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Cost & financial aid brief

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# University of Wisconsin-River Falls Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much does University of Wisconsin-River Falls cost after financial aid?

Affordability is the strongest pillar at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, and the numbers bear that out. The published cost of attendance is $19,781, with in-state tuition and fees at $9,008 and room and board at $7,982.

Out-of-state students face a higher tuition of $17,470. After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients drops to $14,054, a savings of $5,727 against the sticker total.

That average net price sits below the peer median of $14,068 for comparable institutions (same type and size), by a slim $14. Azimuth ranks the university #274 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. For the lowest-income families, the average net price is $8,472.

Affordability is the university's strongest pillar. Azimuth places the pillar in the 81st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships—is $14,054, sitting below the peer median of $14,068 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $14. Median federal student debt for completers who borrowed is $20,500, which is below the peer median of $21,229 by $729.

Average net prices run from $8,472 in the lowest income band to $18,234 in the highest, a spread of $9,762.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, are lowest for families with the least income and step up across the bands. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $8,472; for $30,001–$48,000 it is $9,014; for $48,001–$75,000 it is $10,796; for $75,001–$110,000 it is $16,578; and for families earning over $110,000 it reaches $18,234.

Pell Grant recipients make up 20.8% of undergraduates, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $9,762, a difference of averages that shows aid is concentrated on families with lower incomes.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$8,472

**$30–48K**
$9,014

**$48–75K**
$10,796

**$75–110K**
$16,578

**$110K+**
$18,234

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$14,054**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

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 price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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 the model 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $14,500. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $233.

[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**
$14,500

**Estimated parent payment**
$184/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| 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](/financial-gps/?tool=parent&school=university-of-wisconsin-river-falls#parent-tool). [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**
$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

1.  Excellent Under 8%
2.  Good 8–under 12% · selected scenario
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, $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.

[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=university-of-wisconsin-river-falls#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.