Cost & financial aid brief
Abilene Christian University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Abilene Christian University cost after financial aid?
The published cost of attendance is $59,256. Grants and scholarships lower the average net price to $26,182, a savings of $33,074 for the average aid recipient.
Aid covers about 56% of the published cost. The moves upward across income bands, from $20,285 for the lowest band to $31,763 for the highest.
The $11,478 spread between the two ends shows that aid narrows the gap but does not flatten it.
The published cost of attendance at Abilene Christian University is $59,256. Azimuth ranks the university #1,036 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $20,285, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $23,012, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $31,763. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $11,478.
Aid covers about 56% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The average net price across all aid recipients is $26,182, which is $1,189 below the $27,371 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median of $24,250 in federal student loans. That is $51 above the $24,199 median for comparable institutions.
Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $26,542 in Parent PLUS loans. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $276 a month.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Borrowers who complete a degree at Abilene Christian University leave with a median of $24,250 in federal student loans. 91.3% of federal aid recipients borrow federally.
That median sits $51 above the $24,199 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Parents who borrow through the Parent PLUS program hold a separate median of $26,542.
Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $59,305, at the 48th percentile nationally. That figure is $8,945 below the $68,250 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Graduates earn about $7,697 less than expects for similar students. That places the gap at the 26th percentile.
Earnings scenarios, estimated from Abilene Christian University's program mix, range from $49,830 on the downside to $87,672 on the upside. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $24,250 in federal loans, which is $51 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $276 a month if repaid over ten years.
For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $26,542. For borrowers with median federal student debt, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $276 a month if repaid over ten years.
Repayment figures are in the Financial GPS card below. Borrowing populations and model assumptions.
Parent loans: what can the family afford?
How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families
- Median Parent PLUS debt
- $26,542
- Estimated parent payment
- $337/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | Caution |
| $150,000 | Safe |
| $200,000 | Safe |
The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $24,250
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $26,542
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $276/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $337/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $613/mo
Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.
Student payment as a share of available income
At median graduate earnings of $59,305, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
9.0% of income above the allowance · Good
- Excellent Under 8%
- Good 8–under 12% · selected scenario
- Concerning 12–20%
- High risk Over 20%
How this estimate works
These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $22,590, uses the published framework’s 2024 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.
Payment assumptions
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.
Net price and borrowing. The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. College Scorecard data and documentation.
A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.