by our College Data Analytics TeamA large number of students will never be charged the advertised price of a school. Instead, they will be provided a financial aid package that will include a combination of scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study. The total price of attendance at Sterling College can feel overwhelming, but bear in mind that many students receive some sort of financial aid.
What financial aid options can Sterling College offer you, and what will you qualify for? Keep reading for more information. Keep going to find out 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. The figures below will help you estimate the aid you might receive from Sterling College.
Financial assistance, available as scholarships, loans, and work-study, is a way schools lower the price of attendance so many students can enroll. However, some types of aid are more desirable than others, and some students will receive more than others.
For incoming first-year students at Sterling College, 100% of first-time, full-time freshmen received some form of financial aid roughly 141 incoming students).
| Type of Aid | % of Freshmen Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 100% | $23,673 |
| Institutional grants & scholarships | 100% | $18,564 |
| Federal Pell grants | 51% | $5,790 |
| State/local grants | 35% | $5,985 |
| Federal student loans | 67% | $5,514 |
Because grants and scholarships do not have to be repaid, they are the most sought-after type of financial aid. At Sterling College, approximately 76% of undergrads got grants or scholarships worth on average $21,563 (among about 516 recipients).
| Award | % of Undergrads Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 76% | $21,563 |
| Federal Pell grants | 37% | $6,259 |
| Federal student loans | 49% | $6,742 |
On-campus students receiving title-IV aid were awarded grants averaging $24,814.
The figures below show the average net price — cost after all grant and scholarship aid — broken out by family income.
| Family Income | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| $0 – $48,000 | $19,142 |
| $30,001 – $75,000 | $21,145 |
| Over $75,000 | $25,868 |
Remember these are net prices — what families pay after gift aid, not before.
The net price represents the average annual cost a title-IV-receiving student pays after grant aid is subtracted from the full cost of attendance.
| Cohort | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| On-campus title-IV students | $22,371 |
| Off-campus title-IV students | $22,403 |
For a customized cost estimate, visit Sterling College’s NPC: www.sterling.edu/admissions/tuition-expenses.
A typical borrower at Sterling College leaves with $12,000 of federal borrowing.
| Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
| Median federal debt (all student-aid borrowers) | $12,000 |
| Median federal debt (graduates only) | $24,625 |
| Typical 10-year monthly payment (graduates) | $261.07/mo |
Spreading the median graduate debt over a standard 10-year repayment schedule works out to roughly the monthly payment shown above.
Percentiles reveal the spread — half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles. The four reference points below map the debt distribution at Sterling College.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,174 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $25,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $32,400 |
Debt outcomes are not uniform — they shift with income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Debt by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $11,500 |
| Middle income | $12,000 |
| High income | $12,650 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $12,000 |
| Continuing-generation students | $12,213 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $13,000 |
| Independent students | $9,344 |
A handful of calculated indicators summarize the debt outlook at Sterling College.
Stafford loans make up the bulk of federal direct lending to undergraduates. The annual Stafford volume below reflects program activity at Sterling College:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Stafford loan recipients | 3424 |
| Total Stafford loan amount | $53,442,505 |
GI Bill and DoD Tuition Assistance are the two federal aid programs targeted at military-affiliated students.
Post-9/11 GI Bill activity
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| GI Bill recipients | 17 |
| Total GI Bill amount | $59,600 |
| Average GI Bill amount per recipient | $3,506 |
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.