Cost & financial aid brief
Auburn University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Auburn University cost after financial aid?
Aid reduces the published price for the average recipient, but the size of that reduction differs across family incomes. Aid covers about 30% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.
The lower-income bands have lower average net prices than the middle and upper-income bands, with costs increasing across the listed income range. This pattern shows that the larger average discounts are concentrated in the lower-income bands, while aid recipients in higher-income bands face higher average prices.
The pricing pattern and the average aid coverage describe the same broad picture: aid offsets part of the published cost, with the deepest average reductions at lower incomes.
At Auburn University, published cost of attendance is $34,919, and the price left after aid varies across family-income bands. The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $16,681 in the lowest family-income band, $17,627 in the lower-middle band, $20,558 in the middle band, $25,808 in the upper-middle band, and $29,547 in the highest band.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $12,866. Azimuth ranks the university #956 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 30% of the published cost, or $10,596, leaving an across all aid recipients of $24,323. Published in-state tuition and fees are $12,890, out-of-state tuition and fees are $34,922, and room and board are $16,626.
The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $15,634, with the university’s average net price $8,689 above it. Aid reduces the published cost, but the average price remains above the peer midpoint.
Among borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $21,000, and 88.8% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. The peer median debt for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $20,076, placing the university $924 above that figure.
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $239 a month if repaid over ten years. Median Parent PLUS borrowing is $43,605.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal borrowing is common at Auburn University, with 88.8% of federal aid recipients taking federal loans. Among borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $21,000.
The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $20,076, placing Auburn's median $924 above it. Parent borrowers are a separate population, with median Parent PLUS borrowing of $43,605.
Four years after completion, Auburn University graduates earn a median of $73,151, a figure that reads differently against peers than against expectation. That pay is $7,541 above the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
That median falls in the 81st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $6,109 less than the model expects for similar students.
That result sits at the 32nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix show a typical outcome of $73,151, a downside of $50,796, and an upside of $94,907.
Borrowers who finish hold a median of $21,000 in federal student loans, $924 above the peer median of $20,076. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $239 a month if repaid over ten years.
Parent PLUS borrowing has a median of $43,605 for parent borrowers, separate from student federal loans. For borrowers with median federal student debt, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $239 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
- $43,605
- Estimated parent payment
- $554/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | High pressure |
| $150,000 | Caution |
| $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
- $21,000
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $43,605
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $239/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $554/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $793/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 $73,151, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
5.7% of income above the allowance · Excellent
- Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
- Good 8–under 12%
- 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.