Cost & financial aid brief
Texas Southern University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Texas Southern University cost after financial aid?
For aid recipients at Texas Southern University, published charges are reduced substantially, but average prices differ across family-income bands. The published cost of $27,052 falls to an average net price of $16,590, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, with average aid savings of $10,462.
Aid covers about 39% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. Average net prices are $16,437 for the lowest-income band, $21,115 for the next band, $21,280 in the middle, $22,698 in the next-highest band, and $21,610 for the highest-income band.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $5,173. Lower average prices at the bottom end of the income range show aid targeting toward families with lower incomes.
The published cost of attendance at Texas Southern University is $27,052. Azimuth ranks the university #719 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $16,437 in the lowest family-income band, $21,115 in the lower-middle band, $21,280 in the middle band, $22,698 in the upper-middle band, and $21,610 in the highest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $5,173.
Aid covers about 39% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, bringing the average net price across all bands to $16,590. That is $2,522 above the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Borrowers who finish carry a median of $29,000 in federal student loans, $7,771 above the $21,229 peer median. 81.6% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.
Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $19,929 in Parent PLUS loans. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $330 a month.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal borrowing is common at Texas Southern University, and borrowers who complete carry more debt than peers. The median federal student loan debt at completion is $29,000.
Federal loans are used by 81.6% of federal aid recipients. At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median federal debt is $21,229; Texas Southern’s median is above that figure by $7,771.
For the separate population of Parent PLUS parent borrowers, median borrowing is $19,929.
Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates of Texas Southern University who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $55,112. That median sits $2,189 below the $57,301 figure for comparable institutions (same type and size).
The median lands at the 33rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $11,945 more than expects for similar students.
That places the earnings gap in the 86th percentile. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix span from $44,066 on the downside to $69,634 on the upside, with $55,112 as the typical outcome.
Borrowers who finish carry a median of $29,000 in federal loans, $7,771 above the $21,229 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, that amount corresponds to an estimated payment of $330 a month.
Parent PLUS borrowers, a separate parent-borrower population, have median borrowing of $19,929. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $330 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
- $19,929
- Estimated parent payment
- $253/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 | 14.9% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 6.7% | Caution |
| $150,000 | 3.2% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 2.1% | 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
- $29,000
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $19,929
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $330/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $253/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $583/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 $55,112, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
12.7% 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.