Cost & financial aid brief
Saint Cloud State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Saint Cloud State University cost after financial aid?
The average aid recipient at Saint Cloud State University sees 36% of the published cost covered by grants and scholarships, a savings of $7,587 against the sticker price. Average net prices move upward across the income bands, from $8,909 for families earning under $30,000 to $18,989 for those earning over $110,000.
The bands in between sit at $9,871, $12,034, and $14,781, with a spread of $10,080 between the two ends. The pricing structure is progressive without being sharply tiered: each band pays more than the one below it, but the jumps are modest. The average net price for the lowest-income families stays below $9,871.
Saint Cloud State University publishes a cost of attendance of $21,116, with in-state tuition and fees of $10,245 and room and board at $10,596. After grants and scholarships, the average net price—what aid recipients actually pay—is $8,909 for families earning under $30,000, $12,034 for the $48,001–$75,000 band, and $18,989 for families earning over $110,000.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $10,080. Azimuth ranks the university #252 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Aid covers about 36% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, a savings of $7,587 against the sticker price. The average net price across all aid recipients is $13,529, which sits below the peer median of $14,068 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $539.
The university charges the same tuition and fees for out-of-state students as it does for residents, a notable feature for a public university. Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, the median federal student debt is $21,058.
About 86.9% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. That debt is below the peer median of $21,229 by $171, and corresponds to an estimated payment of $239 a month if repaid over ten years.
Parents who borrow through Parent PLUS carry a separate median of $11,598.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal borrowing is common at Saint Cloud State University, where 86.9% of federal aid recipients take federal loans, yet the amounts that completers carry are close to the norm. The median federal student debt at graduation is $21,058.
That median is below the $21,229 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $171, a narrow gap. Parent borrowers, a separate population, carry a median Parent PLUS loan of $11,598.
Affordability is the strongest pillar at Saint Cloud State University, and the investment picture shows it. Borrowers who complete leave with a median of $21,058 in federal student loans, $171 below the $21,229 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $239 a month. Four years after completion, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $59,194, at the 48th percentile.
That figure is $1,893 above the $57,301 median for comparable institutions. Graduates earn about $2,005 more than expects for similar students, an outcome at the 62nd percentile.
Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix range from $47,559 in a downside case to $86,881 in an upside case, with $59,194 as the typical scenario.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $11,598. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $239.
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
- $11,598
- Estimated parent payment
- $147/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | Caution |
| $100,000 | Safe |
| $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
- $21,058
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $11,598
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $239/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $147/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $386/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 $59,194, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
7.8% 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.