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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Southern Connecticut State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much does Southern Connecticut State University cost after financial aid?

The published cost of attendance at Southern Connecticut State University is $29,673. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported in-state tuition of $6,998 and required fees of $6,440 for the 2026-27 academic year, with on-campus food and housing at $15,422.

Out-of-state tuition is $20,938. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $20,857.

Financial aid saves the average recipient $8,816 against the sticker price. That net price is $6,789 above the peer median of $14,068 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth ranks the university #670 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Southern Connecticut State University costs more after aid than comparable public universities, with an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships—of $20,857. This sits $6,789 above the peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), of $14,068.

The average net price is $17,736 in the lowest income band and $27,809 in the highest. Azimuth places the affordability pillar in the 53rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Completing borrowers have median federal student loan debt of $22,250, which is $1,021 above the peer median of $21,229. Higher prices and somewhat higher borrowing point in the same direction.

The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is lower for families in the lowest income band and higher for those in the upper bands. Among aid recipients in the lowest family-income band, the average net price is $17,736; in the next-lowest family-income band, it is $18,729; and in the middle family-income band, it is $19,437.

The average net price is $22,532 in the next-highest family-income band and $27,809 in the highest family-income band. 40.8% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, providing financial-access context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $10,073.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$17,736

**$30–48K**
$18,729

**$48–75K**
$19,437

**$75–110K**
$22,532

**$110K+**
$27,809

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$20,857**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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](/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 $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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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 the model 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](#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**
$23,770

**Estimated parent payment**
$302/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| 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](/financial-gps/?tool=parent&school=southern-connecticut-state-university#parent-tool). [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**
$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

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, $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.

[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=southern-connecticut-state-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.