Cost & financial aid brief
The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga cost after financial aid?
Financial aid reaches furthest in the lower income bands, where average net prices sit below those in the upper bands. For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 44% of the published cost.
The sticker-to-net gap is $11,224, the average amount aid offsets against published cost. Across the listed bands, lower family incomes coincide with lower average net prices, and costs move higher as income bands increase.
That pattern shows aid targeting by family-income band rather than a promise about any particular aid package. Because these figures are averages across aid recipients, they do not specify the grant amount available in an individual offer.
At The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, the published cost of attendance is $25,489, but aid recipients face different average net prices by family-income band. The average net price is $9,876 in the lowest-income band, $10,919 in the next band, $13,594 in the middle band, $17,374 in the next-highest band, and $19,137 in the highest-income band.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $9,261, and Azimuth ranks the university #263 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Across all aid recipients, the average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $14,265.
Aid covers about 44% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an average savings of $11,224. The peer median net price, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $15,634, placing the university's average $1,369 below it.
Published in-state tuition is $10,448, compared with $18,512 for out-of-state tuition; the lower-than-peer net price and aid offset point in the same direction. Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $19,500, and 83.8% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.
The peer median debt for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $20,076, leaving the median here $576 below that figure. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $222 a month if repaid over ten years.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing is $17,353.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga has widespread federal borrowing, though its median federal debt sits below the comparable-school midpoint. Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $19,500.
Federal loans are used by 83.8% of federal aid recipients. Comparable institutions (same type and size) have a peer median federal debt of $20,076, making the university’s median $576 below it.
For the separate parent-borrower population, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $17,353.
Affordability is the strongest pillar at The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, although the return figures give a mixed picture for the cost of earning a degree. Four years after completion, federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $57,377, in the 40th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Graduates earn about $4,533 less than expects for similar students. That earnings gap sits in the 38th percentile.
Earnings scenarios range from $44,146 in the downside case to $80,401 in the upside case, with the typical scenario aligned to the observed median. Median federal student loan debt at completion is $19,500, $576 below the $20,076 peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size).
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $222 a month if repaid over ten years. Lower debt and the earnings measures point in different directions.
At The University of Tennessee-Chattanooga, parent borrowers had median Parent PLUS borrowing of $17,353, separate from federal student-loan borrowers. For median federal student debt, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $222 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
- $17,353
- Estimated parent payment
- $220/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 | 13.0% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 5.8% | Safe |
| $150,000 | 2.8% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 1.8% | 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
- $19,500
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $17,353
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $222/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $220/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $442/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 $57,377, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
8.0% of income above the allowance · Good
- Excellent Under 8%
- Good 8–under 12% · selected scenario
- 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.