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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Westfield State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

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

**On this page**+

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

At Westfield State University, the published cost of attendance is $27,649, while the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients is $16,721—what recipients pay after grants and scholarships. That difference makes the listed price a starting point rather than the average amount paid by recipients.

Published in-state tuition and fees are $12,179, out-of-state tuition and fees are $18,259, and room and board are $14,018. Financial aid offsets $10,928 of the published cost on average for aid recipients.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $14,068; Westfield’s average net price is $2,653 above that figure. Azimuth places the university’s affordability pillar in the 67th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Aid reduces the listed price substantially, though the average recipient cost remains above the peer middle value.

Westfield State University has an affordability picture in which both average price and borrower debt sit above comparable benchmarks. Azimuth places the university’s affordability pillar in the 67th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Its average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $16,721, $2,653 above the peer median of $14,068 for comparable institutions (same type and size). The average net price is $10,751 for the lowest income band and $23,286 for the highest.

Completers with federal loans have median federal student loan debt of $22,457, $1,228 above the peer median of $21,229. Price and debt point in the same direction.

Family income shapes the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, at Westfield State University. Within the lowest family-income band, the average net price is $10,751; it is $11,517 in the next band, $14,199 in the middle band, $18,201 in the next-highest band, and $23,286 in the highest band.

Pell Grants reach 33.0% of undergraduates, providing financial-access context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $12,535.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$10,751

**$30–48K**
$11,517

**$48–75K**
$14,199

**$75–110K**
$18,201

**$110K+**
$23,286

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$16,721**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

For the average aid recipient at Westfield State University, the published cost of $27,649 falls to an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, of $16,721. The $10,928 difference is the average aid offset against that published cost.

Aid covers about 40% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. Across income bands, average net prices are $10,751 in the lowest band, $11,517 in the next, and $14,199 in the middle band.

The next-highest and highest bands average $18,201 and $23,286, respectively. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $12,535, a pattern in which lower-income bands receive larger average reductions from the published cost.

Families face a published cost of attendance of $27,649, with aid-recipient prices varying widely by income band. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $10,751 for the lowest family-income band, $11,517 for the lower-middle band, $14,199 for the middle band, $18,201 for the upper-middle band, and $23,286 for the highest band.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $12,535, and Azimuth ranks Westfield State University #463 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. For first-time, full-time federal-aid recipients on the public in-state basis, the average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $16,721 after average financial-aid savings of $10,928.

Aid covers about 40% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. That average is $2,653 above the peer median net price of $14,068 at comparable institutions (same type and size).

Published in-state tuition is $12,179, versus $18,259 for out-of-state tuition. Aid reduces the published cost, but the average net price remains above the comparable-school median.

Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $22,457, and 93.0% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. The peer median debt is $21,229 at comparable institutions (same type and size), placing the university $1,228 above that figure.

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $255 a month if repaid over ten years. Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing for parent borrowers is $18,544.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Federal borrowing reaches 93.0% of federal aid recipients at Westfield State University, making debt a common part of the cost picture. Among borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt at completion is $22,457.

At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median federal debt, the middle value for that group, is $21,229. The university’s median is $1,228 above that figure.

For the separate parent-borrower population, median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $18,544.

The investment picture at Westfield State University is shaped by earnings that sit near the middle of the pack and borrowing that runs slightly above the peer median. Four years after completion, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $59,434, a figure in the 49th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $3,963 less than the model expects for similar students. That outcome falls in the 39th percentile.

Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, stretch from $50,541 in a downside case to $78,783 in an upside case, with a typical outcome of $59,434. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $22,457 in federal student loans, $1,228 above the $21,229 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $255 a month if repaid over ten years.

For the separate population of parent borrowers, median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing at Westfield State University is $18,544. The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $255 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**
$18,544

**Estimated parent payment**
$236/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 | 13.9% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 6.2% | Caution |
| $150,000 | 3.0% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 1.9% | 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=westfield-state-university#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**
$22,457

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$18,544

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$255/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$236/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$491/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 $59,434, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**8.6%** 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=westfield-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.
