Cost & financial aid brief
Radford University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Radford University cost after financial aid?
About 49% of the published cost is absorbed by aid for the average recipient at Radford University. Families earning under $30,000 average $8,965, versus $23,533 for those over $110,000.
The three bands in between average $8,724, $12,069, and $17,092. That pattern is steeply graduated, with a spread of $14,568 between bands.
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, Radford University reported first-year aid figures for the 2025-26 academic year. Of 1,018 students with need, 106 had need fully met.
The average share of need met was 82%, with an average need-based grant of $16,586 and an average package of $18,943. Merit awards averaged $3,936 for 323 first-year students who received them.
The published cost of attendance at Radford University is $28,405. Azimuth ranks the university #444 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
For families earning under $30,000, it is $8,965; for those in the middle band, $48,001 to $75,000, it is $12,069; and for those earning over $110,000, it is $23,533. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $14,568.
Aid covers about 49% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, a savings of $13,827 against the sticker price. The average net price across all aid recipients is $14,578, which is $510 above the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Borrowers who finish carry a median of $24,000 in federal student loans, $2,771 above the $21,229 peer median. 93.8% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.
Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $22,158 in Parent PLUS loans. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $273 a month.
It estimates what a family might pay based on their own finances, not just the published averages.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal borrowing is widespread at Radford University: 93.8% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Among borrowers who complete, the median federal student debt is $24,000.
That median is $2,771 above the $21,229 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, the estimated monthly payment is $273.
Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $22,158 in Parent PLUS loans. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 73% of graduates borrowed from any source, with an average cumulative amount of $28,078 per borrower.
Of those graduates, 71% held federal loans, of whom the average was $21,144. Of those graduates, 18% also held private loans, averaging $30,160.
Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates of Radford University who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $57,832, at the 43rd percentile nationally. That is $531 above the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Graduates earn about $4,692 less than expects for similar students. That result sits at the 37th percentile.
Earnings scenarios, estimated from the university's program mix, range from $46,568 on the downside to $78,929 on the upside, with a typical scenario of $57,832. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $24,000 in federal loans, $2,771 above the median for comparable institutions.
If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $273 a month.
For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $22,158. For student borrowers, the median federal debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $273 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
- $22,158
- Estimated parent payment
- $282/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
- $24,000
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $22,158
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $273/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $282/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $555/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 $57,832, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
9.3% 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.