1.  [College research](/)
2.  /
3.  [Bethune-Cookman University](/school/bethune-cookman-university/)
4.  /
5.  Cost & financial aid brief

Cost & financial aid brief

Copy linkPrint brief

# Bethune-Cookman University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much does Bethune-Cookman University cost after financial aid?

The published cost of attendance at Bethune-Cookman University is $29,764 for a standard budget. That total includes tuition and fees of $14,794 and room and board of $10,396.

For the average aid recipient here, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $12,030. That is $15,341 below the peer median of $27,371 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Financial aid reduces the sticker price by $17,734 on average, and aid covers about 60% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. Azimuth ranks the university #655 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. That places the affordability pillar in the 54th percentile.

The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) at Bethune-Cookman University is $12,030, which is $15,341 below the median of $27,371 for comparable institutions (same type and size). The lowest band averages $10,896, and the highest averages $18,654, a spread of $7,758 between the two ends.

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $31,000 in federal loans, $6,801 above the peer median of $24,199. Azimuth places the affordability pillar at the 54th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s are lower in the listed lower-income bands, so the price after grants and scholarships varies across family income. The average net price is $10,896 in the lowest band, $11,487 in the next band, $14,346 in the middle band, $17,882 in the next-highest band, and $18,654 in the highest band.

Pell Grants go to 78.3% of undergraduates, providing financial-access context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $7,758.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$10,896

**$30–48K**
$11,487

**$48–75K**
$14,346

**$75–110K**
$17,882

**$110K+**
$18,654

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$12,030**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

For the average aid recipient, the difference between published cost and average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $17,734. Aid covers about 60% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.

In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported an average 66% of need met among first-year aid recipients with need. Average need-based grants were $17,034, and average packages were $19,832.

Of 667 first-year students determined to have financial need, 40 had need fully met. In the 2024-25 academic year, merit aid went to 33 first-year students and averaged $10,832.

Across the income bands, average net prices are $10,896, $11,487, $14,346, $17,882, and $18,654, from the lowest to highest band. Lower prices at lower family incomes show a pattern of more aid directed toward those bands, not an individual aid promise.

The published cost of attendance at Bethune-Cookman University is $29,764, so aid makes a large difference to the price families face. Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $10,896 for the lowest family-income band, $11,487 for the lower-middle band, $14,346 for the middle band, $17,882 for the upper-middle band, and $18,654 for the highest band.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $7,758. Azimuth ranks the university #655 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Aid covers about 60% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an average offset of $17,734. Across aid recipients, the average net price is $12,030, alongside published tuition and fees of $14,794 and room and board of $10,396.

That average net price is $15,341 below the peer median of $27,371 at comparable institutions (same type and size). The aid offset and lower peer price point in the same direction.

For borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $31,000, and 92.8% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. The peer median debt is $24,199 at comparable institutions (same type and size), putting the university $6,801 above that figure.

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $352 a month if repaid over ten years. Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $29,770.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Median federal student loan debt for borrowers who complete is $31,000. Nearly all undergraduates borrow through federal programs: the borrower share is 92.8%.

That median sits $6,801 above the peer median of $24,199 for comparable institutions (same type and size). Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $29,770.

In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported that 82% of graduates borrowed from any source, including 81% with federal loans averaging $29,686. Average cumulative borrowing was $32,105 per borrower. Private loans averaged $21,886 among the 10% of graduates who held them.

For Bethune-Cookman University, the investment picture pairs low earnings four years after completion with earnings that exceed the model's expectation. Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled earn median earnings of $46,007 four years after completion.

Azimuth places that earnings figure in the 11th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. [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, offer a separate measure.

Graduates earn about $2,099 more than the model expects for similar students. Azimuth places that measure in the 63rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Earnings scenarios put earnings at $34,284 in a downside case, $46,007 in a typical case, and $63,744 in an upside case. Median federal debt of $31,000 is $6,801 above the $24,199 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $352 a month if repaid over ten years. The return picture is mixed: earnings exceed the model, but the debt comparison is less favorable.

Parent borrowers have median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing of $29,770, a separate population from student federal-loan borrowers. For borrowers with median federal student debt, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $352 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**
$29,770

**Estimated parent payment**
$378/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 | 22.3% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 10.0% | Caution |
| $150,000 | 4.8% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 3.1% | 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=bethune-cookman-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**
$31,000

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$29,770

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

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$352/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$378/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$730/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 $46,007, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**19.1%** of income above the allowance · Concerning

1.  Excellent Under 8%
2.  Good 8–under 12%
3.  Concerning 12–20% · selected scenario
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=bethune-cookman-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.