by our College Data Analytics TeamMost students will not be asked to pay 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 total cost of going to Western Kentucky University can seem overpowering, but remember that the majority of students are given some form of financial assistance.
Just what financial assistance solutions will WKU provide, and just what are you going to be eligible for? Read on for answers. Keep reading to discover just how much financial aid could be open 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 Western Kentucky University.
Colleges use loans, grants, scholarships and work-study to minimize what students actually pay out of pocket. Keep in mind that certain forms of assistance are more beneficial than others, and aid amounts differ from student to student.
Looking at the entering class at Western Kentucky University, 99% of entering full-time freshmen got some type of financial assistance some 2782 new students).
| Type of Aid | % of Freshmen Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 99% | $10,921 |
| Institutional grants & scholarships | 91% | $6,225 |
| Federal Pell grants | 41% | $5,553 |
| State/local grants | 69% | $4,211 |
| Federal student loans | 44% | $5,279 |
Grants and scholarships are the most valuable form of aid because, unlike loans, they never have to be repaid. At WKU, about 87% of undergraduates were awarded grant or scholarship aid averaging $9,681 (among about 12634 recipients).
| Award | % of Undergrads Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 87% | $9,681 |
| Federal Pell grants | 30% | $5,433 |
| Federal student loans | 35% | $6,495 |
Among title-IV aid recipients living on campus, grant and scholarship aid averaged $13,198.
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 | $10,563 |
| $30,001 – $75,000 | $16,854 |
| Over $75,000 | $18,322 |
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 | $10,990 |
| Off-campus title-IV students | $10,916 |
To get a personalized net price estimate, try WKU’s online cost calculator: [tcc.ruffalonl.com/Western Kentucky University/Freshman-Students](https://tcc.ruffalonl.com/Western Kentucky University/Freshman-Students).
The median federal debt load at WKU comes to $14,702 of federal borrowing.
| Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
| Median federal debt (all student-aid borrowers) | $14,702 |
| Median federal debt (graduates only) | $22,095 |
| Typical 10-year monthly payment (graduates) | $234.24/mo |
That monthly figure reflects the median graduate debt repaid on a standard 10-year federal schedule.
The numbers below show the full range, not just the middle of the distribution. The figures below chart the debt distribution at WKU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,007 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $39,000 |
How much a student borrows depends heavily on family income, first-gen status, and dependency.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $14,250 |
| Middle income | $14,750 |
| High income | $15,000 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $14,611 |
| Continuing-generation students | $14,737 |
Dependent vs Independent Students
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $14,250 |
| Independent students | $15,749 |
These indicators are derived from the underlying debt data and summarize the overall picture at WKU.
The Stafford program is the federal direct-loan vehicle most undergraduates use. The annual Stafford volume below reflects program activity at WKU:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Stafford loan recipients | 58897 |
| Total Stafford loan amount | $1,314,402,172 |
The GI Bill and DoD Tuition Assistance are the main federal aid routes for veterans and service members.
GI Bill volume
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| GI Bill recipients | 221 |
| Total GI Bill amount | $2,033,055 |
| Average GI Bill amount per recipient | $9,199 |
Active-duty Tuition Assistance recipients
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 229 |
| Total DoD amount | $564,575 |
| Average DoD amount per recipient | $2,465 |
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.