Cost & financial aid brief
Southern Connecticut State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Southern Connecticut State University cost after financial aid?
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that first-year aid recipients with need had, on average, 48% of need met in the 2025-26 academic year. The average need-based grant was $9,422, and the average aid package was $10,734.
The university counted 1,057 first-year students determined to have need and 124 whose need was fully met. It also reported 255 first-year students receiving merit aid averaging $4,366 in the 2025-26 academic year.
For the average aid recipient, the published cost of $29,673 becomes an average net price of $20,857, a reduction of $8,816. Aid covers about 30% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.
Lower-income bands have lower average net prices than upper-income bands, showing larger average price reductions at lower incomes.
The published cost of attendance at Southern Connecticut State University is $29,673. Azimuth ranks the university #670 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $17,736, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $19,437, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $27,809. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $10,073.
Aid covers about 30% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, leaving an average net price of $20,857 across all bands. That figure is $6,789 above the peer median of $14,068 for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Borrowers who finish carry a median of $22,250 in federal student loans, $1,021 above the peer median of $21,229. 89.3% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.
Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $23,770 in Parent PLUS loans. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $253 a month.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
At Southern Connecticut State University, 89.3% of federal aid recipients take federal loans, so borrowing is common. Among borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $22,250.
The peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $21,229, and the university's median is $1,021 above it. Parent PLUS borrowers are separate from student borrowers; their median borrowing is $23,770.
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 73% of graduates borrowed from any source, averaging $29,018 in cumulative borrowing per borrower. Including 72% of graduates with federal loans, average cumulative federal borrowing was $23,091.
Including 15% of graduates with private loans, average cumulative private borrowing was $31,998.
Earnings for federally aided completers at Southern Connecticut State University reach a median of $59,787 four years after they finish. That level is at the 50th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
It runs $2,486 above the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Graduates earn about $5,096 more than expects for similar students.
That outcome sits at the 71st percentile. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix span from $49,177 on the downside to $80,050 on the upside, with $59,787 as the typical outcome.
The median federal debt among borrowers who complete is $22,250, $1,021 above the peer median. That balance corresponds to an estimated payment of $253 a month if repaid over ten years.
Earnings land above the peer median, while debt sits above it as well, leaving the investment picture mixed.
Parent borrowers have median Parent PLUS borrowing of $23,770, a separate population from completing student federal-loan borrowers. For those student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $253 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
- $23,770
- Estimated parent payment
- $302/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 | 17.8% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 8.0% | Caution |
| $150,000 | 3.8% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 2.5% | 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
- $22,250
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $23,770
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $253/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $302/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 $59,787, with a $23,940 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, $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.