Cost & financial aid brief
Boston University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does BU cost after financial aid?
For the average aid recipient, grants and scholarships cover about 72% of the published cost, bringing the average net price to $24,402. The pricing structure is steeply progressive: families earning under $30,000 face an average net price of $9,500, while those in the $30,001–$48,000 band average $9,342, the $48,001–$75,000 band averages $11,778, the $75,001–$110,000 band averages $22,517, and families earning over $110,000 average $47,504.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $38,004, a gap that reflects how the largest discounts are concentrated on families with the lowest incomes.
Boston University publishes a cost of attendance of $86,285, an average across living arrangements. Tuition and fees are $68,102 and room and board are $19,020.
The average net price—what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships—varies sharply by family income. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $9,500; for the $48,001–$75,000 band, it is $11,778; and for families earning over $110,000, it reaches $47,504.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $38,004. Azimuth ranks the university #996 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Aid covers about 72% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an offset of $61,883. The average net price across all aid recipients is $24,402, which sits below the peer median of $36,211 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $11,809.
That gap reflects a pricing structure where lower- and middle-income bands see net prices well below the sticker, while the highest-income band approaches half the published cost. Median federal student debt at completion is $23,250.
That median runs above the peer median of $23,168 by $82, and 94.2% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $39,000.
If repaid over ten years, the median federal debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $264 a month.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal borrowing is widespread at Boston University: 94.2% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Among those who complete, the median federal student loan debt is $23,250.
That median is $82 above the $23,168 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, the debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $264 a month.
Parents who borrow through the separate Parent PLUS program hold a median of $39,000.
Graduates of Boston University earn a median of $83,615 four years after completion, a figure in the 91st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. That median is level with the peer median of $83,615 for comparable institutions (same type and size).
At the same time, graduates earn about $17,100 less than expects for similar students, an outcome in the 6th percentile nationally. The return picture is mixed: earnings fall short of the model expectation while sitting below the peer median.
Earnings scenarios anchored on the university's program mix suggest a typical earnings level of $83,615, with a downside scenario of $57,984 and an upside scenario of $117,834. Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median federal debt of $23,250, which is above the peer median of $23,168 by $82.
If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $264 a month.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $39,000. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $264.
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
- $39,000
- Estimated parent payment
- $496/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | High pressure |
| $150,000 | Caution |
| $200,000 | Safe |
The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $23,250
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $39,000
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $264/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $496/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $760/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 $83,615, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
5.2% 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, $22,590, uses the published framework’s 2024 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.