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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Auburn University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much does Auburn University cost after financial aid?

The published price at Auburn University leaves aid recipients with a higher average cost than at comparable institutions. The university lists a cost of attendance of $34,919, with in-state tuition and fees of $12,890 and room and board of $16,626.

Nonresidents face tuition and fees of $34,922. For aid recipients, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $24,323.

Financial aid reduces the published cost by $10,596 on average for that group. At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median net price is $15,634; the university’s average is $8,689 above it.

Azimuth places the affordability pillar in the 32nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The peer comparison and affordability standing both point to a relatively high average price after aid.

The affordability pillar sits at the 32nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, the weakest of the four for Auburn University. Here, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $24,323, which is $8,689 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

By income band, families earning under $30,000 average $16,681, and those earning over $110,000 average $29,547. The spread between the two ends is $12,866.

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $21,000 in federal student loans, $924 above the peer median.

Costs after grants and scholarships increase from the lowest to the highest family-income band. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $16,681 in the lowest band, $17,627 in the next band, $20,558 in the middle band, $25,808 in the next-highest band, and $29,547 in the highest band.

Pell Grants go to 12.5% of undergraduates, providing financial-access context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $12,866.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$16,681

**$30–48K**
$17,627

**$48–75K**
$20,558

**$75–110K**
$25,808

**$110K+**
$29,547

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$24,323**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

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 price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), 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 average net price 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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 the model's 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](#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**
$43,605

**Estimated parent payment**
$554/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| Household income | Share of income above basic expenses | Risk level |
| --- | --- | --- |
| $35,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $50,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $75,000 | 32.7% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 14.7% | High pressure |
| $150,000 | 7.0% | Caution |
| $200,000 | 4.6% | Safe |

The 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS balance, as a share of household income above basic expenses ($54,640 a year: 200% of the 2026 federal poverty guideline for a household of three). No room is High pressure. [Open the parent tool for your own numbers](/financial-gps/?tool=parent&school=auburn-university#parent-tool). [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**
$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 $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**5.8%** of income above the allowance · Excellent

1.  Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
2.  Good 8–under 12%
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, $23,940, uses the published framework’s 2026 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=auburn-university#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.