Cost & financial aid brief
Centre College Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Centre College cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 69% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, reducing the sticker price by $47,006 on average. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported figures for the the 2025-26 academic year.
First-year students determined to have need received an average need-based grant of $53,223. Their average total aid package was $56,424.
The average share of need met was 99%. The average net price is lower for lower family incomes and higher for higher family incomes.
The published cost of attendance at Centre College is $67,787. Azimuth ranks the university #1,025 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $11,364, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $15,847, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $30,571. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $19,207.
The average aid recipient sees $47,006 in savings against the published cost, bringing the average net price for aid recipients to $20,781. That is $1,566 below the $22,347 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Tuition and fees are $52,820. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $27,000 in federal student loans, $2,000 above the $25,000 peer median.
92.0% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $50,378 in Parent PLUS loans.
If repaid over ten years, the median student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month. It estimates what a family might pay based on income and assets, rather than quoting a single average.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Borrowers who complete a degree at Centre College carry a median of $27,000 in federal loans. 92.0% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.
That median is $2,000 above the $25,000 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $50,378.
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 57% of graduates borrowed from any source, with average cumulative debt of $22,698 per borrower. Of the graduates who borrowed, 56% held federal loans averaging $21,294. A smaller share, 9%, took private loans averaging $37,606.
Four years after completion, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $64,933. That is $9,018 above the $55,915 median for comparable institutions (same type and size), placing the university at the 65th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, range from $49,708 on the downside to $79,184 on the upside, with a typical figure of $64,933. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $27,000 in federal loans, which corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years. The peer median for debt is $25,000, $2,000 below the university's figure.
For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $50,378. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years.
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
- $50,378
- Estimated parent payment
- $640/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 | 37.7% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 16.9% | High pressure |
| $150,000 | 8.1% | Caution |
| $200,000 | 5.3% | 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
- $50,378
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $307/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $640/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $947/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 $64,933, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
9.0% of income above the allowance · Good
- Excellent Under 8%
- Good 8–under 12% · selected scenario
- 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.