Cost & financial aid brief
Otterbein University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Otterbein University cost after financial aid?
At Otterbein University, aid covers about 60% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The sticker-to-net reduction is $29,084, showing how far the average aid recipient’s cost falls below the listed charge.
Across the income bands, lower-income aid recipients have lower average net prices than families in the middle and upper bands. That pattern indicates aid is more concentrated at lower income levels, rather than evenly distributed across the income range.
These figures remain averages across aid recipients, so they describe the pricing pattern rather than any individual package. The lower net prices at the bottom of the income range and the average aid offset point in the same direction: aid matters most for families with less income.
The published cost of attendance at Otterbein University is $48,321 (an average across living arrangements), setting the sticker-price context before aid. For aid recipients, average net price, what they pay after grants and scholarships, is $12,458 for families in the lowest-income band; $12,659 in the lower-middle-income band; $16,478 in the middle-income band; $23,061 in the upper-middle-income band; and $24,620 in the highest-income band.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $12,162, showing how those band averages differ. Azimuth ranks the university #873 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 60% of the published cost, an average offset of $29,084. For first-time full-time Title IV aid recipients, the average net price is $19,237.
That is $8,134 below the peer median net price of $27,371, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size). Tuition and fees are $35,548, and room and board are $13,236.
Aid coverage and the lower peer-adjusted price point in the same direction. Federal borrowing is common here, with 93.8% of federal aid recipients taking federal loans.
Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $26,000. The peer median debt for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $24,199, placing the university’s median $1,801 above that benchmark.
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $295 a month if repaid over ten years. Median Parent PLUS borrowing for parent borrowers is $39,500.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal borrowing is widespread here, and typical debt at completion sits above the comparable-school benchmark. 93.8% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.
Among federal-loan borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $26,000. For comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median federal debt is $24,199; this university's median is $1,801 above that figure.
Parent PLUS borrowers are a separate parent-borrower population, with median borrowing of $39,500.
Return is the strongest pillar at Otterbein University, but earnings and debt figures give the investment picture a mixed cast. Four years after completion, median earnings are $58,068, in the 44th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Earnings beyond expectations show that graduates earn about $3,910 less than expects for similar students. That gap compares what graduates earn to what the model expects for similar students.
Azimuth places that measure in the 39th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Program-mix earnings scenarios place the downside at $41,557 and the upside at $79,859, with the typical scenario matching the median.
Median federal student loan debt at completion is $26,000, which is $1,801 above the peer median of $24,199 for comparable institutions. The peer median is the middle value for that group, defined by the same type and size.
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $295 a month if repaid over ten years. Debt above the peer median and lower-than-expected earnings point in the same direction.
Parents using Parent PLUS loans have median borrowing of $39,500, separate from student federal borrowing. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $295 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
- $39,500
- Estimated parent payment
- $502/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 | 29.6% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 13.3% | High pressure |
| $150,000 | 6.3% | Caution |
| $200,000 | 4.1% | 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. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $26,000
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $39,500
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $295/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $502/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $797/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 $58,068, 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.