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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Brandeis University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

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

**On this page**+

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

Brandeis University has a high published price, and its average cost after aid remains above the comparable-school benchmark. The published cost of attendance is $86,448, an average across living arrangements.

On-campus tuition and fees are $68,080, and room and board are $19,944. For aid recipients, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $35,736, with $50,712 in average financial aid savings against the sticker price.

At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median net price is $27,371; this university is $8,365 above that figure. Azimuth ranks Brandeis University #1,300 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The aid discount is substantial, but the remaining average price and affordability standing point toward a costly comparison.

Aid recipients face a weak affordability picture at Brandeis University. Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $35,736, $8,365 above the peer median—the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size)—of $27,371.

Azimuth assigns the affordability pillar to the 8th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Across income bands, average net prices are $13,363 for lowest-income families, $15,135 in the next-lowest band, $20,536 in the middle band, $26,784 in the next-highest band, and $54,885 for highest-income families.

Borrowers who completed have median federal student loan debt of $25,648, $1,449 above the peer median of $24,199. Both sit above peers.

Brandeis’s income-band figures show a steep pricing ladder for aid recipients. Pell Grants are received by 15.0% of undergraduates, a financial-access measure that provides context for the lowest-band averages.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s are $13,363 in the lowest family-income band, $15,135 in the next band, $20,536 in the middle band, $26,784 in the next-highest band, and $54,885 in the highest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $41,522.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$13,363

**$30–48K**
$15,135

**$48–75K**
$20,536

**$75–110K**
$26,784

**$110K+**
$54,885

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$35,736**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, Brandeis University reported that first-year recipients with need had an average 97% of need met in the 2025-26 academic year. The average need-based grant was $61,952, and the average package was $65,635.

It determined 387 first-year students had need, and 268 had it fully met. Merit aid in the 2025-26 academic year went to 149 first-year students, averaging $18,791.

The published cost is $86,448 (an average across living arrangements); average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $35,736, with $50,712 offset by aid. Aid covers about 59% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.

From the lowest to the highest family-income band, average net prices are $13,363, $15,135, $20,536, $26,784, and $54,885, showing lower prices in the lower bands.

The published cost of attendance at Brandeis University is $86,448, an average across living arrangements. Tuition and fees are $68,080, and room and board are $19,944.

Azimuth ranks the university #1,300 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $13,363, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $20,536, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $54,885.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $41,522. Aid covers about 59% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, bringing the overall average net price to $35,736.

That is $8,365 above the $27,371 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Borrowers who finish carry a median of $25,648 in federal student loans, $1,449 above the peer median of $24,199.

94.5% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $35,451 in [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) loans.

If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $291 a month.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Federal borrowing is widespread at Brandeis University, where 94.5% of federal aid recipients take federal loans and the median federal student loan debt at completion is $25,648. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $24,199, leaving Brandeis’s median $1,449 above it.

For the separate parent-borrower population, median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $35,451. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 33% of graduates borrowed from any source, with an average cumulative amount of $28,880 per borrower.

This included 31% of graduates with federal loans averaging $17,646. Of graduates, 6% had private loans averaging $63,913.

For a reader weighing cost against outcomes, Brandeis University posts median earnings of $76,742 four years after completion, placing the figure in the 85th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $217 less than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level.

[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, sits in the 54th percentile. The earnings scenarios run from $57,215 in the downside case to $108,662 in the upside case, with $76,742 as the typical scenario.

Median federal student loan debt at completion is $25,648, above the $24,199 median at comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,449. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $291 a month if repaid over ten years. High earnings and debt above the peer median point in different directions.

For parent borrowers, median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $35,451, separate from federal student borrowing. For student borrowers with median federal debt, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $291 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**
$35,451

**Estimated parent payment**
$450/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 | Safe |
| $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**
$25,648

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$35,451

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

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$291/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$450/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$741/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 $76,742, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**6.4%** 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=brandeis-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.