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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Trine University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much does Trine University cost after financial aid?

Trine University publishes a cost of attendance of $51,109, which includes $36,560 in tuition and fees and $13,120 for room and board. For the average aid recipient, the [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—what students pay after grants and scholarships—is $25,355, a savings of $25,754 against the sticker total.

That average net price sits below the peer median of $27,371 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $2,016, a narrow gap. Aid covers about 50% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.

Azimuth ranks the university #1,068 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The published cost of attendance is $51,109, and aid covers about 50% of that for the average aid recipient. After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $25,355, which is $2,016 below the median of $27,371 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth places the affordability pillar in the 24th percentile. By income band, families earning under $30,000 average $19,661, and those earning over $110,000 average $29,066, a spread of $9,405 between the two ends.

Borrowers who complete a degree leave with a median of $25,000 in federal student loans, $801 above the peer median of $24,199.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s by family-income band show a relatively flat structure. For families earning under $30,000 the average net price is $19,661; for $30,001–$48,000 it is $20,470; for $48,001–$75,000 it is $19,463; for $75,001–$110,000 it is $24,031; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $29,066.

Pell Grant recipients make up 15.6% of undergraduates, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $9,405.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$19,661

**$30–48K**
$20,470

**$48–75K**
$19,463

**$75–110K**
$24,031

**$110K+**
$29,066

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$25,355**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

On average, aid lowers the published cost by $25,754, covering about 50% of the sticker price for the average aid recipient. The pattern across income bands is flat rather than steeply progressive.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s range from $19,661 in the lowest income band to $29,066 in the highest, with $20,470, $19,463, and $24,031 in the bands between. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $9,405.

That narrow spread means families at different incomes face similar average costs after aid.

Trine University's published cost of attendance is $51,109, with tuition and fees of $36,560 and room and board at $13,120. After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $19,661; for the middle band, families earning $48,001–$75,000, it is $19,463; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $29,066.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $9,405. Azimuth ranks the university #1,068 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Aid covers about 50% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, a savings of $25,754 against the sticker price. The average net price across all aid recipients is $25,355, which sits below the peer median of $27,371 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $2,016.

The median federal student debt at completion is $25,000, with 91.2% of federal aid recipients borrowing. That debt is above the peer median of $24,199 by $801.

The median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate parent-borrower figure, is $32,897. If repaid over ten years, the median federal debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $284 a month.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

At Trine University, completers who borrowed through federal loan programs owe a median of $25,000 at completion. Federal loans reach 91.2% of federal aid recipients.

The peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size) is $24,199, and the university's median is $801 above that level. Parent borrowers, counted separately from students, hold a median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) debt of $32,897.

Four years after completing a degree, Trine University graduates earn a median of $67,814. Graduates earn about $4,966 more than the model expects for similar students, an outcome at the 71st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, range from $49,052 in a downside case to $86,102 in an upside case. The typical earnings scenario sits at $67,814.

On the borrowing side, the median federal student debt at completion is $25,000, which is $801 above the $24,199 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $284 a month if repaid over ten years.

The earnings picture and the debt picture point in different directions here: graduates out-earn the model's expectation, but they also carry slightly more federal debt than peers at similar schools.

Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $32,897. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $284.

[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**
$32,897

**Estimated parent payment**
$418/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| Income | Risk level |
| --- | --- |
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | High pressure |
| $150,000 | Safe |
| $200,000 | Safe |

The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. [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**
$25,000

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$32,897

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$284/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$418/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$702/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 $67,814, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**7.5%** 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, $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.

[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=trine-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.