Cost & financial aid brief
University of Wisconsin-River Falls Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does University of Wisconsin-River Falls cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 29% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, a discount of $5,727 against the sticker price. The pattern across income bands is compressed: average net prices range from $8,472 in the lowest band to $18,234 in the highest, a spread of $9,762.
The middle bands sit at $9,014, $10,796, and $16,578. A narrow spread means the aid formula does not shift dramatically with family income.
The lowest-income families pay about what middle-income families pay, and the highest band stays within $9,762 of the lowest. That is a pattern of broad affordability rather than deep targeting.
The published cost of attendance at University of Wisconsin-River Falls is $19,781. Azimuth ranks the university #274 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $8,472 for families earning under $30,000, $10,796 for those earning $48,001 to $75,000, and $18,234 for those earning over $110,000. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $9,762.
Aid covers about 29% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, bringing the average net price across all bands to $14,054. That figure is $14 below the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Borrowers who finish carry a median of $20,500 in federal student loans, $729 below the $21,229 peer median. 90.7% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.
Parents who borrow through Parent PLUS hold a separate median of $14,500. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $233 a month.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
The University of Wisconsin-River Falls keeps federal borrowing below the peer median, even though 90.7% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Completing borrowers leave with a median federal debt of $20,500.
That median is below the $21,229 median at comparable institutions (same type and size) by $729. A separate population of parent borrowers carries a median Parent PLUS loan of $14,500.
The return picture at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls is mixed. Graduates earn a median of $54,923 four years after completion, in the 32nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
That figure sits below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Graduates earn about $8,815 less than expects for similar students, an outcome in the 22nd percentile.
Earnings scenarios derived from the university's program mix show a downside scenario of $46,795 and an upside scenario of $71,264. Borrowers finish with a median federal debt of $20,500, which is below the peer median.
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $233 a month if repaid over ten years. Earnings that fall short of the model's expectation sit alongside a debt load that is only slightly below the peer median.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $14,500. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $233.
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
- $14,500
- Estimated parent payment
- $184/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 | 10.9% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 4.9% | Safe |
| $150,000 | 2.3% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 1.5% | 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
- $20,500
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $14,500
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $233/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $184/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $417/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 $54,923, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
9.0% 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.