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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Denison University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much does Denison University cost after financial aid?

Denison University carries a published cost of attendance of $81,900, leaving aid recipients with an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) of $40,007, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships. Average aid offsets $41,893 of the published cost for recipients.

In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported published tuition of $74,000 and on-campus food and housing of $18,400 as sticker charges for the 2026-27 academic year. These charges come before grants and scholarships.

The average net price is $12,636 above the peer median of $27,371 at comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth ranks Denison University #1,363 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Its above-peer net price and affordability standing point in the same direction.

At Denison University, aid recipients face costs that sit above its comparison group: average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $40,007. This is $12,636 above the peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), of $27,371.

Azimuth places the affordability pillar in the 4th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Average net price is $16,656 for families in the lowest income band and $48,472 for those in the highest band.

Completers who borrowed federal loans have median federal student loan debt of $26,000, $1,801 above the comparable-institution median of $24,199. The higher price band and above-peer borrowing point in the same direction.

The lowest listed average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) appears in the next-lowest family-income band rather than the lowest band. For families in the lowest band, average net price is $16,656; in the next-lowest band, $13,086; in the middle band, $17,827; in the next-highest band, $20,839; and in the highest band, $48,472.

Pell Grants go to 12.6% of undergraduates, providing financial-access context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $31,816.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$16,656

**$30–48K**
$13,086

**$48–75K**
$17,827

**$75–110K**
$20,839

**$110K+**
$48,472

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$40,007**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

For the average aid recipient, grants and scholarships cut the published cost by $41,893, covering about 51% of the sticker price. The lowest income band averages $16,656 in [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) and the highest averages $48,472, with the three middle bands at $13,086, $17,827, and $20,839.

The $31,816 spread between the ends reflects a pricing structure where the second-lowest band sees the deepest average discount. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that for the 2025-26 academic year, first-year students with need had an average of 100% of that need met.

The average need-based grant was $58,935, and the average total package was $63,434. Of the 623 first-year students, 375 were determined to have need, and all 375 had that need fully met.

For the 2025-26 academic year, 219 first-year students received merit aid averaging $21,023.

Denison University’s published cost of attendance is $81,900, so the price after aid varies markedly by family income. Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $16,656 in the lowest family-income band; $13,086 in the lower-middle band; $17,827 in the middle band; $20,839 in the upper-middle band; and $48,472 in the highest band.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $31,816, a difference between band averages. Azimuth ranks Denison University #1,363 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 51% of the published cost, while average aid savings total $41,893. Across all aid recipients, the average net price is $40,007.

That is $12,636 above the peer median of $27,371, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size). The aid offset is substantial, but the overall price after aid remains higher than at comparable institutions.

Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $26,000, and 94.0% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. That median is $1,801 above the peer median of $24,199 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $45,521. The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $295 a month if repaid over ten years.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

At Denison University, 94.0% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. For completers who borrowed, median federal student loan debt is $26,000.

At comparable institutions (same type and size), peer median federal debt is $24,199. Denison’s median is $1,801 above it.

Parent borrowers, a separate population, have median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing of $45,521. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 36% of graduates borrowed from any source, averaging $30,116 in cumulative debt per borrower.

That any-source figure includes 33% of graduates with federal loans, averaging $24,075. It also includes 5% of graduates with private loans, averaging $45,041.

The return on investment at Denison University is a story of solid earnings weighed against a high cost of entry. Graduates earn a median of $62,838 four years after completion, a figure that lands in the 60th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, range from $49,092 in a downside case to $88,397 in an upside case, with a typical outcome of $62,838. The borrowing side tells a different story.

The median federal student debt at completion is $26,000, which is $1,801 above the $24,199 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $295 a month if repaid over ten years.

For parent borrowers, a separate population from student federal borrowers, median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $45,521. The median federal debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $295 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**
$45,521

**Estimated parent payment**
$578/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| Household income | Share of income above basic expenses | Risk level |
| --- | --- | --- |
| $35,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $50,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $75,000 | 34.1% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 15.3% | High pressure |
| $150,000 | 7.3% | Caution |
| $200,000 | 4.8% | 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](/financial-gps/?tool=parent&school=denison-university#parent-tool). [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**
$26,000

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$45,521

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$295/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$578/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$873/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 $62,838, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**9.1%** of income above the allowance · Good

1.  Excellent Under 8%
2.  Good 8–under 12% · selected scenario
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, $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.

[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=denison-university#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.