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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Dartmouth College Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/dartmouth-college/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/dartmouth-college/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/dartmouth-college/admissions/)[Majors](/school/dartmouth-college/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/dartmouth-college/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does Dartmouth College cost after financial aid?

The published cost of attendance at Dartmouth College is $87,793, an average across living arrangements. Tuition and fees are $68,268, and room and board are $19,999.

For aid recipients, financial aid lowers the average cost by $58,274, bringing the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) to $29,519. That net price sits $2,148 above the $27,371 median at comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth ranks the university #1,051 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The affordability pillar is the weakest of the four for Dartmouth College, at the 26th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Here, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $29,519, which is $2,148 above the $27,371 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

The published cost of attendance is $87,793 (an average across living arrangements), but the net price bands tell a different story. Families earning under $30,000 average $41, while those earning over $110,000 average $52,036.

Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median of $17,500 in federal student loans, $6,699 below the $24,199 peer median.

14.3% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants. After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $41 for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000.

It is $489 for the $30,001–$48,000 band, $2,695 for the $48,001–$75,000 band, $8,534 for the $75,001–$110,000 band, and $52,036 for families earning over $110,000. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $51,995.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$41

**$30–48K**
$489

**$48–75K**
$2,695

**$75–110K**
$8,534

**$110K+**
$52,036

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$29,519**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

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 price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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 average net price 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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 the model 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](#combined-borrowing) are in the Financial GPS card below. [Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes).

## Parent loans: what can the family afford?

[How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/)

**Median Parent PLUS debt**
$44,481

**Estimated parent payment**
$565/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| 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](#cost-data-notes).

## 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

1.  Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
2.  Good 8–under 12%
3.  Concerning 12–20%
4.  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.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

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.

[Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=dartmouth-college#student-tool)

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), 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](/about/).

**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](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/).

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.