Cost & financial aid brief
Tennessee State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Tennessee State University cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 38% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, leaving a sticker-to-net gap of $9,841. The pattern across income bands is tight.
Average net prices range from $15,005 in the lowest band to $20,099 in the highest, a spread of $5,094. The middle bands sit close to the low end, with the price rising only for families earning above $75,000.
Net prices cluster tightly for the bottom three income bands and are markedly higher for families earning above $75,000.
For aid recipients, Tennessee State University has a published cost of attendance of $25,637, with prices after aid differing across family-income bands. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $15,005 for families in the lowest family-income band; $15,840 in the lower-middle band; $15,579 in the middle band; $20,624 in the upper-middle band; and $20,099 in the highest band.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $5,094. Azimuth ranks the university #596 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Aid covers about 38% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an average savings of $9,841. Across all aid recipients, the average net price is $15,796.
The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $14,068, and the university's average is $1,728 above it. Published in-state tuition is $8,616, compared with $22,416 for out-of-state tuition.
Aid offsets part of the published cost, though the average price remains above the peer median. Federal-loan borrowers who complete have median federal student loan debt of $27,000, and 84.4% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.
The peer median debt for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $21,229, placing the university $5,771 above that figure. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing is $18,771.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal borrowing reaches 84.4% of federal aid recipients at Tennessee State University, so debt is part of the cost picture for many students. Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $27,000.
At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median is $21,229; Tennessee State’s median is $5,771 above that mark. For the separate parent-borrower population, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $18,771.
Tennessee State University has near-expected earnings, but borrowing sits above the comparable-institution benchmark. Among federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, median earnings are $53,808 four years after completion; Azimuth places that figure in the 29th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what expects for similar students, are close to the model’s estimate. Graduates earn about $133 less than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level.
Azimuth places this measure in the 54th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The downside and upside earnings scenarios span $44,165 to $73,525, and the typical scenario matches the observed median.
Median federal student loan debt is $27,000, which is $5,771 above the peer median of $21,229 at comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years. Near-expected earnings and debt above peers point to a mixed return picture.
Parent PLUS loans, held by a separate parent-borrower population, have median borrowing of $18,771. For borrowers with median federal student debt, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 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
- $18,771
- Estimated parent payment
- $238/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 | 14.1% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 6.3% | Caution |
| $150,000 | 3.0% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 2.0% | 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
- $27,000
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $18,771
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $307/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $238/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $545/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 $53,808, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
12.3% of income above the allowance · Concerning
- Excellent Under 8%
- Good 8–under 12%
- Concerning 12–20% · selected scenario
- 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.