Cost & financial aid brief
DePaul University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does DePaul cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 51% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, a $32,150 reduction from the $63,052 (an average across living arrangements) sticker price. Average net prices run from $27,359 for families earning under $30,000 to $37,092 for those earning over $110,000, a spread of $9,733 that tilts aid toward lower incomes.
In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported first-year aid figures for the 2024-25 academic year. First-year students determined to have need received an average need-based grant of $31,143 and an average total package of $34,318, with need met on average at 73%.
Of the 2,193 students with need, 250 had their need fully met. The university also reported that in the 2024-25 academic year, 712 first-year students received merit aid, averaging $20,876.
DePaul University publishes a cost of attendance of $63,052, an average across living arrangements. Its tuition and fees are $45,999 and room and board is $19,095.
The average net price—what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships—varies by family income. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $27,359; for the middle band ($48,001–$75,000), it is $28,687; and for families earning over $110,000, it is $37,092.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $9,733. Azimuth ranks DePaul #1,218 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Aid covers about 51% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an offset of $32,150 against the sticker price. The average net price across all aid recipients is $30,902, which sits below the peer median of $36,211 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $5,309.
While the sticker price is high, the typical aid package brings the cost close to the peer norm. Median federal student debt at completion is $23,168.
About 90.7% of federal aid recipients take federal loans, and that debt is level with the peer median of $23,168. The estimated monthly payment if repaid over ten years is $263.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing among parent borrowers is $41,563.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Borrowers completing at DePaul University have median federal student loan debt of $23,168, and 90.7% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median is $23,168, so DePaul’s median is level with that figure.
For the separate population of Parent PLUS borrowers, median borrowing is $41,563. In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported that 58% of graduates borrowed from any source, averaging $28,977 per borrower.
Of graduates, 57% held federal loans, averaging $21,393. Of graduates, 10% held private loans, averaging $48,826.
Graduates of DePaul University earn about $10,436 more than expects for similar students, an outcome in the 84th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Four years after completion, the median earnings for working graduates sit at $73,466, which is in the 81st percentile nationally.
That median is below the $83,615 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $10,149. Earnings scenarios based on the university's program mix show a typical earnings level that matches the observed median, with a downside scenario of $49,806 and an upside scenario of $96,363.
Borrowers finish with a median federal debt of $23,168, which is level with the peer median of $23,168. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $263 a month if repaid over ten years.
The return picture is mixed: graduates beat the model's expectations by a wide margin, yet the median earnings figure trails the peer median.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $41,563. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $263.
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
- $41,563
- Estimated parent payment
- $528/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 | 31.1% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 14.0% | High pressure |
| $150,000 | 6.6% | Caution |
| $200,000 | 4.4% | 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
- $23,168
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $41,563
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $263/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $528/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $791/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 $73,466, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
6.4% 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.