Cost & financial aid brief
Dartmouth College Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Dartmouth College cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 66% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The sticker-to-net gap is $58,274, though the size of that reduction differs sharply by family income.
Average net prices range from $41 in the lowest income band to $52,036 in the highest, with $489, $2,695, and $8,534 in the bands between. The pattern is one of deep discounting at the bottom of the income scale and a much smaller offset at the top.
The published cost of attendance at Dartmouth College is $87,793 (an average across living arrangements). Azimuth ranks the university #1,051 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 $41, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $2,695, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $52,036. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $51,995.
Aid covers about 66% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The across all aid recipients is $29,519, which is $2,148 above the $27,371 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Borrowers who finish carry a median of $17,500 in federal student loans. That is $6,699 below the $24,199 peer median.
Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $44,481. If repaid over ten years, the median student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $199 a month. It estimates what a family might pay based on their own finances.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal borrowing is common at Dartmouth College, with 77.1% of federal aid recipients taking federal loans. Among borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $17,500.
That median is $6,699 below the $24,199 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Parent borrowers are a separate population, with median Parent PLUS borrowing of $44,481.
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 27% of graduates borrowed from any source, with an average cumulative amount of $24,255 per borrower. Among graduates, 4% held private loans, averaging $73,496 per private borrower.
Dartmouth College graduates report a median of $111,883 four years after completing a degree. That is $43,633 above the median at comparable institutions (same type and size).
Azimuth places that earnings level in the 98th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $7,690 more than expects for similar students.
That outcome is at the 78th percentile. The program mix yields earnings scenarios of $111,883 in a typical case, $62,609 on the downside and $177,947 on the upside.
Borrowers who finish hold a median of $17,500 in federal loans, $6,699 below the median for comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $199 a month if repaid over ten years.
For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $44,481. For student borrowers, the median federal debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $199 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
- $44,481
- Estimated parent payment
- $565/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 | Safe |
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
- $17,500
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $44,481
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $199/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $565/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $764/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 $111,883, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
2.7% 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.