Cost & financial aid brief
Youngstown State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Youngstown State University cost after financial aid?
The published cost of attendance at Youngstown State University is $21,708 (an average across living arrangements), and the average aid recipient pays $12,767. That is a savings of $8,941, meaning aid covers about 41% of the sticker price for the average recipient.
The pattern across income bands shows aid targeting that keeps costs relatively close together. Families earning under $30,000 average $9,328, while those in the highest band, over $110,000, average $18,235.
The spread between the two ends is $8,907, which suggests that grant aid offsets a larger share of the cost at the bottom of the income scale.
Youngstown State University publishes a cost of attendance of $21,708, an average across living arrangements. In-state tuition and fees are $11,113, and room and board are $11,730.
The average net price—what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships—is $9,328 for families earning under $30,000, $13,369 for the $48,001–$75,000 band, and $18,235 for families earning over $110,000. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $8,907.
Azimuth ranks the university #358 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid covers about 41% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an offset of $8,941 against the sticker price.
The average net price across all aid recipients is $12,767, which sits below the peer median of $14,068 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,301. Out-of-state students face tuition and fees of $11,473, a modest premium over the in-state rate.
The median federal student debt at completion is $24,000, with 83.6% of federal aid recipients taking federal loans. That debt is above the peer median of $21,229 for comparable institutions by $2,771, and corresponds to an estimated payment of $273 a month if repaid over ten years.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate population of parent borrowers, is $16,900.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Borrowing is common at Youngstown State University and the amounts are moderate, though the typical federal debt load runs a bit higher than the peer median. About 83.6% of federal aid recipients take federal loans, and among those who complete a degree the median federal student debt is $24,000.
That median is above the $21,229 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $2,771. Parent borrowers, a separate population, carry a median Parent PLUS loan of $16,900.
Graduates of Youngstown State University earn about $1,093 more than expects for similar students, an outcome that lands in the 59th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The median earnings four years after completion are $56,047, which sits in the 36th percentile.
That figure is below the peer median of $57,301 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,254. Earnings scenarios based on the university's program mix show a downside scenario of $42,057 and an upside scenario of $80,351.
Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median federal debt of $24,000, which is above the $21,229 peer median. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $273 a month if repaid over ten years.
The return picture is mixed: graduates beat the model's expectations, yet the median earnings figure sits below the peer median, and the typical debt load is above what peers carry.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $16,900. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $273.
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
- $16,900
- Estimated parent payment
- $215/mo
| Household income | Share of income above basic expenses | Risk level |
|---|---|---|
| $35,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $50,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $75,000 | 12.7% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 5.7% | Safe |
| $150,000 | 2.7% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 1.8% | 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. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $24,000
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $16,900
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $273/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $215/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $488/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 $56,047, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
10.2% of income above the allowance · Good
- Excellent Under 8%
- Good 8–under 12% · selected scenario
- 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, $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.
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.