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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Winston-Salem State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much does Winston-Salem State University cost after financial aid?

The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is the billed cost minus grants and scholarships for a typical aid recipient. At Winston-Salem State University, that figure is $13,479, which is $589 below the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Aid covers about 42% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The full published cost of attendance is $23,147.

In-state tuition and fees are $6,126, and room and board is $11,484. Students from outside the state pay $16,782 in tuition and fees.

On average, financial aid reduces the sticker price by $9,668. Azimuth ranks the university #368 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. That places the affordability pillar in the 74th percentile.

Grants and scholarships bring the billed cost down to an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients. Aid recipients at Winston-Salem State University pay $13,479 on average, a figure that sits $589 below the median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who finish hold a median of $25,000 in federal student loans, $3,771 above the peer median. Azimuth places the affordability pillar in the 74th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The lowest income band averages $11,463, and the highest averages $21,405.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s are higher for each successive family-income band. Aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 pay $11,463 on average; those in the $30,001–$48,000 band pay $12,412; the $48,001–$75,000 band pays $14,681; the $75,001–$110,000 band pays $18,813; and the highest band, over $110,000, pays $21,405.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $9,942. 64.9% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, providing context for the lowest band.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$11,463

**$30–48K**
$12,412

**$48–75K**
$14,681

**$75–110K**
$18,813

**$110K+**
$21,405

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$13,479**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

Aid covers about 42% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, a reduction of $9,668 from the sticker price. That is an average, not a promise for any particular family.

The pattern across income bands shows lower average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s at lower incomes, with costs increasing through the middle and upper bands. The lowest band averages $11,463 against a published cost of $23,147, while the highest band averages $21,405.

The $9,942 spread describes a structure where aid narrows the gap between what families at different income levels pay, but does not eliminate it.

The published cost of attendance is $23,147. Azimuth ranks Winston-Salem State University #368 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

For families earning under $30,000, it averages $11,463; for those earning $48,001 to $75,000, it averages $14,681; and for those earning over $110,000, it averages $21,405. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $9,942.

Aid covers about 42% 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 $13,479, which is $589 below the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $25,000 in federal student loans. That is $3,771 above the $21,229 peer median.

91.1% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $12,030 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 $284 a month.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Most undergraduates at Winston-Salem State University borrow: 91.1% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Among federal-loan borrowers who finish, the median federal student loan debt is $25,000.

That median is $3,771 above the $21,229 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Parents who borrow through the [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) program hold a separate median of $12,030.

Winston-Salem State University graduates who are working and not enrolled four years after completion earn a median of $56,396. That places the median in the 37th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

It is also $905 below the $57,301 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Graduates earn about $5,367 more than the model expects for similar students.

The [earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) are at the 72nd percentile. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix range from $40,361 on the downside to $85,595 on the upside, with $56,396 as the typical scenario.

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $25,000 in federal loans, $3,771 above the peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $284 a month.

For the separate population of parent borrowers, median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $12,030. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $284 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**
$12,030

**Estimated parent payment**
$153/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**
$25,000

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$12,030

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

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$284/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$153/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$437/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 $56,396, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**10.1%** 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, $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=winston-salem-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.