Cost & financial aid brief
Bradley University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Bradley University cost after financial aid?
The average net price for first-time full-time aid recipients is $22,719, which means aid covers about 58% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The pattern across income bands shows the largest discounts flowing to families with lower incomes.
Families earning under $30,000 average $17,269, while those in the $30,001–$48,000 band average $16,539, the $48,001–$75,000 band $18,609, the $75,001–$110,000 band $22,954, and families earning over $110,000 average $30,008. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $12,739, a difference of averages that coincides with an aid model that concentrates grant support on those with the greatest need.
Bradley University publishes a cost of attendance of $54,730, an average across living arrangements. Tuition and fees are $42,160, and room and board are $13,500.
The average net price—what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships—varies by family income. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $17,269; for the middle band ($48,001–$75,000), it is $18,609; and for families earning over $110,000, it is $30,008.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $12,739. Azimuth ranks the university #1,050 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Aid covers about 58% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an offset of $32,011 against the sticker price. The average net price across all aid recipients is $22,719, which sits below the peer median of $27,371 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $4,652.
That gap means the typical aid package at Bradley leaves a lower out-of-pocket cost than the middle value at similar private universities. Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, the median federal student debt is $27,000, with 95.9% of federal aid recipients borrowing.
That debt is above the peer median of $24,199 by $2,801. If repaid over ten years, the estimated monthly payment is $307.
Parents who borrow through the federal Parent PLUS program carry a separate median of $41,405.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
At Bradley University, completing federal-loan borrowers have median federal student loan debt of $27,000, which is $2,801 above the $24,199 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size). For the separate parent-borrower population, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $41,405.
In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported that 69% of graduates borrowed from any source, with an average cumulative amount of $35,728 per borrower. That borrowing included federal loans for 68% of graduates, averaging $24,541. It also included private loans for 17% of graduates, averaging $45,084.
Graduates of Bradley University earn about $7,296 more than expects for similar students, a result in the 77th percentile nationally. The median earnings four years after completion reach $74,150, which lands in the 82nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
That figure is above the $68,250 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $5,900. Earnings scenarios, anchored on the university's program mix, show a typical earnings level of $74,150, with a downside scenario of $50,450 and an upside scenario of $95,215.
The median federal student debt at completion is $27,000, which is above the $24,199 peer median. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $41,405. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $307.
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
- $41,405
- Estimated parent payment
- $526/mo
| Household income | Share of income above basic expenses | Risk level |
|---|---|---|
| $35,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $50,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $75,000 | 31.0% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 13.9% | High pressure |
| $150,000 | 6.6% | Caution |
| $200,000 | 4.3% | 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. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $27,000
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $41,405
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $307/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $526/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $833/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 $74,150, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
7.3% 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, $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.
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.