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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Stephen F Austin State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much does Stephen F Austin State University cost after financial aid?

The published cost of attendance at Stephen F Austin State University is $25,791, but the price after aid is substantially lower for the average aid recipient. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported $7,761 in-state tuition, $3,467 in required fees, and $13,940 for on-campus food and housing for the 2025-26 academic year.

Out-of-state tuition is listed at $19,911. For aid recipients, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $14,260, with $11,531 offset from the published cost.

That average is $192 above the $14,068 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth ranks the university #390 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The lower after-aid price is close to the peer benchmark, despite the sticker total.

Azimuth places the affordability pillar for Stephen F Austin State University in the 72nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. For aid recipients, average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is what they pay after grants and scholarships.

That figure is $14,260, which is $192 above the $14,068 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Average net price is $10,318 for the lowest-income band and $22,959 for the highest-income band.

Among federal-loan borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $23,409, $2,180 above the $21,229 peer median. With net price near the peer median but debt above it, the affordability picture is mixed.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s increase from the lowest reported family-income band to the highest: $10,318 in the lowest band, $11,023 in the next band, $13,100 in the middle band, $17,609 in the next-highest band, and $22,959 in the highest band. Pell Grant recipients account for 38.9% of undergraduates, providing financial-access context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $12,641.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$10,318

**$30–48K**
$11,023

**$48–75K**
$13,100

**$75–110K**
$17,609

**$110K+**
$22,959

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$14,260**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

For an average aid recipient, aid covers about 45% of the published cost; the offset against the sticker price is $11,531. The published cost is $25,791, and the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $14,260, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships.

Across the reported income bands, average net prices are $10,318 in the lowest band, $11,023 in the next band, $13,100 in the middle band, $17,609 in the next-highest band, and $22,959 in the highest band. The $12,641 difference between the lowest and highest band averages shows a pricing pattern with lower net prices for lower-income families. The overall aid offset and the band pattern point in the same direction.

Against a published cost of attendance of $25,791 at Stephen F Austin State University, average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, differs across family-income bands. The average is $10,318 in the lowest family-income band, $11,023 in the lower-middle band, $13,100 in the middle band, $17,609 in the upper-middle band, and $22,959 in the highest family-income band.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $12,641. Azimuth ranks the university #390 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 45% of the published cost, an average savings of $11,531 against the sticker price. Across all aid recipients, the average net price is $14,260.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $14,068, with the university's average net price $192 above that benchmark. Aid offsets a large portion of published cost, though the overall average sits above the comparable-institution median.

Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $23,409, and 86.6% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. The peer median federal debt for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $21,229, placing the university's median $2,180 above it.

Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $18,080. The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $266 a month if repaid over ten years.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Federal borrowing is widespread at Stephen F Austin State University, and median debt at completion sits above the benchmark for comparable institutions. 86.6% of federal aid recipients take federal loans; among borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $23,409.

The peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size) is $21,229, making the university's median $2,180 above that figure. Parent borrowers are a separate population, with median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing of $18,080.

In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 52% of graduates borrowed from any source, averaging $23,959 per borrower. The figures include 53% of graduates with federal loans, averaging $19,596 per federal borrower.

They also include 8% of graduates with private loans, averaging $26,720 per private borrower.

Stephen F Austin State University has a mixed return picture: the model’s expectation measure is stronger than its earnings-median position. Among federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, median earnings are $55,013 four years after completion.

Azimuth places that earnings figure in the 33rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. [Earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/), the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, offer a different measure.

Graduates earn about $1,849 more than the model expects for similar students. Azimuth places that measure in the 62nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Earnings scenarios based on the program mix put typical earnings at $55,013, with a downside scenario of $44,964 and an upside scenario of $70,259. Median federal debt at completion is $23,409, above the $21,229 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size) by $2,180.

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $266 a month if repaid over ten years. Higher-than-expected earnings sit alongside debt above the peer midpoint.

The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $266 a month if repaid over ten years. Parent borrowers are a separate federal borrowing population, with median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing of $18,080.

[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**
$18,080

**Estimated parent payment**
$230/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| Income | Risk level |
| --- | --- |
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $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](#cost-data-notes).

## Student and parent loans: the monthly payments

Financial GPS

### What does repayment look like?

**Institution median student debt**
$23,409

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$18,080

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$266/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$230/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$496/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 $55,013, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**9.8%** 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=stephen-f-austin-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.