Cost & financial aid brief
Gustavus Adolphus College Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Gustavus Adolphus College cost after financial aid?
Most of the published price is offset for the average aid recipient, but the pattern differs by family-income band. Aid covers about 66% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, and the sticker-to-net difference is $44,713.
That difference is an average across aid recipients rather than a quote for any particular family. The lowest-income band does not carry the lowest listed average net price; the next-lowest band does.
Prices then move upward through the middle and upper bands, with the highest-income band carrying the largest listed average.
At Gustavus Adolphus College, the published cost of attendance is $67,613 (an average across living arrangements), but aid recipients face different average prices across family-income bands. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $12,015 in the lowest family-income band, $10,783 in the lower-middle family-income band, $13,875 in the middle family-income band, $19,015 in the upper-middle family-income band, and $29,674 in the highest family-income band.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $17,659. Azimuth ranks Gustavus Adolphus College #1,000 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 66% of the published cost, an offset of $44,713 against the sticker price. Across all aid recipients, the average net price is $22,900, which is $553 above the peer median of $22,347 at comparable institutions (same type and size).
Published tuition and fees are $56,076. The average price sits slightly above the comparable-institution median despite substantial aid coverage.
Federal-loan borrowers who completed have median federal student loan debt of $26,774. That figure is $1,774 above the $25,000 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size), and 95.5% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.
Parent PLUS parent borrowers have median borrowing of $34,265. The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $304 a month if repaid over ten years.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal borrowing is widespread, and the debt picture sits above the comparable-school midpoint. Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $26,774.
Federal loans are used by 95.5% of federal aid recipients. At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median federal debt is $25,000; Gustavus Adolphus College’s median is $1,774 above that mark.
For the separate parent-borrower population, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $34,265.
Graduates of Gustavus Adolphus College earn a median of $61,015 four years after completing a degree, a figure that sits in the 54th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. However, graduates earn about $9,832 less than expects for similar students, placing the gap at the 20th percentile nationally.
Earnings scenarios, which are estimates based on the mix of programs at the college, show a range of outcomes. The typical earnings scenario is $61,015, with a downside case of $47,521 and an upside case reaching $85,287.
On the borrowing side, the median federal student debt for those who complete is $26,774, which is $1,774 above the $25,000 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $304 a month if repaid over ten years.
For the separate parent-borrower population, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $34,265. For borrowers with median federal student debt, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $304 a month if repaid over ten years.
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
- $34,265
- Estimated parent payment
- $435/mo
| 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.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $26,774
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $34,265
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $304/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $435/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $739/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 $61,015, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
9.5% of income above the allowance · Good
- Excellent Under 8%
- Good 8–under 12% · selected scenario
- 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, $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.
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.