by our College Data Analytics TeamMost students are not billed the complete price tag of a school. Rather, they are presented a financial aid deal that includes a mix of loans, grants, scholarships, and possibly work-study opportunities. The sum total of attendance at Prairie State College can sound tremendous, but do not forget that almost all students get some type of financial help.
What financing options does Prairie State College offer you, and what will you qualify for? Keep scrolling for more information. Scroll down to learn what amount of financial assistance will be accessible to you.
The amount of financial aid and scholarships you are eligible for will vary depending on your family’s income. Use the information below to understand how much financial assistance you may get from Prairie State College.
Through a mix of loans, grants, work-study and scholarships, schools bring down the effective cost so more students can attend. Bear in mind that not all aid is equal, and the amount any one student receives can vary widely.
Among first-time, full-time freshmen at Prairie State College, 71% of first-time, full-time freshmen received some form of financial aid around 150 first-years).
| Type of Aid | % of Freshmen Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 68% | $8,470 |
| Institutional grants & scholarships | 15% | $4,554 |
| Federal Pell grants | 52% | $6,665 |
| State/local grants | 43% | $3,293 |
| Federal student loans | 8% | $5,245 |
Unlike loans, grants and scholarships are gift aid that does not need to be paid back, making them the most desirable form of assistance. At Prairie State College, roughly 42% of undergraduates were awarded grant or scholarship aid averaging $7,849 (across roughly 1275 undergraduates).
| Award | % of Undergrads Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 42% | $7,849 |
| Federal Pell grants | 33% | $6,092 |
| Federal student loans | 8% | $6,493 |
On-campus students receiving title-IV aid were awarded grants averaging $9,170.
Need-based aid means lower-income families typically pay far less than the sticker price suggests.
| Family Income | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| $0 – $48,000 | $3,861 |
| $30,001 – $75,000 | $5,226 |
| Over $75,000 | $12,296 |
The numbers above are post-aid net prices, so they already account for grants and scholarships.
Net price is the cost remaining after grant and scholarship aid is subtracted from the sticker price, and it is the most useful single number for estimating real cost.
| Cohort | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| On-campus title-IV students | $4,738 |
| Off-campus title-IV students | $5,280 |
For a personalized estimate based on your family’s financial situation, use Prairie State College’s online cost calculator: prairiestate.edu/apply-reg-pay/financial-aid-calculator/net-price-calculator/index.aspx.
Graduating students at Prairie State College carry a median federal student debt of $8,000 of cumulative federal debt.
| Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
| Median federal debt (all student-aid borrowers) | $8,000 |
| Median federal debt (graduates only) | $11,000 |
| Typical 10-year monthly payment (graduates) | $116.62/mo |
The 10-year payment estimate assumes a standard federal repayment plan and the median graduate debt amount.
Percentiles reveal the spread — half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles. Use the percentiles below to see the debt range at Prairie State College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $1,750 |
| 25th percentile | $3,000 |
| 75th percentile | $11,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $20,000 |
The figures below break down median federal debt by income tier, first-generation status, and dependency.
Median Debt by Income Bracket
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $9,111 |
| Middle income | $6,750 |
| High income | $6,225 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $8,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $7,500 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $5,500 |
| Independent students | $9,500 |
A handful of calculated indicators summarize the debt outlook at Prairie State College.
Stafford loans are the federal government’s primary direct undergraduate lending program. These figures summarize annual Stafford program activity at Prairie State College:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Stafford loan recipients | 6970 |
| Total Stafford loan amount | $75,808,328 |
GI Bill and DoD Tuition Assistance are the two federal aid programs targeted at military-affiliated students.
Post-9/11 GI Bill recipients
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| GI Bill recipients | 42 |
| Total GI Bill amount | $75,224 |
| Average GI Bill amount per recipient | $1,791 |
Active-duty Tuition Assistance recipients
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 1 |
| Total DoD amount | $1,080 |
| Average DoD amount per recipient | $1,080 |
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.