Cost & financial aid brief
Salem State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Salem State University cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 43% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The sticker-to-net gap is $12,295, but the size of that reduction differs across family incomes.
Average net prices range from $10,516 in the lowest income band to $23,223 in the highest, a spread of $12,707. The middle bands sit at $13,870, $13,821, and $17,590.
The pattern is one of lower average net prices at lower incomes, though the middle bands are close together. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $12,707, which describes a structure of averages rather than an individual aid package.
Salem State University lists a sticker price of $28,291 (an average across living arrangements), yet aid recipients pay very different amounts depending on income. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $10,516 in the lowest-income band, $13,870 in the second-lowest, $13,821 in the middle, $17,590 in the second-highest, and $23,223 in the highest-income band.
The distance between the lowest and highest bands is $12,707. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, Azimuth ranks the university #518 for affordability.
For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 43% of the published cost, an average savings of $12,295 against the sticker price. Across all aid recipients, the average net price is $15,996, which sits $1,928 above the peer median of $14,068 at comparable institutions (same type and size).
Published tuition is $12,338 for in-state students and $19,531 for out-of-state students. Aid cuts the sticker price substantially, yet the net price that remains is above the peer median.
Among borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt at completion is $25,000, and 91.9% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. That figure is $3,771 above the peer median of $21,229 at comparable institutions (same type and size).
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $284 a month if repaid over ten years. Median Parent PLUS borrowing is $21,128.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
At Salem State University, federal borrowing is widespread: 91.9% of federal aid recipients take federal loans, and borrowers who complete have median federal student loan debt of $25,000. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $21,229.
Salem State's median is $3,771 above that figure, so its typical federal debt sits higher than the peer benchmark. For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $21,128.
The earnings picture is favorable, although borrowing sits above the level at comparable schools. Among federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, median earnings are $62,605 four years after completion, placing Salem State University in the 59th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Earnings beyond expectations is also favorable: graduates earn about $8,968 more than expects for similar students. Azimuth places this measure in the 81st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Earnings scenarios put downside earnings at $50,449 and upside earnings at $85,189, while the typical scenario matches the reported median. Median federal student loan debt is $25,000, compared with $21,229 at comparable institutions (same type and size), or $3,771 above the peer median.
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $284 a month if repaid over ten years. Above-expected earnings and higher borrowing point in different directions.
Parent borrowing is a separate part of a family’s financing picture: the median Parent PLUS borrowing among parent borrowers is $21,128. The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $284 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
- $21,128
- Estimated parent payment
- $268/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
- $25,000
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $21,128
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $284/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $268/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $552/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 $62,605, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
8.5% 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.