Cost & financial aid brief
Harvey Mudd College Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Harvey Mudd College cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 60% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, a reduction of $54,241 from the sticker price. The middle income band, at $48,001–$75,000, averages $17,968.
That is lower than the $27,979 average for families earning under $30,000. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that for the the 2025-26 academic year academic year, the average need-based grant for first-year recipients was $64,941.
The average need-based aid package was $64,941. The average share of need met for aided students with need was 100%.
Of the 233 first-year students, 103 were determined to have financial need, and all 103 had their need fully met. For the the 2025-26 academic year academic year, the university reported that 27 first-year students received merit aid, averaging $11,875.
The published cost of attendance at Harvey Mudd College is $90,165 (an average across living arrangements). Azimuth ranks the university #1,292 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $27,979, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $17,968, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $50,665. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $22,686.
Aid covers about 60% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, bringing the —cost after grants and scholarships—across all aid recipients to $35,924. The published tuition and fees are $68,613, and the average financial aid savings against the sticker price is $54,241.
That is $13,577 above the $22,347 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). 92.2% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.
Borrowers who finish carry a median of $25,000 in federal student loans, level with the median for comparable institutions. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $33,386 in Parent PLUS loans.
If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $284 a month.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Four years after completion, graduates of Harvey Mudd College earn a median of $137,100. That figure is $81,185 above the $55,915 median for comparable institutions (same type and size), placing the college in the 99th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Azimuth ranks it #12 for return. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, show a wide range: a downside scenario of $66,944 and an upside scenario of $186,831.
The median federal debt at completion is $25,000, which is level with the peer median. If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $284 a month.
For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $33,386. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $284 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
- $33,386
- Estimated parent payment
- $424/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
- $25,000
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $33,386
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $284/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $424/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $708/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 $137,100, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
3.0% 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, $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.