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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Wichita State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

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

**On this page**+

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

Affordability is the strongest pillar for Wichita State University, and the numbers bear that out. The published cost of attendance is $21,780, an average across living arrangements.

In-state tuition and fees are $9,684, and room and board is $12,420. Out-of-state tuition and fees run $19,869.

After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients drops to $13,194, a savings of $8,586 against the sticker total. That average net price is below the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $2,440.

Azimuth ranks the university #239 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. That places the affordability pillar in the 83rd percentile.

A low net price and a rank that sits well above the national midpoint point the same way: the cost structure here is one of the school's clearest advantages.

Affordability is the strongest pillar for Wichita State University, landing in the 83rd 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 $13,194, which sits below the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $2,440.

Median federal student debt for borrowers who completed is $20,500, above the peer median, a gap of $424. Average net prices vary across income bands: $9,734 for families earning under $30,000, $9,696 for $30,001–$48,000, $13,564 for $48,001–$75,000, $16,893 for $75,001–$110,000, and $19,184 for families above $110,000.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s by family-income band show a progressive structure. For families earning under $30,000 the average net price is $9,734; for $30,001–$48,000 it is $9,696; for $48,001–$75,000 it is $13,564; for $75,001–$110,000 it is $16,893; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $19,184.

Pell Grant recipients make up 30.6% of undergraduates, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $9,450.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$9,734

**$30–48K**
$9,696

**$48–75K**
$13,564

**$75–110K**
$16,893

**$110K+**
$19,184

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$13,194**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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 the model 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $14,306. 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**
$14,306

**Estimated parent payment**
$182/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| 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](#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**
$14,306

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

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=wichita-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.