Cost & financial aid brief
University of Northwestern-St Paul Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does University of Northwestern-St Paul cost after financial aid?
At University of Northwestern-St Paul, the middle family-income band has the lowest average net price among aid recipients. The published cost is $51,325, compared with an average net price of $27,705, a sticker-to-net difference of $23,620.
Aid covers about 46% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. Across the five family-income bands, the average net price is $26,696 for the lowest band, $23,884 for the next-lowest band, $21,689 for the middle band, $25,267 for the next-highest band, and $31,348 for the highest band.
This arrangement shows aid pricing is not lowest at the bottom of the listed income range and is highest in the top band.
University of Northwestern-St Paul carries a published cost of attendance of $51,325, with aid-recipient prices differing across family-income bands. The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $26,696 in the lowest-income family band, $23,884 in the lower-middle band, $21,689 in the middle band, $25,267 in the upper-middle band, and $31,348 in the highest-income band.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $4,652. Azimuth ranks the university #1,006 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 46% of the published cost, representing financial aid savings of $23,620. Across all aid recipients, the average net price is $27,705.
Published tuition and fees are $37,920, and room and board are $11,534. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $22,347; the university’s average net price is $5,358 above that benchmark.
Aid offsets a substantial share of the published cost, though the average price remains above the comparable-institution median. Federal borrowing is common: 92.7% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.
Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $21,325, $3,675 below the $25,000 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Median Parent PLUS borrowing among parent borrowers is $28,694.
The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $242 a month if repaid over ten years.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal borrowing is widespread at University of Northwestern-St Paul: 92.7% of federal aid recipients take federal loans, and completers who borrowed have median federal student loan debt of $21,325. At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median federal debt is $25,000.
The university’s median is below that figure by $3,675. For the separate parent-borrower population, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $28,694.
Four years after completion, federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled at University of Northwestern-St Paul have median earnings of $57,471. Their median federal debt is below the peer median.
Azimuth places those earnings in the 41st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings beyond expectations show that graduates earn about $2,957 less than expects for similar students.
That measure compares what graduates earn to what the model expects for similar students. Azimuth places that measure in the 43rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The earnings scenarios range from $45,910 in a downside case to $80,585 in an upside case, with the typical outcome matching the median. Median federal debt at completion is $21,325, below the $25,000 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $3,675.
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $242 a month if repaid over ten years.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing among parent borrowers is $28,694, a separate population from student federal-loan borrowers. For borrowers with median federal student debt, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $242 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
- $28,694
- Estimated parent payment
- $365/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 | 21.5% | 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
- $21,325
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $28,694
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $242/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $365/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $607/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 $57,471, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
8.7% 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.