Bucknell University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

The published cost of attendance is $83,756 (an average across living arrangements), and aid covers about 51% of that for the average recipient. The sticker-to-net gap is $42,990, but the size of the discount depends heavily on family income.

Average net prices range from $20,980 in the lowest income band to $55,724 in the highest, a spread of $34,744. The middle bands sit at $12,276, $23,679, and $28,165.

The pattern is progressive: lower-income families pay less on average, but the spread is wide enough that the highest band still faces a substantial bill.

At Bucknell University, the published cost of attendance is $83,756 (an average across living arrangements), so the aid offer matters greatly to the amount a family pays. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $20,980 for the lowest family-income band, $12,276 for the lower-middle band, $23,679 for the middle band, $28,165 for the upper-middle band, and $55,724 for the highest band.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $34,744, a difference between band averages. Azimuth ranks the university #1,382 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 51% of the published cost, or average savings of $42,990 against the sticker price. Across all aid recipients, the average net price is $40,766.

That figure is $13,395 above the peer median net price of $27,371 for comparable institutions (same type and size). Published tuition and fees are $67,812, with room and board at $16,924.

The higher peer comparison and the range across income bands point to a price that depends heavily on the aid package. Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $27,000, and 95.2% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.

The median is $2,801 above the peer median of $24,199 at comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years.

Median Parent PLUS borrowing is $62,750.

Federal borrowing is widespread, with 95.2% of federal aid recipients taking federal loans. For borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $27,000.

The peer median—the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size)—is $24,199, leaving the university $2,801 above it. Parent borrowers are separate from student borrowers, with median Parent PLUS borrowing of $62,750.

In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 44% of graduates borrowed from any source, averaging $43,060 in cumulative debt per borrower. Federal loans were held by 44% of graduates, averaging $21,371.

Private loans, including graduates who may also hold federal loans, were held by 13% of graduates and averaged $74,776.

The return pillar is the strongest of the four at Bucknell University, and the investment picture rests on it. Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $96,035.

Azimuth places the median in the 96th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $9,208 more than the model expects for similar students.

That puts the gap at the 81st percentile. Estimated earnings scenarios from the program mix run from $56,044 on the downside to $127,222 on the upside, with $96,035 as the typical outcome.

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $27,000 in federal loans, $2,801 above the $24,199 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month.

The earnings and payment figures point the same way, but affordability is the weakest pillar and the overall picture is mixed.

For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $62,750. For student borrowers with median federal debt, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years.

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.