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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Tennessee State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much does Tennessee State University cost after financial aid?

At Tennessee State University, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $15,796. That is the average after aid rather than a quoted price for any one family.

The published cost of attendance is $25,637. In-state tuition and fees are $8,616, alongside $11,150 for room and board; out-of-state tuition and fees are $22,416.

Aid reduces the published price by an average of $9,841 for recipients. At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median net price is $14,068, leaving Tennessee State $1,728 above that benchmark.

Azimuth ranks the public university #596 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid brings down the listed cost, though the average remaining price is above the peer benchmark.

At Tennessee State University, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $15,796, $1,728 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Average net prices by income band are tightly grouped.

Families earning under $30,000 pay $15,005 on average, and those earning over $110,000 pay $20,099, a spread of $5,094 between the two ends. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $27,000 in federal student loans, $5,771 above the peer median.

Azimuth places the affordability pillar at the 58th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The lowest-income aid recipients face the lowest average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), but the pattern is uneven rather than a steady increase across every band. For families in the lowest band, the average is $15,005; the next band is $15,840; the middle band is $15,579; the next-highest band is $20,624; and the highest band is $20,099.

Pell Grants reach 51.1% of undergraduates, providing financial-access context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $5,094.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$15,005

**$30–48K**
$15,840

**$48–75K**
$15,579

**$75–110K**
$20,624

**$110K+**
$20,099

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$15,796**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

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 price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/), the gap between what graduates earn and what the model 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](#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**
$18,771

**Estimated parent payment**
$238/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 | 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](/financial-gps/?tool=parent&school=tennessee-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**
$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

1.  Excellent Under 8%
2.  Good 8–under 12%
3.  Concerning 12–20% · selected scenario
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=tennessee-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.