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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Duquesne University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

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

**On this page**+

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

At Duquesne University, a published cost of attendance of $67,776 makes price a central consideration for families weighing charges against likely aid. Tuition and fees are $48,986, while room and board are $16,374 within that published budget.

Across aid recipients, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $37,730; financial aid reduces the sticker total by $30,046. That net price is $10,359 above the peer median of $27,371 at comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth ranks Duquesne University #1,360 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. The sticker price, net price, and peer comparison all point to a costly affordability picture.

Affordability is the weakest pillar for Duquesne University, sitting in the 4th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients is $37,730, $10,359 above the $27,371 median at comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who complete a degree hold a median of $26,244 in federal student loans, $2,045 above the peer median. The lowest income band averages $29,986, and the highest averages $41,273.

[Net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s after grants increase across the five family-income bands. From the lowest to the highest band, the average net prices are $29,986, $31,729, $32,102, $35,611, and $41,273.

Pell Grant recipients make up 20.2% of undergraduates, providing context for the lowest-income band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $11,287.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$29,986

**$30–48K**
$31,729

**$48–75K**
$32,102

**$75–110K**
$35,611

**$110K+**
$41,273

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$37,730**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

Duquesne University's aid pattern gives lower-income families lower published [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s, although the average aided family still faces a substantial remaining charge. For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 44% of the published cost.

The lowest-income band has the lowest average net price, and the price steps upward through each successive band to the highest-income group. That ordering shows larger discounts at lower incomes as a pricing pattern, rather than a statement about any individual award.

Families with similar incomes may still receive different grants because net prices are band averages, not quotes.

The published cost of attendance at Duquesne University is $67,776. Azimuth ranks the university #1,360 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $29,986 for families earning under $30,000, $32,102 for those earning $48,001 to $75,000, and $41,273 for those earning over $110,000. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $11,287.

Aid covers about 44% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, leaving an average net price of $37,730 across all bands. That is $10,359 above the $27,371 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $26,244 in federal student loans, $2,045 above the $24,199 peer median. 96.4% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.

Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $57,511 in [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) loans. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $298 a month.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Federal loans are common among undergraduates at Duquesne University, with 96.4% taking them. For borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $26,244.

The median is above the $24,199 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size) by $2,045. Parent borrowers are a separate population, with median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing of $57,511.

In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 72% of graduates borrowed from any source, with an average cumulative amount of $57,681 per borrower. The reported figures include 68% of graduates with federal loans averaging $22,716. They also include 36% of graduates with private loans averaging $73,027.

Graduates of Duquesne University earn a median of $74,665 four years after completion, a figure that is $6,415 above the $68,250 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth places that earnings level at the 83rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $1,460 more than the model expects for similar students, an outcome at the 60th percentile. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, range from $50,800 in a downside case to $88,877 in an upside case, with $74,665 as the typical scenario.

The median federal student debt at completion is $26,244, which is $2,045 above the $24,199 peer median. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $298 a month if repaid over ten years.

The investment case here turns on whether the earnings premium outweighs the extra borrowing.

For parent borrowers, median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $57,511, a separate federal borrowing population from student borrowers. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $298 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**
$57,511

**Estimated parent payment**
$731/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 | 43.1% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 19.3% | High pressure |
| $150,000 | 9.2% | Caution |
| $200,000 | 6.0% | Caution |

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=duquesne-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**
$26,244

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$57,511

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

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$298/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$731/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$1,029/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 $74,665, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**7.0%** 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, $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=duquesne-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.