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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Boston University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much does BU cost after financial aid?

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.

For the average aid recipient, the [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—what families pay after grants and scholarships—drops to $24,402, a savings of $61,883 against the sticker total. Aid covers about 72% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.

That average net price sits below the peer median of $36,211 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $11,809. Azimuth ranks the university #996 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The average aid package is large, but the sticker price is high enough that the net result still lands below most peers. A low net price and a rank near the bottom of the affordability pillar pull in opposite directions.

Affordability at Boston University is mixed. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships—is $24,402, which sits below the peer median of $36,211 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $11,809.

Median federal student debt among completers who borrowed is $23,250, also above the peer median of $23,168 by $82. Azimuth ranks the university's affordability pillar in the 30th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The net price varies sharply by income. Average net prices run from $9,500 for families earning under $30,000 to $47,504 for those earning over $110,000.

A below-peer net price and debt coexist with a wide spread between the lowest and highest income bands, which is $38,004.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s by family-income band show a steeply progressive structure. For families earning under $30,000 the average net price is $9,500; for $30,001–$48,000 it is $9,342; for $48,001–$75,000 it is $11,778; for $75,001–$110,000 it is $22,517; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $47,504.

Pell Grant recipients make up 19.1% of undergraduates, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $38,004, a difference of averages that shows aid is concentrated on families with lower incomes.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$9,500

**$30–48K**
$9,342

**$48–75K**
$11,778

**$75–110K**
$22,517

**$110K+**
$47,504

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$24,402**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

For the average aid recipient, grants and scholarships cover about 72% of the published cost, bringing the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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 the model 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $39,000. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $264.

[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**
$39,000

**Estimated parent payment**
$496/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| 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](#cost-data-notes).

## 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

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, $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.

[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=boston-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.