Cost & financial aid brief
University of North Dakota Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does University of North Dakota cost after financial aid?
Aid offsets a portion of the published charge, with larger reductions appearing in the lower income bands. For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 28% of the published cost, reducing the sticker amount by $7,054 to an average net price of $18,551.
Across the family-income bands, average net price is $13,126 in the lowest band, $12,251 in the next band, $15,206 in the middle band, $18,981 in the next-highest band, and $20,730 in the highest band. The $7,604 difference between the lowest and highest band averages shows that the price reduction is concentrated more heavily in the lower-income bands.
The aid pattern and the sticker-to-net reduction point toward more aid reaching families in the lower bands.
At $25,605, the published cost sets the starting point before aid. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $13,126 for the lowest family-income band, $12,251 for the lower-middle band, $15,206 for the middle band, $18,981 for the upper-middle band, and $20,730 for the highest band.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $7,604, and Azimuth ranks University of North Dakota #491 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 28% of the published cost, an average reduction of $7,054.
For first-time full-time Title IV aid recipients, the average net price is $18,551, which is $4,483 above the peer median of $14,068 at comparable institutions (same type and size). In-state tuition and fees are $10,951, and out-of-state tuition and fees are $15,570.
Aid reduces the published cost, yet the average net price remains above the peer median. Federal borrowing reaches 93.1% of federal aid recipients.
Among borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $22,057, or $828 above the peer median of $21,229 at comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $251 a month if repaid over ten years.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing for parent borrowers is $14,269.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal borrowing is common at University of North Dakota, where 93.1% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Among borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt at completion is $22,057.
Compared with the $21,229 median at comparable institutions (same type and size), the university's median is $828 above. For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $14,269.
Mobility is the strongest Azimuth pillar at University of North Dakota, while the investment picture combines earnings above the peer median with earnings below expectation. Four years after completion, federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $69,563.
Azimuth places that figure in the 75th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $2,616 less than the model expects for similar students.
Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, are in the 45th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The typical earnings scenario matches the reported median, with a downside scenario of $50,956 and an upside scenario of $100,622.
Median federal student loan debt at completion is $22,057, $828 above the $21,229 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $251 a month if repaid over ten years.
Earnings stand above peers, but the model comparison and debt comparison point the other way.
Parent PLUS borrowers, a separate parent-borrower population, have median borrowing of $14,269. Student borrowing is separate; that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $251 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
- $14,269
- Estimated parent payment
- $181/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | Caution |
| $100,000 | Safe |
| $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
- $22,057
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $14,269
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $251/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $181/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $432/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 $69,563, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
6.4% 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.