Cost & financial aid brief
Vermont State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Vermont State University cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 30% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, reducing the sticker price by $7,776 on average. Average net prices increase from $14,645 for the lowest income band to $24,007 for the highest.
That is a difference of $9,362 between the two ends, and the pattern shows lower net prices for lower-income bands. The is an average within each band, not a quote for any individual family.
Published charges remain the starting point before grants and scholarships are applied.
The published cost of attendance at Vermont State University is $25,988. Azimuth ranks the university #234 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
For families earning under $30,000, it averages $14,645; for those earning $48,001 to $75,000, it averages $16,279; and for those earning over $110,000, it averages $24,007. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $9,362.
Aid covers about 30% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The average net price across all aid recipients is $18,212, which is $4,144 above the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Borrowers who finish carry a median of $15,000 in federal student loans. That is $6,229 below the $21,229 peer median for comparable institutions.
Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $14,735 in Parent PLUS loans. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $170 a month. It estimates what a family might pay based on their own finances.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal borrowing is widespread at Vermont State University: 95.3% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Among those who complete, the median federal student loan debt is $15,000.
That is $6,229 below the $21,229 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). The spread in borrowing is relatively tight.
Parents who borrow through the separate Parent PLUS program hold a median of $14,735.
Among federally aided graduates of Vermont State University who are working and not enrolled four years after completion, the median is $56,249. That is $1,052 below the median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Among nonprofit four-year institutions, that median sits at the 37th percentile. Graduates earn about $4,204 less than expects for similar students.
Among nonprofit four-year institutions, that gap is at the 39th percentile. Estimated from the program mix, earnings scenarios run from $41,524 to $75,510, with $56,249 as the typical case.
Federal debt for borrowers who complete sits at a median of $15,000, $6,229 below the median for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, that amount brings an estimated payment of $170 a month.
The result is uneven: graduates carry less federal debt than the peer median but also earn less.
For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $14,735. For student borrowers, the median federal debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $170 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
- $14,735
- Estimated parent payment
- $187/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $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
- $15,000
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $14,735
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $170/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $187/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $357/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 $56,249, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
6.1% 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.