by our College Data Analytics TeamMany students are not billed the full, advertised sticker price of a school. Instead, they will be given a financial aid offer that will include a combination of scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study. The price tag of going to Northern State University can appear overpowering, but remember that the majority of students obtain some kind of financial assistance.
What financing options does NSU offer, and what will you qualify for? Keep scrolling for more information. Keep scrolling to see what amount of financial assistance could be accessible to you.
The amount of financial aid and scholarships you are eligible for will vary depending on your family’s income. Continue reading to find information to help you understand just how much assistance you can expect to receive from Northern State University.
Through a mix of loans, grants, work-study and scholarships, schools bring down the effective cost so more students can attend. Note that some aid is more valuable than the rest, and individual awards are far from uniform.
At Northern State University, 98% of entering full-time freshmen got some type of financial assistance approximately 299 new students).
| Type of Aid | % of Freshmen Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 97% | $6,441 |
| Institutional grants & scholarships | 90% | $4,084 |
| Federal Pell grants | 32% | $5,382 |
| State/local grants | 17% | $1,447 |
| Federal student loans | 61% | $4,873 |
The best aid is gift aid: grants and scholarships that carry no repayment obligation. At NSU, some 35% of the undergraduate population received grant aid that averaged $7,194 (across roughly 1015 students).
| Award | % of Undergrads Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 35% | $7,194 |
| Federal Pell grants | 12% | $5,219 |
| Federal student loans | 22% | $5,635 |
For on-campus title-IV students, average grant aid came to $6,265.
How much a family pays depends heavily on income, because most aid is awarded on the basis of financial need.
| Family Income | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| $0 – $48,000 | $13,772 |
| $30,001 – $75,000 | $15,545 |
| Over $75,000 | $18,906 |
These figures reflect what title-IV aid recipients pay after grant and scholarship aid is applied.
After grants and scholarships come off the published price, what remains is the net price — the best estimate of true out-of-pocket cost.
| Cohort | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| On-campus title-IV students | $15,812 |
| Off-campus title-IV students | $17,094 |
To get a personalized net price estimate, try NSU’s NPC: northern.edu/sites/default/files/net-price-calculator/index.html.
The median student at NSU graduates with $15,750 of cumulative federal debt.
| Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
| Median federal debt (all student-aid borrowers) | $15,750 |
| Median federal debt (graduates only) | $22,320 |
| Typical 10-year monthly payment (graduates) | $236.63/mo |
That monthly figure reflects the median graduate debt repaid on a standard 10-year federal schedule.
Looking only at the median can be misleading because it hides the spread. The four reference points below map the debt distribution at NSU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,500 |
| 25th percentile | $6,621 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $36,375 |
The figures below break down median federal debt by income tier, first-generation status, and dependency.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $16,314 |
| Middle income | $14,462 |
| High income | $16,750 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $16,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,556 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $16,280 |
| Independent students | $13,289 |
The Department of Education computes summary indicators that describe debt outcomes at a glance. NSU.
Stafford loans make up the bulk of federal direct lending to undergraduates. The annual Stafford volume below reflects program activity at NSU:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Stafford loan recipients | 8127 |
| Total Stafford loan amount | $131,366,049 |
Military-affiliated students can tap the Post-9/11 GI Bill and DoD Tuition Assistance.
GI Bill volume
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| GI Bill recipients | 17 |
| Total GI Bill amount | $91,832 |
| Average GI Bill amount per recipient | $5,402 |
DoD program volume
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 16 |
| Total DoD amount | $47,980 |
| Average DoD amount per recipient | $2,999 |
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.