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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Tennessee Technological University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

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

**On this page**+

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

The published cost of attendance at Tennessee Technological University is $25,663. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported in-state tuition of $10,470 and required fees of $1,456 for the 2026-27 academic year.

On-campus food and housing added another $13,326. After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients is $14,246.

That is $178 above the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Financial aid saves the average recipient $11,417 against the sticker price.

Azimuth ranks the university #131 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. That places the affordability pillar in the 91st percentile.

Grants and scholarships lower the billed cost to a [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients. Aid recipients at Tennessee Technological University pay $14,246 on average, $178 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who complete a degree hold a median of $15,650 in federal loans, $5,579 below the peer median. That combination lands the affordability pillar in the 91st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The lowest income band averages $9,815, and the highest averages $18,936. Aid recipients pay more than the peer median, yet borrowers leave with less debt.

For aid recipients, average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what families pay after grants and scholarships, is lowest for families under thirty thousand dollars. Families earning under thirty thousand dollars average $9,815; those earning thirty thousand one to forty-eight thousand dollars average $10,445; families at forty-eight thousand one to seventy-five thousand dollars average $13,861; those at seventy-five thousand one to one hundred ten thousand dollars average $17,245; and families over one hundred ten thousand dollars average $18,936.

30.9% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, providing financial-access context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $9,121.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$9,815

**$30–48K**
$10,445

**$48–75K**
$13,861

**$75–110K**
$17,245

**$110K+**
$18,936

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$14,246**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

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 price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), 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 average net price 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/), the gap between what graduates earn and what the model 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](#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**
$11,640

**Estimated parent payment**
$148/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 | 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](/financial-gps/?tool=parent&school=tennessee-technological-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**
$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

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