Cost & financial aid brief
Towson University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Towson University cost after financial aid?
Towson University’s aid pattern leaves lower-income recipients with lower average net prices than families in the middle and upper income bands. Aid covers about 39% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, and the sticker-to-net gap is $11,122.
Those figures are averages across aid recipients rather than a quoted price for a particular family. The listed income bands place the smallest average net prices at lower incomes and the largest at upper incomes.
That pattern shows aid reaching further at lower income levels, without describing any individual aid package. The average aid share and sticker-to-net gap indicate a substantial published-cost reduction, concentrated most heavily in the lower-income bands.
For families receiving aid, Towson University presents a wide price range beneath its $28,535 published cost of attendance. The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $6,962 for the lowest family-income band, $12,590 for the lower-middle band, $16,784 for the middle band, $22,720 for the upper-middle band, and $26,396 for the highest band.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $19,434. Azimuth ranks the university #415 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Aid covers about 39% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, and average aid savings against the sticker price are $11,122. Across all aid recipients, the average net price is $17,413.
The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $15,634; Towson’s average is $1,779 above that figure. Published in-state tuition is $11,728, compared with $29,820 for out-of-state tuition.
Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $18,718, and 85.6% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. That median is $1,358 below the $20,076 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $213 a month if repaid over ten years. Median Parent PLUS borrowing for parent borrowers is $28,489.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal borrowing is common at Towson University, with 85.6% of federal aid recipients taking federal loans. Among borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $18,718.
The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $20,076, placing Towson's median $1,358 below it. Parent PLUS borrowers are a separate parent-borrower population, with median borrowing of $28,489.
Four years after completion, Towson University graduates who are working and not enrolled earn $65,610. That earnings level falls in the 67th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Graduates earn about $1,564 less than expects for similar students. That outcome is at the 49th percentile.
Scenarios estimated from the program mix run from $48,331 on the downside to $86,591 on the upside. The typical earnings scenario is $65,610.
Borrowers who finish hold a median of $18,718 in federal student loans. That is $1,358 below the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Debt is below the peer median, yet earnings trail the model's expectation. If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $213 a month.
Parent borrowers face a separate federal borrowing figure: median Parent PLUS borrowing is $28,489. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $213 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
- $28,489
- Estimated parent payment
- $362/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 | 21.3% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 9.6% | Caution |
| $150,000 | 4.6% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 3.0% | 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
- $18,718
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $28,489
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $213/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $362/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $575/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 $65,610, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
6.1% 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.