Cost & financial aid brief
Ohio State University-Main Campus Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Ohio State cost after financial aid?
The sticker-to-net gap for the average aid recipient is $12,966, meaning aid covers about 43% of the published cost. The average net price across all aid recipients is $17,339.
By income band, the average net price is $4,885 for families earning under $30,000, $5,751 for $30,001–$48,000, $9,807 for $48,001–$75,000, $20,461 for $75,001–$110,000, and $27,359 for families earning over $110,000. The spread between the lowest and highest bands reaches $22,474, a gap that reflects the steepest discounts landing on the lowest-income families.
Ohio State University-Main Campus publishes a cost of attendance of $30,305, with in-state tuition and fees at $13,244 and room and board at $14,738. After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $4,885, rising to $9,807 for the $48,001–$75,000 band and $27,359 for families earning over $110,000.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $22,474, a difference of averages. Azimuth ranks the university #450 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Financial aid covers 43% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an offset of $12,966 against the sticker price. The average net price across all aid recipients is $17,339, which sits above the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,705.
Out-of-state students face a higher published tuition of $40,022, and their aid packages will differ from the in-state averages shown here. Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, the median federal student debt is $19,976.
That median is below the peer median of $20,076 by $100, and 85.6% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $227 a month.
Parents who take out federal Parent PLUS loans borrow a median of $25,868.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal loan borrowers who complete a degree at Ohio State University-Main Campus carry a median debt of $19,976. That median is below the $20,076 figure for comparable institutions (same type and size), a difference of $100.
85.6% of federal aid recipients rely on federal student loans. Among parent borrowers, a separate population from student borrowers, the median Parent PLUS debt is $25,868.
Working, non-enrolled completers from Ohio State University-Main Campus who received federal aid earn a median of $70,682 four years after graduation. That level ranks in the 77th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
These graduates earn about $1,952 less than expects for similar students, placing the outcome in the 47th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios anchored to the university's program mix point to $70,682 as the typical outcome, $51,747 on the downside, and $103,008 on the upside.
The median federal debt at completion, $19,976, is below the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, the estimated monthly payment is $227.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $25,868. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $227.
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
- $25,868
- Estimated parent payment
- $329/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
- $19,976
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $25,868
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $227/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $329/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $556/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 $70,682, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
5.7% of income above the allowance · Excellent
- Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
- Good 8–under 12%
- 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.