Cost & financial aid brief
Tennessee Technological University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Tennessee Technological University cost after financial aid?
For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 44% of the published cost, and the sticker-to-net gap is $11,417. That average describes aid recipients across income bands rather than a promise for any particular family or a quoted bill.
Lower-income bands have lower average net prices than the middle- and upper-income bands, with costs increasing across the listed income range. This pattern shows that aid is more concentrated at lower income levels, without establishing why any individual family receives a particular package.
The published cost remains the starting point before grants and scholarships are applied, while the income-band figures show how average prices differ among aid recipients.
Affordability is a clear strength at Tennessee Technological University, with a published cost of attendance of $25,663. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $9,815 for families in the lowest family-income band, $10,445 in the lower-middle band, $13,861 in the middle band, $17,245 in the upper-middle band, and $18,936 in the highest band.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $9,121. Azimuth ranks the public university #131 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
For the average aid recipient, financial aid offsets $11,417 of the published cost, and aid covers about 44% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. Across all aid recipients, the is $14,246.
The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $14,068, making the university’s average net price $178 above that benchmark. Aid covers a substantial share of published costs, though the overall price sits above the comparable-institution median.
Federal borrowing is common, but median debt at completion is below the comparable-institution figure. Median federal student loan debt at completion is $15,650, compared with $21,229 at comparable institutions (same type and size), a difference of $5,579 below the peer median.
Federal loans are held by 73.7% of federal aid recipients. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $178 a month if repaid over ten years.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing is $11,640.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
At Tennessee Technological University, median federal student loan debt at completion is $15,650, below the $21,229 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size) by $5,579. For the separate parent-borrower population, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $11,640.
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 47% of graduates borrowed from any source, with average cumulative borrowing of $24,318 per borrower. That borrowing included 46% of graduates with federal loans, averaging $18,912. It also included 8% of graduates with private loans, averaging $32,036.
At Tennessee Technological University, lower borrowing softens a return picture in which modeled earnings trail expectations. Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled earn median earnings of $57,413 four years after completion.
That figure places in the 41st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what expects for similar students, is in the 44th percentile.
Graduates earn about $2,930 less than the model expects for similar students. Earnings scenarios put earnings at $42,875 in a downside scenario, $57,413 in a typical scenario, and $86,838 in an upside scenario.
Median federal debt is $15,650, compared with $21,229 for comparable institutions (same type and size), a difference of $5,579 below the peer median. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $178 a month if repaid over ten years. Lower debt and below-expected earnings point in different directions.
For the separate parent-borrower population, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $11,640. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $178 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
- $11,640
- Estimated parent payment
- $148/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 | 8.7% | Caution |
| $100,000 | 3.9% | Safe |
| $150,000 | 1.9% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 1.2% | 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
- $15,650
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $11,640
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $178/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $148/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $326/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 $57,413, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
6.4% of income above the allowance · Excellent
- Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
- Good 8–under 12%
- 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.