Gallaudet University

Gallaudet University's published cost of attendance is $40,374. Financial aid reshapes that figure across income levels: low-income families pay approximately $14,129, families in the lower-middle range pay around $15,238, middle-income families pay about $14,236, families in the upper-middle range pay approximately $18,830, and higher-income families pay roughly $18,318.

Azimuth ranks Gallaudet University #260 for post-graduation affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Net prices by income band are medians within those bands; individual aid packages vary, so some families in each band pay more and some less than the figures shown.

Gallaudet University meets demonstrated financial need through need-based aid, with aid packages combining federal grants, institutional scholarships, and federal loans. The institution participates in federal (Pell Grants, Direct Loans) and institutional aid programs.

Families apply using the FAFSA and institutional aid forms. Median federal student loan debt at graduation is $18,000, and families using Parent PLUS borrow a median of $15,442; private or institutional loans may add further borrowing that falls outside these federal-only figures — see the [Parent PLUS risk framework](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) for how household context shapes PLUS decisions.

For a graduate at Gallaudet University's median four-year earnings of $55,195, median federal debt of $18,000 projects to a monthly payment of about $203 under standard ten-year repayment. In a downside earnings scenario anchored on lower-earning program clusters, projected four-year earnings of $48,157 would shift the real affordability picture — a pattern worth exploring at the program level rather than the institutional average.

For personalized projections across earnings scenarios — including Parent PLUS planning — use [Azimuth's Financial GPS tool](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

Graduates of Gallaudet University earn median 4-year earnings of $55,195, placing Gallaudet University in the 30.1 percentile for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $5,977 less than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Gallaudet University in the 32.8 percentile for [earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Azimuth ranks Gallaudet University #320 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions. Those figures represent meaningful returns relative to DC's no-degree-equivalent earnings baseline of $35,464, the state median earnings of working adults with only a high school credential.

The earnings pattern at Gallaudet University is anchored by Business, the institution's dominant program family. Psychology, General is among the largest programs by graduate count, with 24 graduates, while Social Work and Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies also contribute meaningfully to the institution's degree output, graduating 24 and 19 students respectively.

The program with the clearest earnings signal is American Sign Language, where Azimuth ranks the program #1 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with graduates earning median 4-year earnings of $70,859 — 1.6x the national benchmark for the field [per the program-ranking methodology](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/). The aggregate return story is led by American Sign Language, which combines cohort scale with competitive earnings to anchor the institution's overall return profile.

Gallaudet University's program mix centers on Business, which accounts for 13% of graduates, followed by Arts at 7% and Social Sciences at 4%. This applied-professional orientation shapes a curriculum designed to move graduates into stable, workforce-ready careers — a signature that reflects the university's mission of serving Deaf and hard-of-hearing students across a focused set of high-demand fields.

The largest programs by graduate volume are Psychology, General (24 graduates), Social Work (24 graduates), Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies (19 graduates), American Sign Language (19 graduates), and Communication and Media Studies (17 graduates). Among these, American Sign Language stands out: Azimuth ranks it #1 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with graduates earning median earnings of $70,859 — a strong result for a program of its cohort size.

The highest aggregate return across the institution belongs to American Sign Language, which combines meaningful enrollment scale with competitive earnings outcomes. On the earnings side, American Sign Language leads the institution: Azimuth ranks it #1 for median earnings four years after enrollment among nonprofit four-year institutions, with graduates earning median earnings of $70,859 — the strongest early-career outcome among Gallaudet University's ranked programs.

Across 16 programs serving roughly 201 students annually, Gallaudet University's program portfolio reflects a deliberate focus on fields with direct workforce pathways, consistent with the [how Azimuth evaluates programs](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) methodology that weights cohort scale alongside earnings outcomes.