Cost & financial aid brief
Wichita State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Wichita State University cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 39% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, for a sticker-to-net gap of $8,586. The average net price across all aid recipients is $13,194, which sits below the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size).
The pattern across income bands shows the largest discounts flowing to families with the lowest incomes. The lowest-income band (under $30,000) averages $9,734, while the highest band (over $110,000) averages $19,184, a spread of $9,450.
The lowest-band average sits well below the overall average, a pattern that coincides with aid concentrated on families with lower incomes. For the average aid recipient, the net price is a clear step down from the published sticker, and the gap widens most for those in the bottom income bands.
Wichita State University publishes a cost of attendance of $21,780, an average across living arrangements. In-state tuition and fees are $9,684, and room and board are $12,420.
After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $9,734, moving to $9,696 for the $30,001–$48,000 band, $13,564 for the $48,001–$75,000 band, $16,893 for the $75,001–$110,000 band, and $19,184 for families earning over $110,000. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $9,450.
Azimuth ranks Wichita State University #239 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid covers about 39% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, a savings of $8,586 against the sticker price.
The average net price across all aid recipients is $13,194, which sits below the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $2,440. Out-of-state students face a higher tuition of $19,869, though the net-price figures here are on an in-state basis.
The median federal student debt at completion is $20,500. That debt is above the peer median of $20,076 for comparable institutions.
About 84.5% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. For parents who take out Parent PLUS loans, the median borrowing is $14,306.
If repaid over ten years, the median federal debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $233 a month.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Borrowing at Wichita State University is common: 84.5% of federal aid recipients take federal loans, and among those who complete a degree the median federal student debt is $20,500. That median is above the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Parent borrowers, a separate population, carry a median Parent PLUS loan of $14,306.
Wichita State University's strongest pillar is affordability, and the return picture is mixed. Graduates earn about $6,342 more than expects for similar students, an outcome in the 75th percentile nationally.
Yet the median earnings of $59,707 four years after completion, in the 50th percentile, sit below the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Earnings scenarios from the university's program mix show a typical earnings level matching the median, with a downside scenario of $43,660 and an upside scenario of $81,051.
Borrowers finish with a median federal student debt of $20,500, which is above the peer median. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $233 a month if repaid over ten years.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $14,306. 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
- $14,306
- Estimated parent payment
- $182/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | Caution |
| $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
- $20,500
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $14,306
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $233/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $182/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $415/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 $59,707, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
7.5% 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.