placing the university's median $2,801 above that benchmark. For the separate population of [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) parent borrowers, median borrowing is $32,246.

Four years after completion, federally aided graduates of Ohio Northern University who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $72,080. That is $3,830 above the $68,250 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

This earnings figure falls in the 79th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $2,681 more than the model expects for similar students.

That places the gap at the 65th percentile. Earnings scenarios span from $47,835 to $86,650, with $72,080 as the typical outcome.

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $27,000 in federal loans. That is $2,801 above the $24,199 peer median.

If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month. The return picture is mixed: earnings beat the peer median and the model, but debt sits above the peer median.

Parent borrowing is a separate part of the cost picture: the median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) amount for parent borrowers is $32,246. For student borrowers, median federal debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 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**
$32,246

**Estimated parent payment**
$410/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| Income | Risk level |
| --- | --- |
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | High pressure |
| $150,000 | Safe |
| $200,000 | Safe |

The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. [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**
$27,000

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$32,246

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$307/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$410/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$717/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 $72,080, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**7.4%** of income above the allowance · Excellent

1.  Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
2.  Good 8–under 12%
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, $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.

[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=ohio-northern-university#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.