Cost & financial aid brief
CUNY Lehman College Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Lehman College cost after financial aid?
The published cost of attendance at CUNY Lehman College is $14,121, yet the average aid recipient pays $3,148, an offset of $10,973. Aid covers about 78% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.
Aid targeting is concentrated on families with lower incomes. The lowest-income band (under $30,000) averages $1,589, while the highest band (over $110,000) averages $13,600.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $12,011, a difference of averages that shows the largest discounts flow to the lowest-income families. This pattern coincides with the public university's 99th affordability percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
CUNY Lehman College delivers one of the strongest affordability profiles in the country. Azimuth ranks the university #6 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The published cost of attendance is $14,121, with in-state tuition and fees of $7,410. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price — what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships — is $1,589; in the $30,001–$48,000 band the average is $2,374; at $48,001–$75,000 it is $6,834; at $75,001–$110,000 it is $9,696; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $13,600.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $12,011. Aid covers about 78% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an offset of $10,973 against the sticker price.
The average net price across all aid recipients is $3,148, which sits below the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $12,486. Out-of-state students face tuition and fees of $15,360, though the net price figures here reflect the in-state basis.
Graduates who borrow leave with a median federal student debt of $10,950, well below the peer median of $20,076 by $9,126. About 29.8% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $124 a month if repaid over ten years. For parents who borrow through Parent PLUS, the median amount is $11,955.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
At CUNY Lehman College, the median federal student debt held by degree completers who borrowed is $10,950. Measured against comparable institutions (same type and size), the university's median is below the $20,076 peer figure by $9,126.
Across the undergraduate population, 29.8% of federal aid recipients rely on federal student loans to help cover costs. For parent borrowers alone, the median Parent PLUS debt is $11,955, a population tracked separately from student borrowers.
Those who finish a degree at CUNY Lehman College earn about $7,541 more than expects for similar students. That outcome ranks in the 78th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Median earnings four years after completion are $63,353 for federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, a level in the 61st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Scenarios modeled from the university's program mix place typical earnings at $63,353, with a downside scenario of $51,643 and an upside scenario of $81,806.
Completers who borrowed hold a median federal debt of $10,950. That amounts to a gap of $9,126 relative to comparable institutions (same type and size), where the university sits below the $20,076 peer median. If repaid over ten years, the estimated monthly payment is $124.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $11,955. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $124.
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
- $11,955
- Estimated parent payment
- $152/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 | 9.0% | Caution |
| $100,000 | 4.0% | Safe |
| $150,000 | 1.9% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 1.3% | 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
- $10,950
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $11,955
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $124/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $152/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $276/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 $63,353, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
3.8% 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.