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Cost & financial aid brief

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# George Washington University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much does GWU cost after financial aid?

In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, George Washington University reported sticker charges of $420 in required fees and $18,160 for on-campus food and housing. The published federal cost of attendance is $83,856 (an average across living arrangements), so the starting price remains substantial before aid.

For aid recipients, average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $36,586. Average aid savings from the published cost are $47,270, and aid covers about 56% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $36,211, leaving this university $375 above that mark. Azimuth places its affordability pillar in the 11th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The above-peer net price and low affordability standing point the same way.

The published cost of attendance is $83,856 (an average across living arrangements), and the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) sits well below it. For aid recipients, the average net price comes to $36,586, $375 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

The affordability pillar stands at the 11th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Among aid recipients, families earning under $30,000 average $17,440, while those earning over $110,000 average $55,337.

Borrowers who finish hold a median of $20,449 in federal student loans, $2,719 below the peer median.

Costs after aid differ sharply by family income. Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $17,440 for families earning under thirty thousand dollars; $17,292 for families earning thirty thousand and one dollars to forty-eight thousand dollars; $22,080 for families earning forty-eight thousand and one dollars to seventy-five thousand dollars; $28,100 for families earning seventy-five thousand and one dollars to one hundred ten thousand dollars; and $55,337 for families earning over one hundred ten thousand dollars.

Pell Grants reach 15.8% of undergraduates, providing financial-access context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $37,897.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$17,440

**$30–48K**
$17,292

**$48–75K**
$22,080

**$75–110K**
$28,100

**$110K+**
$55,337

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$36,586**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that, in the 2025-26 academic year, first-year aid recipients with need had an average 91% of need met. Their average need-based grant was $43,676, and their average need-based aid package was $64,025.

The university counted 1,264 first-year students determined to have need and 1,096 whose need was fully met. It also reported, in the 2025-26 academic year, 617 first-year students receiving merit aid averaging $25,357.

For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 56% of the published cost, leaving a sticker-to-net gap of $47,270. The income-band figures place the two lower-income bands at lower average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s than the middle and upper bands.

This is a pattern of aid targeting by family income rather than an individual package guarantee.

The published cost of attendance at George Washington University is $83,856 (an average across living arrangements). Azimuth ranks the university #1,260 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $17,440, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $22,080, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $55,337. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $37,897.

The average aid recipient sees $47,270 in savings against the published cost, leaving an average net price of $36,586 across all income bands. That is $375 above the $36,211 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Tuition and fees alone are $67,710. Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median of $20,449 in federal student loans, which is $2,719 below the peer median of $23,168.

92.8% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Parents who borrow through the [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) program hold a separate median of $30,881.

If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $232 a month.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

George Washington University’s median federal student loan debt is below the comparable-institution benchmark, though federal borrowing is common among undergraduates. 92.8% of federal aid recipients take federal loans, and borrowers who complete have median federal student loan debt of $20,449.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $23,168, placing the university $2,719 below it. For the separate parent-borrower population, median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $30,881.

In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 32% of graduates borrowed from any source, including 31% with federal loans. Average cumulative borrowing per borrower was $34,685, with average federal borrowing of $19,173.

Graduates earn about $11,856 more than the model expects for similar students. That measure, [earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/)—the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students—sits in the 86th percentile, according to Azimuth among nonprofit four-year institutions.

At George Washington University, federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $95,967 four years after completion, in the 96th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The downside earnings scenario is $67,671, and the upside scenario is $111,369; the typical scenario matches the observed median.

These are scenarios based on the program mix, rather than earnings for separate observed groups. Median federal student loan debt at completion is $20,449.

The peer median is $23,168, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size). It is $2,719 below that benchmark.

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $232 a month if repaid over ten years. Higher-than-expected earnings and debt below the peer median point in the same direction.

Among the separate population of [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowers, median borrowing is $30,881. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $232 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**
$30,881

**Estimated parent payment**
$392/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| Income | Risk level |
| --- | --- |
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | High pressure |
| $150,000 | Safe |
| $200,000 | Safe |

The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. [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**
$20,449

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$30,881

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

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$232/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$392/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$624/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 $95,967, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**3.8%** 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, $22,590, uses the published framework’s 2024 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=george-washington-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.