Cost & financial aid brief
Baylor University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Baylor cost after financial aid?
The published cost of attendance is $74,226, and the average aid recipient pays $41,104 after grants and scholarships. That is a reduction of $33,122, meaning aid covers about 45% of the sticker price for the average recipient.
The discount is not spread evenly across incomes. The lowest-income band, families earning under $30,000, averages $22,024.
The highest band, over $110,000, averages $47,895 — a spread of $25,871 between the two ends. The middle bands sit between those poles: $21,530 for the $30,001–$48,000 band, $33,902 for $48,001–$75,000, and $38,852 for $75,001–$110,000.
The pricing is progressive, with the largest reductions concentrated at the bottom of the income scale.
The published cost of attendance at Baylor University is $74,226. Azimuth ranks the university #1,361 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
After grants and scholarships, aid recipients in the lowest family-income band (under $30,000) average $22,024, those in the middle band ($48,001–$75,000) average $33,902, and those in the highest band (over $110,000) average $47,895. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $25,871.
Aid covers about 45% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The average net price across all aid recipients is $41,104, which is $4,893 above the $36,211 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Borrowers who finish carry a median of $23,000 in federal student loans, $168 below the $23,168 peer median. 91.5% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.
Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $50,786 in Parent PLUS loans. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $261 a month.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
At Baylor University, 91.5% of federal aid recipients take federal loans, while completers who borrowed have median federal student loan debt of $23,000. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $23,168, with Baylor’s median $168 below it.
For the separate parent-borrower population, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $50,786. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 42% of graduates borrowed from any source, with average cumulative borrowing of $57,257 per borrower.
That group included 39% of graduates with federal loans averaging $22,433. It also included 15% of graduates with private loans averaging $81,009.
Baylor University graduates earn a median of $69,608 four years after completion, a figure in the 75th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $5,549 less than expects for similar students, an outcome in the 34th percentile nationally.
Earnings scenarios, derived from the university's program mix, show a typical outcome of $69,608, with a downside scenario of $51,772 and an upside scenario of $99,582. The median federal debt at completion is $23,000, which is below the $23,168 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $261 a month if repaid over ten years. Median earnings sit below the $83,615 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $14,007.
Graduates earn less than the model expects, while the median federal debt is below the peer median.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $50,786. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $261.
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
- $50,786
- Estimated parent payment
- $645/mo
| Household income | Share of income above basic expenses | Risk level |
|---|---|---|
| $35,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $50,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $75,000 | 38.0% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 17.1% | High pressure |
| $150,000 | 8.1% | Caution |
| $200,000 | 5.3% | 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. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $23,000
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $50,786
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $261/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $645/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $906/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 $69,608, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
6.9% 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, $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.
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.