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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Vermont State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/vermont-state-university/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/vermont-state-university/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/vermont-state-university/admissions/)[Majors](/school/vermont-state-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/vermont-state-university/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does Vermont State University cost after financial aid?

The published cost of attendance at Vermont State University is $25,988. After grants and scholarships, aid recipients pay an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) of $18,212, which is $4,144 above the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

On average, aid covers about 30% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. Azimuth ranks the university #234 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. That places the affordability pillar in the 84th percentile.

The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—the price students pay after grants and scholarships—for aid recipients is $18,212, $4,144 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Families in the lowest income band average $14,645; those in the highest band average $24,007.

Azimuth places the affordability pillar in the 84th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Borrowers who complete leave with a median of $15,000 in federal student loans, $6,229 below the peer median. That is the opposite pattern from net price, which runs above its peer median.

Aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 average $14,645; those in the $30,001–$48,000 band average $12,998; the $48,001–$75,000 band averages $16,279; the $75,001–$110,000 band averages $20,668; and the highest band, over $110,000, averages $24,007. 34.1% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, providing context for who the lowest band applies to. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $9,362.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$14,645

**$30–48K**
$12,998

**$48–75K**
$16,279

**$75–110K**
$20,668

**$110K+**
$24,007

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$18,212**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

Aid covers about 30% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, reducing the sticker price by $7,776 on average. Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s 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 average net price 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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 the model 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](#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**
$14,735

**Estimated parent payment**
$187/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| 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](#cost-data-notes).

## 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

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

[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=vermont-state-university#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.