Montclair, NJ · Public · Every figure is for a student starting in fall 2027. We work each one out again whenever we update the site.
How to pay for Montclair State University
What a year costs here, what brings it down, and what a SmartTuition plan could save a family like yours.
Paying for four years here
Four years here, after grants
$126,737
A SmartTuition plan could save a family like this about $8,400.
A SmartTuition plan shows what to pay from where, each semester, using your own numbers.
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A family of four with good credit and $500 a month for college. How we worked these out ↓
A year at Montclair State University
| Full price, in state | $37,688 |
| Full price, out of state | $49,364 |
| After grants, at your income | $29,954 |
At this income, 9 of New Jersey's other 21 colleges cost less after grants, and 12 cost more. See them all →
What can bring it down
Montclair State University's promise. Red Hawk Advantage Award: up to four semesters of tuition and fees for New Jersey students with an adjusted gross income of $65,000 or less. The conditions ↓
Pay less for college
A SmartTuition plan shows what to pay from where, each semester.
At Montclair State University, our scenarios for New Jersey households with good parent credit show a SmartTuition plan saving a median of about $8,300 over four years. How we worked this out ↓
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Montclair State University describes this in words that stop short of a promise, so we show it in its own words. Ask the aid office whether you qualify.
Red Hawk Advantage Award: up to four semesters of tuition and fees for New Jersey students with an adjusted gross income of $65,000 or less
Household income up to $65,000. Covers tuition, fees.
- It is a last-dollar grant for New Jersey residents working on a first bachelor’s degree with fewer than 60 credits, enrolled full time. It starts after federal grants, state grants and scholarships. Montclair says the State of New Jersey sets the funding, which may change with each year's budget.
“The Red Hawk Advantage (RHA) Award provides eligible New Jersey students with financial assistance toward tuition and mandatory fees for up to four semesters. The maximum RHA award is based on Montclair State University's published flat-rate tuition and mandatory fees for students enrolled in 12-18 credits per semester. Funding is determined by the State of New Jersey and may change based on annual budget decisions. Who Is Eligible Students must: Be a New Jersey resident (including NJ Dream Act students) Complete the FAFSA or NJ Alternative Application Meet all NJ HESAA deadlines Have an AGI between $0 and $65,000 Be working toward a first bachelor’s degree Have earned fewer than 60 credits Be enrolled full-time (12 credits or more)”
How we worked these out
The family
A family of four with good parent credit and $500 a month to put toward college, and the savings you pick. In state, the grants are what Montclair State University reports families at that income got, on average. Your own will differ, and a family with no aid pays close to the full price. Out of state, there are no grants: the price is before any scholarship from the college.
What a SmartTuition plan saves
The difference, over four years, between a SmartTuition plan and the standard approach: savings first, then loans for the rest. It counts loan interest and the federal tax credit. For a family that lives in New Jersey, it also counts New Jersey's tax deduction for money you put through its 529 plan.
The $8,300 in the “Pay less for college” box near the top of this page is the median saving in Montclair State University's own scenarios. Each scenario is a household that lives in New Jersey, with an income from $45,000 to $200,000 and savings of none, $40,000 or $100,000 in a 529. We price Montclair State University at the aid it reports for that income.
Every scenario has parents with good credit and $500 a month toward college. The card above uses the same two. A scenario where the parents would borrow more than $65,000 is left out.
The prices by income
- They describe students who got aid.
- “Over $110,000” has no upper limit, so it averages families just over $110,000 with far wealthier ones. A family at $115,000 should expect to pay less than it shows.
- Each range is reported on its own, so the prices do not always rise with income.
Where the prices come from
Where the prices come from: Montclair State University's own 2026-27 tuition, fees, housing, food and books, from its website, carried forward to 2027 at 3.0% a year. The grants are the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard (2025-26 figures), carried forward the same way. Each price after grants is the cost less those grants. The out-of-state figure uses the published out-of-state tuition instead. The average price after grants counts the students who get federal aid. Your own figure will be different.
SmartTuition.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Montclair State University. Aid policies change; check current terms with the college's aid office.
Nearby at your income
- The College of New Jersey$29,376 a year
- Fairleigh Dickinson University Metropolitan$29,645 a year
- Montclair State University$29,954 a year
- Fairleigh Dickinson University Florham$30,746 a year
- Kean University$31,234 a year
What each college charges, less the average grant for your income. Every New Jersey college →