Understanding Kettering University Tuition and Costs

For prospective students and their families, understanding the costs associated with higher education is crucial. This article provides a detailed overview of Kettering University's tuition, fees, financial aid options, and payment procedures.

The Sticker Price: Tuition and Fees

Kettering University's tuition is $50,650, which is more expensive than the national average cost of tuition of $47,097. These figures include both tuition and fees. Fees differ by institution and may fund library services, student gym facilities, student centers, technology resources and campus health centers. It's important to note that students who enrolled on or after July 1, 2023, are subject to tuition rates established on an annual basis. In contrast, students who enrolled prior to July 1, 2023, are subject to a fixed full-time tuition structure.

Total Cost of Attendance

As you’re comparing costs of different institutions, also consider the total cost and the net price. The total cost is the sticker price, plus the cost of food and housing, books and supplies, and transportation and personal expenses. At Kettering University, the total cost is $64,416.

The "Cost of Attendance" is the total amount of money the average student has to pay, WITHOUT any financial aid, to attend a particular school. Think of it as a school’s sticker price.

For the 2025-2026 academic year, Kettering University estimates the following costs:

Direct Costs:

Tuition: $50,650
Housing: $6,000
Food: $4,750
Total: $61,400

Indirect Costs:

Books and supplies: $800
Transportation: $2,100
Miscellaneous: $1,346
Total: $4,246

Therefore, the Total Cost of Attendance is $65,646. Factoring in estimated loan fees, the total can reach $66,578.

Financial Aid

Knowing what a school costs is Step #1 in managing college costs. The Cost of Attendance listed above might be intimidating. This is good news - more students getting financial aid means students at Kettering University are likely getting a pretty good deal on their education.

Kettering University offers various forms of financial aid, including scholarships, grants, and loans, to help students finance their education.

Scholarships and Grants

Scholarships are a type of funding that you don’t need to pay back. Need-based scholarships take a student’s financial status into account. Merit-based scholarships are awarded to students for academic or athletic achievement. You might also qualify for a scholarship based on your community service involvement, unique hobbies or traits, your personal background, or a parent’s employer or military affiliation.

Some students receive enough in scholarship money to cover their tuition and living expenses. See the types of scholarships and grants available at Kettering University below.

Read also: Affording ECU

We’re focusing on grants and scholarships first because they’re the most important forms of financial aid. Grants and scholarships are better than loans because students don’t ever have to pay them back. Although it’s useful to know how many students get grant aid, it’s also important to know how much grant aid people tend to receive. So how much grant money do students at Kettering University tend to receive?

The average need-based scholarship or grant awarded to first-year students at Kettering University was $32,979. Additionally, 79% of first-year students received need-based financial aid in fall 2023. The average non-need-based scholarship or grant awarded to first-year students at Kettering University - excluding any athletic scholarships, if applicable - was $24,100.

Altogether, this is great news - at Kettering University, MORE students get financial aid, and each award size is HIGHER. The grant dollar amounts we’ve seen so far have included aid from all sources - both federal and institutional. To figure out how strong Kettering University’s own financial aid program is, we’ll look at how they award their own (non-federal) financial aid dollars. Because more Kettering University students get institutional aid, it likely offers relatively competitive financial aid. The amount of money that students actually get is just as important (if not more important) than the percent of students who get grants. Right away, it seems like Kettering University offers more institutional aid than other schools. On the other hand, this can also mean that the school just costs more than the typical school of its type.

Kettering University met 88% of its students’ financial aid need. Read below to learn more about the types of aid available.

Loans

Aside from grants, the other major way to pay for college is with student loans. The more student loan money you borrow, the more debt you’ll end up with after graduation. Ideally, you want to minimize your student debt as much as possible. It’s generally a bad sign if a school has many students taking out a lot of loans. First, let’s talk about how many students at Kettering University actually have to take out any student loans at all. It’s very common for college grads in the US to graduate with some debt, but high percentages of students taking on loans at a particular school is a big red flag.

Read also: Withdrawals for College: A Guide

High numbers of students with loans is a red flag, and Kettering University is above average. To break this down further, we have to understand how much actual debt the average person takes out while in school. We’ll start with federal loans because, in general, federal loans are preferable to private loans. Federal loans tend to have low interest rates, which means they cost less in the long run. High percentages or amounts of federal loans still isn’t a great sign - again, you don’t want to see students burdened with too much debt. At Kettering University, 69% of all students take out federal loans. At Kettering University, the average annual federal loan amount is $5646.

Other loans, or private loans, are the last resource students turn to when paying for college. At Kettering University, 28% of students take out private loans. Just as important as the percentage of students with private loans is the average loan amount. The average private loan amount at Kettering University is $14923. The percentage of students getting federal loans is greater than those getting private loans, which is a good sign.

Need-based self-help aid includes federal loans and work-study. The average need-based self-help aid awarded to first-year students was $5,091.

Student Loan Debt

How much student loan debt you accumulate can affect your financial life long after college ends. Ideally, your total student loan debt should fall below your anticipated starting salary once you graduate. At Kettering University, the median federal loan debt among borrowers who completed their undergraduate degree is $27,000. The median monthly federal loan payment (if it were repaid over 10 years at 5.05% interest) for student federal loan borrowers who graduated is $286.

Additionally, 27% of graduating students at Kettering University took out private loans. Students with private loans had an average of $53,114 in private loan debt at graduation.

Average Total Indebtedness of 2024 Graduating Class: $42,823

Graduating students who have borrowed (any loan type, 2024): 69%

Work-Study Programs and Campus Jobs

Working while in school can help lessen the burden of your student loans. Schools offer work-study programs to those who qualify and campus jobs to students looking to earn money in their free time. Some institutions match students with work-study positions, while others require them apply to the positions, like they would for any other job.

Begin your job search by checking whether your college has in-person or online job boards.

Net Price and Affordability

Finally, we get to the bottom line: what will Kettering University actually cost YOU? Above, we've covered Kettering University's Cost of Attendance (tuition, room and board, books, and more). The Net Price is the total cost minus the total aid given. In other words, this is the price you have to pay to the school out of pocket. We'll cover two ways to get your Net Price for Kettering University - the fast way, and the precise way. If you want a quick, general idea of your annual Net Price at Kettering University, here's a handy chart showing the net price of real students. Most schools have an updated Net Price calculator available.

Once you have a Net Price estimate, you’ll want to figure out whether your family can afford to pay Kettering University tuition and costs. Once again, the Net Price is the total cost of attending, minus the aid you can expect to get (grants and scholarships). The US government has come up with a standardized way to calculate how much a typical family can afford to pay without help. As an example, a family that brings home $80,000 in income before taxes, with no assets and no other children in college, has an EFC of around $7,000. Colleges use this number as a guideline to decide how much aid to give you, but it's just a guideline. So we're going to calculate your EFC and compare it to Kettering University's Net Price. If the Net Price is higher than the EFC, the school will cost more than you can typically afford.

This tool will calculate your Expected Family Contribution, or EFC. In order to calculate this amount, we need just 4 pieces of information from you. According to the information you’ve entered above, your Expected Family Contribution should be about $. This is the amount that the federal government thinks you can afford to pay for school. Please note this tool is only an approximation, and your personal situation may cause your EFC to vary.

Chances are, college won't be cheap. Have you considered a range of private and public schools? What if you didn't attend college at all? Here's our take: college will be a really important stage in your development. Going to a better, more reputable college will usually pay off in the long run. To determine the value of Kettering University, we're going to rely on reputable ranking lists. As a regional school, Kettering University may not be a household name nationwide, but it's known to people in the local area as a solid school. Compared to some other regional schools, Kettering University didn't appear on our best value lists. This might be because the net price is higher than for other schools of similar reputation. This isn't the end of the world - you can likely still afford Kettering University by taking out loans, earning scholarships, or working part-time. Overall, Kettering University is a decent value, and going to college here will likely pay off over time.

Additional Financial Considerations

Health Insurance Requirement

The University requires students to submit proof of health insurance each academic year, or to purchase Kettering’s Student Health Insurance Plan.

G.I. Bill and Yellow Ribbon Program

Kettering University is G.I. Bill certified and participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program.

Payment Information

Payments may be made via an ACH transaction from a bank account or credit card. International payments may be made through KU.ePay, and will be processed as a bank wire. Please visit KU.ePay for more information.

Tuition payment is typically due by the fourth week Friday of each academic term.

An enrollment deposit of $300 is required and will be applied towards tuition payment.

Financial Aid Dates

Application Due: Not available. The last day to apply for financial aid or turn in related paperwork.
Priority Application Due: Not available. Applications received prior to this date will be given the strongest consideration. Still apply for financial aid if you don’t make this due date.
Notification Date: Not available. When students receive a letter with the amount and types of aid the college is offering.
Response Due: Not available. The deadline for students to respond to the college’s aid offer.

Alternatives to Kettering University

To meet Kettering University's admission requirements, you'll need to have competitive SAT/ACT scores and a good GPA. How do you compare to other students accepted to Kettering University? Your next step should be to get a better idea of costs and aid availability at similar schools. If you’re interested in Kettering University, you should check out some other high-value schools that could give you more bang for your buck. Get started here to check both in-state and out-of-state schools that might provide a better value. Finally, we're going to look at schools that might offer a better value than Kettering University. To compile this list, we first find schools at similar academic levels, so you have a similar chance at getting in. It’s hard to know exactly what schools will be a great value for you without information on your family income. There are a lot of potential financial benefits that come with attending a school close to home. For example, in-state public schools tend to have subsidized tuitions for state residents.

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