Cost & financial aid brief
Texas State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Texas State University cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 40% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, but the size of that discount differs across family incomes. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that first-year students determined to have need received an average need-based grant of $11,266 in the 2025-26 academic year.
The average need-based package, including loans and work, was $14,752, covering 70% of need on average. Of the 5,728 students with need, 1,524 had their need fully met.
The lowest income band averages $12,715 after grants and scholarships, while the highest band averages $24,713. The spread between the two ends is $11,998, a pattern of lower net prices at lower incomes rather than a flat discount across the board.
Texas State University publishes a cost of attendance of $28,073, with in-state tuition at $11,450 and room and board at $12,630. After grant and scholarship aid, the average net price for families earning under $30,000 is $12,715.
For families in the $48,001–$75,000 band the average net price is $13,804, and for families earning over $110,000 it is $24,713. Azimuth ranks the university #440 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Financial aid reduces the sticker price by an average of $11,268, bringing the average net price for first-time full-time Title IV aid recipients to $16,805. That figure is above the median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,171.
In-state tuition is $11,450, and out-of-state students face a published tuition of $22,930. The median federal student debt at completion is $21,000.
That median is above the peer median of $20,076 by $924. About 87.2% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing stands at $22,500. The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $239 a month if repaid over ten years.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
About 87.2% of federal aid recipients at Texas State University take federal loans. For those who complete a degree, the median federal student debt is $21,000.
That median is above the $20,076 median at comparable institutions (same type and size) by $924. Parent borrowers, a separate population, carry a median Parent PLUS loan of $22,500.
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 55% of graduates borrowed from any source, with an average cumulative amount of $23,498 per borrower. Of all graduates, 53% held federal loans averaging $19,520, including 8% who also held private loans averaging $26,452.
Graduates of Texas State University earn about $3,559 more than expects for similar students, an outcome that falls in the 67th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Four years after completion, the median earnings for working, non-enrolled completers is $58,786, which sits in the 46th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Earnings scenarios estimated from the university's program mix show a typical figure of $58,786, a downside scenario of $48,328, and an upside scenario of $81,809. The median federal debt at completion is $21,000, which is above the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $924. If repaid over ten years, the estimated monthly payment on that debt is $239.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $22,500. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $239.
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
- $22,500
- Estimated parent payment
- $286/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | Caution |
| $150,000 | Safe |
| $200,000 | Safe |
The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $21,000
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $22,500
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $239/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $286/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $525/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 $58,786, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
7.9% 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, $22,590, uses the published framework’s 2024 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.