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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Aquinas College Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/aquinas-college/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/aquinas-college/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/aquinas-college/admissions/)[Majors](/school/aquinas-college/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/aquinas-college/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does Aquinas College cost after financial aid?

At Aquinas College, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $16,626, placing the college's aid-recipient cost below the comparable-institution benchmark. The published cost of attendance is $51,652, an average across living arrangements.

Tuition and fees are $40,218, and room and board are $11,680. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is reduced by $35,026 from the published price.

At comparable institutions of the same type and size, the peer median net price is $22,347, and Aquinas is below it by $5,721. Azimuth places affordability at the 65th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The lower-than-peer net price and above-midpoint affordability standing point in the same direction for aid recipients.

For affordability, Aquinas College is in the 65th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $16,626, which is $5,721 below the median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $23,000 in federal student loans, $2,000 below the peer median. The lowest income band averages $10,725, and the highest averages $21,093.

Family-income bands show a stepped price pattern: the lowest band has an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) of $10,725, followed by $11,222 in the next band, $13,594 in the middle band, $15,468 in the next-highest band, and $21,093 in the highest band. Pell Grants reach 23.9% of undergraduates, which provides financial-access context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $10,368.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$10,725

**$30–48K**
$11,222

**$48–75K**
$13,594

**$75–110K**
$15,468

**$110K+**
$21,093

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$16,626**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

For aid recipients, Aquinas College shows lower average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s in the lower listed family-income bands. Against a published cost of $51,652 (an average across living arrangements), the average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $16,626, a reduction of $35,026.

Aid covers about 68% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The lowest listed income band has an average net price of $10,725, compared with $21,093 for the highest band; the spread between them is $10,368.

Those band averages show a pricing pattern that places lower average costs at lower incomes, but they do not describe any individual aid package.

The published cost of attendance at Aquinas College is $51,652 (an average across living arrangements). Azimuth ranks the university #502 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $10,725, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $13,594, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $21,093. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $10,368.

Aid covers about 68% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The average net price across all aid recipients is $16,626, which is $5,721 below the $22,347 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median of $23,000 in federal student loans. That is $2,000 below the $25,000 peer median.

91.2% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Parents who borrow through the [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) program hold a separate median of $24,361.

If repaid over ten years, the median student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $261 a month.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Borrowing is common at Aquinas College: 91.2% of federal aid recipients take federal loans, though the debt picture sits below comparable institutions. Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $23,000, excluding [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) and private loans.

At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median federal debt is $25,000, placing Aquinas College $2,000 below that benchmark. For the separate parent-borrower population, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $24,361.

At Aquinas College, lower borrowing sits beside an earnings picture that warrants care. Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $51,578 four years after completion.

Among nonprofit four-year institutions, that figure falls in the 22nd percentile. [Earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/), the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, point in the same direction.

Graduates earn about $8,899 less than the model expects for similar students. Azimuth places this measure in the 22nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The downside earnings scenario is $45,184, the typical scenario is $51,578, and the upside scenario is $76,360. Median federal student loan debt at completion is $23,000, $2,000 below the $25,000 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $261 a month if repaid over ten years. Lower debt and below-expected earnings pull the investment picture in different directions.

[Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) loans had a median borrowing amount of $24,361 among parent borrowers. That measure covers parents rather than the students with federal loans.

For the median federal debt, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $261 a month if repaid over ten years.

[Repayment figures](#combined-borrowing) are in the Financial GPS card below. [Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes).

## Parent loans: what can the family afford?

[How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/)

**Median Parent PLUS debt**
$24,361

**Estimated parent payment**
$310/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| 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](#cost-data-notes).

## Student and parent loans: the monthly payments

Financial GPS

### What does repayment look like?

**Institution median student debt**
$23,000

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$24,361

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$261/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$310/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$571/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 $51,578, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**10.8%** of income above the allowance · Good

1.  Excellent Under 8%
2.  Good 8–under 12% · selected scenario
3.  Concerning 12–20%
4.  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.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

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.

[Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=aquinas-college#student-tool)

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), 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](/about/).

**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](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/).

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.