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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Baylor University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much does Baylor cost after financial aid?

Baylor University publishes a cost of attendance of $74,226, with tuition and fees at $58,100 and room and board at $15,314. After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients is $41,104 — a savings of $33,122 against the published total.

Aid covers about 45% of the sticker cost for the average aid recipient. That average net price sits above the peer median of $36,211 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $4,893.

Affordability is the university's weakest pillar: Azimuth ranks Baylor #1,361 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. A high sticker price and an above-peer net price point the same way, though aid brings the cost down meaningfully for those who qualify.

Aid recipients at Baylor University pay an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) of $41,104, $4,893 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size). By income band, the averages span from $22,024 for the lowest-income band to $47,895 for the highest-income band.

Azimuth places Baylor University in the 4th percentile for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $23,000 in federal loans, $168 below the peer median. Net prices land above the peer median, while debt sits below it.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s by family-income band show a progressive structure. For families earning under $30,000 the average net price is $22,024; for $30,001–$48,000 it is $21,530; for $48,001–$75,000 it is $33,902; for $75,001–$110,000 it is $38,852; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $47,895.

Pell Grant recipients make up 12.4% of undergraduates, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $25,871.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$22,024

**$30–48K**
$21,530

**$48–75K**
$33,902

**$75–110K**
$38,852

**$110K+**
$47,895

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$41,104**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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 the model 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $50,786. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $261.

[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**
$50,786

**Estimated parent payment**
$645/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 | 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](/financial-gps/?tool=parent&school=baylor-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**
$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

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=baylor-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.