Cost & financial aid brief
Drexel University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Drexel University cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 50% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, but the size of that reduction differs across family incomes. The average net price for families earning under $30,000 is $28,055, rising to $48,089 for those earning over $110,000. That pattern shows lower-income families pay less on average.
Drexel University publishes a cost of attendance of $76,835, an average across living arrangements. Tuition and fees are $62,412 and room and board are $18,096.
After grants and scholarships, the average net price—what aid recipients pay—is $28,055 for families earning under $30,000, $34,970 for the middle band ($48,001–$75,000), and $48,089 for families earning over $110,000. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $20,034.
Azimuth ranks Drexel #1,343 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid covers about 50% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an average offset of $38,326 against the sticker price.
The average net price for first-time, full-time aid recipients is $38,509, which sits above the peer median of $36,211 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $2,298. Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, the median federal student debt is $25,325.
That median is above the peer median of $23,168 for comparable institutions by $2,157, and about 92.0% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. The median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower figure, is $40,932.
If repaid over ten years, the median federal debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $288 a month.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal borrowing is widespread at Drexel University: 92.0% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Among borrowers who complete, the median federal student debt is $25,325.
That median sits $2,157 above the $23,168 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Parents who borrow through the separate Parent PLUS program hold a median of $40,932.
The return at Drexel University is strong, but the investment picture is not one-sided: high earnings sit alongside a cost structure that leaves the affordability pillar at the 5th percentile. Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $91,041, placing that figure in the 94th percentile.
That is $7,426 above the $83,615 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Graduates earn about $22,367 more than expects for similar students, an outcome at the 97th percentile.
Earnings scenarios, estimated from the university's program mix, range from $61,799 in a downside case to $105,933 in an upside case, with $91,041 as the typical outcome. On the borrowing side, completers who took federal loans carry a median of $25,325, which is $2,157 above the peer median of $23,168.
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $288 a month if repaid over ten years.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $40,932. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $288.
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
- $40,932
- Estimated parent payment
- $520/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 | 30.7% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 13.8% | High pressure |
| $150,000 | 6.5% | Caution |
| $200,000 | 4.3% | 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
- $25,325
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $40,932
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $288/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $520/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $808/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 $91,041, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
5.2% 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.