Cost & financial aid brief
Colgate University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Colgate University cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 67% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, but the size of that reduction differs across family incomes. The sticker-to-net gap is $58,284 on average.
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that for the the 2025-26 academic year, first-year students determined to have need received an average need-based grant of $72,605. Those students received an average total aid package of $73,834, and the average share of need met for those aided students was 100%.
Of the 813 first-year students, 288 were determined to have financial need, and 234 had their need fully met. In the 2025-26 academic year, no first-year students received merit aid.
The average net prices range from $6,086 in the lowest income band to $48,234 in the highest, with $2,678, $13,617, and $21,831 in the bands between. The $42,148 spread describes a pattern of lower at lower incomes, rather than an individual aid package.
The published cost of attendance at Colgate University is $87,070 (an average across living arrangements). Azimuth ranks the university #1,017 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 $6,086, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $13,617, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $48,234. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $42,148.
Aid covers about 67% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, reducing the sticker price by an average of $58,284. The average net price across all aid recipients is $28,786, which is $1,415 above the $27,371 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Borrowers who finish carry a median of $15,000 in federal student loans, $9,199 below the $24,199 peer median. 84.9% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.
Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $59,463 in Parent PLUS loans. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $170 a month.
It estimates a personalized net price and payment scenario, including Parent PLUS borrowing, based on your own finances.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
At Colgate University, borrowers who finish carry a median of $15,000 in federal loans. 84.9% of federal aid recipients take them.
That median is $9,199 below the $24,199 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Parent borrowers hold a separate median of $59,463.
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 21% of graduates borrowed from any source. The average cumulative debt per borrower was $21,643.
Among all graduates, 18% held federal loans averaging $11,410, including some who also held private loans. Among all graduates, 4% held private loans averaging $67,768, including some who also borrowed federally.
Four years after completion, graduates of Colgate University earn a median of $77,917, placing the university at the 86th percentile nationally. That figure is $9,667 above the $68,250 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, show a wide range. The typical earnings scenario is $77,917, with a downside of $53,384 and an upside of $130,426.
On the debt side, the median federal student debt at completion is $15,000, which is $9,199 below the peer median. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $170 a month if repaid over ten years.
The return picture is strong: earnings sit well above the peer median, and the debt load is low by comparison. Azimuth ranks the university #155 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions.
For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $59,463. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $170 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
- $59,463
- Estimated parent payment
- $756/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | High pressure |
| $150,000 | Caution |
| $200,000 | Caution |
The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $15,000
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $59,463
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $170/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $756/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $926/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 $77,917, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
3.7% 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, $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.
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.