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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Florida Atlantic University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much does FAU cost after financial aid?

Florida Atlantic University lists a cost of attendance of $21,522 for in-state students. That total combines $4,879 in tuition and fees with $15,860 for room and board.

Out-of-state tuition and fees are $17,324. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients—what they pay after grants and scholarships—is $8,752.

Grants and scholarships lower the sticker price by $12,770, covering about 59% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. Against comparable institutions (same type and size), the average net price is below the peer median of $15,634 by $6,882.

Azimuth places the affordability pillar in the 95th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. A net price well under the peer median and a large aid discount point the same way: cost is a relative strength here.

At Florida Atlantic University, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $8,752, $6,882 below the median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth ranks the university #76 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

That places the pillar in the 95th percentile. By income band, families earning under $30,000 average $3,022, and those earning over $110,000 average $16,854.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $13,832. Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median of $17,236 in federal student loans, $2,840 below the peer median.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s by family-income band show a steeply progressive structure. For families earning under $30,000 the average net price is $3,022; for $30,001–$48,000 it is $4,135; for $48,001–$75,000 it is $8,106; for $75,001–$110,000 it is $14,440; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $16,854.

Pell Grant recipients make up 33.9% of undergraduates, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $13,832, a difference of averages that shows the largest discounts are concentrated on families with lower incomes.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$3,022

**$30–48K**
$4,135

**$48–75K**
$8,106

**$75–110K**
$14,440

**$110K+**
$16,854

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$8,752**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) — 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) loan of $15,000.

Graduates of Florida Atlantic University earn about $2,172 less than the model 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $15,000. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $196.

[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**
$15,000

**Estimated parent payment**
$191/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 | 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](/financial-gps/?tool=parent&school=florida-atlantic-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**
$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

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=florida-atlantic-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.