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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Biola University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

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

**On this page**+

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

For aid recipients, Biola University has an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) of $31,495, what they pay after grants and scholarships. That is above the $27,371 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $4,124, making cost a particular concern relative to similar schools.

The published cost of attendance is $62,757. Listed tuition and fees are $48,984, with room and board at $13,130.

Average financial aid savings of $31,262 reduce the sticker total for recipients. Azimuth puts the affordability pillar in the 10th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The above-peer net price and that affordability standing point in the same direction.

Affordability is the weakest pillar for Biola University, at the 10th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $31,495, which is $4,124 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size) of $27,371.

By income band, average net prices run from $27,144 for families earning under $30,000 to $37,314 for those earning over $110,000, a spread of $10,170. Borrowers who complete a degree leave with a median of $23,875 in federal student loans, $324 below the peer median of $24,199.

Pricing varies across family-income bands, and the lowest-income band does not have the lowest average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/). The average net price is $27,144 for the lowest band; $25,410 for the next band; $26,825 for the middle band; $29,846 for the next-highest band; and $37,314 for the highest band.

26.0% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, a financial-access measure that provides context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $10,170.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$27,144

**$30–48K**
$25,410

**$48–75K**
$26,825

**$75–110K**
$29,846

**$110K+**
$37,314

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$31,495**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

At Biola University, the lowest-income band does not have the lowest average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), even though aid reduces the published cost for recipients overall. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $31,495 against a published cost of $62,757.

The average aid offset is $31,262, and aid covers about 50% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. By family-income band, average net price is $27,144 in the lowest band, $25,410 in the next band, $26,825 in the middle band, $29,846 in the next-highest band, and $37,314 in the highest band.

The lower and middle bands generally face lower average prices than the highest band, but the pattern is uneven at the bottom of the income range.

A standard published budget at Biola University costs $62,757, leaving families to weigh a broad range of aid-recipient costs. Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $27,144 for the lowest family-income band, $25,410 for the lower-middle band, $26,825 for the middle band, $29,846 for the upper-middle band, and $37,314 for the highest band.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $10,170. Azimuth ranks the university #1,274 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Aid offsets a large share of the published price for the average recipient, though the resulting cost remains above that of comparable schools. Financial aid savings average $31,262 against the sticker price, and aid covers about 50% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.

Among first-time full-time Title IV aid recipients, the average net price is $31,495, $4,124 above the peer median of $27,371 for comparable institutions (same type and size). Published tuition and fees are $48,984, with room and board listed at $13,130.

Borrowing is common among undergraduates here, although the typical federal debt figure sits slightly below the comparable-school median. Among borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $23,875, and 93.5% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.

That median is $324 below the $24,199 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size). Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $50,726.

The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $271 a month if repaid over ten years.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Federal borrowing is widespread at Biola University, with 93.5% of federal aid recipients taking federal loans. Among borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt at completion is $23,875.

The median sits below the $24,199 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size), by $324. Parent borrowers are a separate population, with median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing of $50,726.

The investment picture at Biola University is shaped by earnings that sit below the peer median and a debt load that is close to the norm. Four years after completion, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $61,363, at the 55th percentile.

That is $6,887 below the $68,250 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Graduates earn about $5,405 less than the model expects for similar students, an outcome at the 35th percentile.

Earnings scenarios, estimated from the university's program mix, range from $46,206 in a downside case to $95,864 in an upside case, with a typical scenario of $61,363. On the borrowing side, the median federal student debt at completion is $23,875, which is $324 below the peer median of $24,199.

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $271 a month if repaid over ten years.

Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing for the separate parent-borrower population is $50,726. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $271 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**
$50,726

**Estimated parent payment**
$644/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=biola-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**
$23,875

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$50,726

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

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$271/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$644/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$915/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 $61,363, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**8.7%** of income above the allowance · Good

1.  Excellent Under 8%
2.  Good 8–under 12% · selected scenario
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=biola-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.