by our College Data Analytics TeamThis guide covers the real cost of attending Carl Sandburg College, spanning what it costs to attend, projected costs over a degree, net price, debt outcomes, and aid equity.
Use the section links below to navigate this overview:
The full cost of attending Carl Sandburg College came in between $10,795.00 through $11,695.00 based on in-state versus out-of-state status.
In-state residents qualified for the lower cost, with out-of-state students paying more: near $10,795.00 for in-state students versus $11,695.00 for out-of-state students.
Here the cost is broken out three ways: no aid, average aid, and the aid a low-income student typically receives.
| Tuition and fees | $8,000.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $2,795.00 |
| Total cost | $10,795.00 |
| That is 44% below the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $10,795.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$7,901.00 |
| Net price | $2,894.00 |
| That is 85% below the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $10,795.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$10,549.00 |
| Net price | $246.00 |
| That is 99% below the national average net price. |
| Tuition and fees | $8,900.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $2,795.00 |
| Total cost | $11,695.00 |
| That is 39% below the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $11,695.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$7,901.00 |
| Net price | $3,794.00 |
| That is 80% below the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $11,695.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$10,549.00 |
| Net price | $1,146.00 |
| That is 94% below the national average net price. | |
| Want the line-by-line detail? Dig into tuition and fees and living costs. |
The reported cost series has been increasing by around 0.5% annually, so the projections below total more than one year of attendance. The tables below project the cost forward across a full degree, side by side for a low-income student with aid, a typical student with average aid, and a student paying full sticker price with no aid. The loan rows amortise the projected total over a ten-year, 6.8% repayment.
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.5% |
| Freshman year | $247.00 | $2,909.00 | $10,852.00 |
| Senior year | $251.00 | $2,956.00 | $11,026.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $997.00 | $11,730.00 | $43,756.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $380.00 | $4,469.00 | $16,669.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $11.00 | $135.00 | $504.00 |
| Total amount paid | $1,377.00 | $16,199.00 | $60,425.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.5% |
| Freshman year | $247.00 | $2,909.00 | $10,852.00 |
| Senior year | $249.00 | $2,925.00 | $10,910.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $496.00 | $5,834.00 | $21,762.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $189.00 | $2,223.00 | $8,291.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $6.00 | $67.00 | $250.00 |
| Total amount paid | $685.00 | $8,057.00 | $30,053.00 |
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.5% |
| Freshman year | $1,152.00 | $3,814.00 | $11,757.00 |
| Senior year | $1,171.00 | $3,875.00 | $11,945.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $4,645.00 | $15,378.00 | $47,404.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $1,770.00 | $5,859.00 | $18,059.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $53.00 | $177.00 | $546.00 |
| Total amount paid | $6,415.00 | $21,237.00 | $65,463.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 0.5% | 0.5% | 0.5% |
| Freshman year | $1,152.00 | $3,814.00 | $11,757.00 |
| Senior year | $1,158.00 | $3,834.00 | $11,819.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $2,310.00 | $7,649.00 | $23,577.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $880.00 | $2,914.00 | $8,982.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $27.00 | $88.00 | $271.00 |
| Total amount paid | $3,190.00 | $10,562.00 | $32,558.00 |
See the full net-price breakdown in the net price section below.
Net price reflects the true cost to attend after grant and scholarship aid is deducted. For most prospective students, net price gives a more realistic estimate than sticker tuition.
| Average net price (on-campus) | $3,662.00 |
| Average net price (off-campus) | $1,036.00 |
What families actually pay shifts with income, since need-based grants are larger for lower-income students. Below, average net price is broken out by family income:
| Family income | Average net price |
|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | $557.00 |
| $30,000 to $48,000 | $-324.00 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $262.00 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $4,251.00 |
| Over $110,000 | $6,790.00 |
Run your own numbers with the Carl Sandburg College Net Price Calculator, or reach out to the financial aid office.
Dig into how aid is awarded on the financial aid page.
The median graduating debt at Carl Sandburg College is $3,500.00, placing the school in the Very Low (<$10k) debt-burden bucket.
Here’s how debt at graduation distributes across borrowers:
| Percentile | Debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| 10th | $1,000.00 |
| 25th | $1,750.00 |
| Median (50th) | $3,500.00 |
| 75th | $5,250.00 |
| 90th | $8,000.00 |
The distance from the 10th to the 90th percentile shows how widely debt outcomes vary.
Dig deeper into debt on the student-loan-debt breakdown.
Debt at graduation is far from uniform across income levels. The table below divides borrowers into three income tiers:
| Family income | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| Low income | $3,500.00 |
| Middle income | $3,500.00 |
| High income | $6,421.00 |
Debt at graduation often differs for first-generation students.
| Student group | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $3,500.00 |
| Continuing-generation students | $3,500.00 |
The Pell Grant is the main federal need-based award for undergraduates. Contrasting Pell and non-Pell borrowers shows how need shapes debt.
The median debt difference between Pell-eligible and non-Pell graduates of Carl Sandburg College stands at $-2,313.00.
The federal default-rate tier for Carl Sandburg College is Low (<5%).
| Window | Cohort default rate |
|---|---|
| 2-year | 15.1% |
To put the rates in context, Stafford loans at Carl Sandburg College total $10,183,656.00 across 2,206 disbursements.
Veterans and active-duty students can access dedicated federal education aid including the GI Bill and Department of Defense tuition support.
| GI Bill recipients | 10 |
| Avg GI Bill amount | $3,783.00 |
Read more about military and veteran aid on the veteran aid breakdown.
Use the figures above as a launch point, then think through Carl Sandburg College, a few questions are worth asking:
Each page below covers one part of paying for college in more detail:
Data sources. Figures on this page draw from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), and MediaFactual editorial review. Net-price calculator and financial-aid office links are taken from the institution’s own published data.