Cost & financial aid brief
Florida Atlantic University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does FAU cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 59% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an offset of $12,770 against the sticker price. The average net price across all aid recipients is $8,752, which sits below the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size).
The pattern across income bands shows aid concentrated on families with lower incomes. The average net price is $3,022 for families earning under $30,000, $4,135 for the $30,001–$48,000 band, $8,106 for $48,001–$75,000, $14,440 for $75,001–$110,000, and $16,854 for families earning over $110,000.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $13,832, a difference of averages that reflects how the largest discounts flow to the lowest-income families.
Florida Atlantic University, a public university in Boca Raton, publishes a cost of attendance of $21,522, with in-state tuition and fees of $4,879 and room and board at $15,860. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price — what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships — is $3,022.
For the $48,001–$75,000 band, it is $8,106, and for families earning over $110,000, it is $16,854. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $13,832.
Azimuth ranks the university #76 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid covers about 59% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, a savings of $12,770 against the sticker price.
The average net price across all aid recipients is $8,752, which sits below the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $6,882. Out-of-state students face a higher tuition of $17,324, though the net-price figures here are on an in-state basis.
Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, the median federal student debt is $17,236, with about two-thirds of undergraduates borrowing (66.8%). That debt is below the peer median of $20,076 by $2,840, and it corresponds to an estimated payment of $196 a month if repaid over ten years.
The median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $15,000.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Borrowing at Florida Atlantic University is concentrated but moderate: 66.8% of aid recipients take federal loans, and among those who complete a degree the median federal student debt is $17,236. That median sits below the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $2,840.
Parent borrowers, a separate population, carry a median Parent PLUS loan of $15,000.
Graduates of Florida Atlantic University earn about $2,172 less than expects for similar students, an outcome in the 47th percentile nationally. The median earnings four years after completion are $59,690, which falls in the 50th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
That figure sits below the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $5,920. Earnings scenarios based on the university's program mix show a typical earnings level equal to the observed median, with a downside scenario of $47,387 and an upside scenario of $82,943.
Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median federal debt of $17,236, which is below the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $196 a month if repaid over ten years.
The return picture is mixed: earnings run below the model's expectation and the peer median, but the debt load is lighter than what comparable institutions carry.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $15,000. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $196.
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
- $15,000
- Estimated parent payment
- $191/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 | 11.2% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 5.0% | Safe |
| $150,000 | 2.4% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 1.6% | 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
- $17,236
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $15,000
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $196/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $191/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $387/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 $59,690, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
6.6% 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.