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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Radford University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much does Radford University cost after financial aid?

At Radford University, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $14,578, which is below the published cost of attendance of $28,405. The sticker price includes in-state tuition and fees of $12,548 plus room and board of $12,504.

Out-of-state students pay $25,633 in tuition and fees, a separate published charge. Grants and scholarships reduce the published cost by $13,827 for the average recipient.

The resulting net price sits $510 above the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). The peer median is the middle value for comparable institutions in the same type and size.

Azimuth ranks the university #444 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. That places affordability in the 69th percentile.

Grants and scholarships bring the average price for aid recipients to $14,578, $510 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size). The lowest income band averages $8,965, and the highest averages $23,533.

Those figures are averages within each band, and individual packages differ. Borrowers who finish hold a median of $24,000 in federal loans, $2,771 above the peer median.

Azimuth places the affordability pillar at the 69th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 average $8,965, and those in the next band ($30,001–$48,000) average $8,724. The middle band ($48,001–$75,000) averages $12,069, the next-highest band ($75,001–$110,000) averages $17,092, and the highest band (over $110,000) averages $23,533.

37.1% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, providing context for the lowest income band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $14,568.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$8,965

**$30–48K**
$8,724

**$48–75K**
$12,069

**$75–110K**
$17,092

**$110K+**
$23,533

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$14,578**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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 the model 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](#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**
$22,158

**Estimated parent payment**
$282/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| 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](#cost-data-notes).

## 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

1.  Excellent Under 8%
2.  Good 8–under 12% · selected scenario
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=radford-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.