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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Ithaca College Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much does Ithaca College cost after financial aid?

The published cost of attendance at Ithaca College is $68,699, an average across living arrangements. Tuition and fees are $53,540 and room and board are $16,192.

After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients is $33,926, a savings of $34,773 against the sticker total. That average net price sits above the peer median of $27,371 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $6,555.

Azimuth ranks the university #1,303 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. For the lowest-income families, the average net price drops to $21,901, and Pell Grant recipients make up 19.1% of undergraduates.

A high sticker price and a net price above the peer median point the same way: affordability is the weakest pillar here.

The affordability pillar for Ithaca College sits at the 8th percentile 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 is $33,926.

The median at comparable institutions (same type and size) is $27,371, and the university sits $6,555 above that mark. The lowest income band averages $21,901, while the highest averages $38,785, a spread of $16,884.

Federal debt for borrowers who finish lands at a median of $24,000, $199 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 progressive structure. For families earning under $30,000 the average net price is $21,901; for $30,001–$48,000 it is $23,335; for $48,001–$75,000 it is $28,832; for $75,001–$110,000 it is $31,846; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $38,785.

Pell Grant recipients make up 19.1% of undergraduates, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $16,884.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$21,901

**$30–48K**
$23,335

**$48–75K**
$28,832

**$75–110K**
$31,846

**$110K+**
$38,785

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$33,926**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) across all aid recipients is $33,926, and aid covers about 51% of the published cost for that group, an offset of $34,773 against the sticker total. That average masks a wide range: the lowest-income band (under $30,000) averages $21,901, while the highest band (over $110,000) averages $38,785.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $16,884, a difference of averages that shows aid is concentrated on families with lower incomes. The lowest-band average sits well below the overall average, a pattern that coincides with the largest discounts flowing to the lowest-income families.

Even with that targeting, the average net price remains above the peer median, and the affordability rank is in the 8th percentile. The aid structure helps lower-income families but does not close the gap with comparable institutions.

The published cost of attendance at Ithaca College is $68,699 (an average across living arrangements). Azimuth ranks the university #1,303 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

After grants and scholarships, aid recipients in the lowest family-income band (under $30,000) average $21,901, those in the middle band ($48,001–$75,000) average $28,832, and those in the highest band (over $110,000) average $38,785. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $16,884.

Aid covers about 51% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, leaving an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) of $33,926 across all bands. That is $6,555 above the $27,371 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $24,000 in federal student loans, $199 below the $24,199 peer median. 96.4% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.

Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $53,476 in [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) loans. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $273 a month.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Federal borrowing is the norm at Ithaca College: 96.4% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. For those who finish, the median federal student debt is $24,000.

That median is below the $24,199 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $199. Parent borrowers are a separate population, and the median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) loan among them is $53,476.

Graduates of Ithaca College earn about $19,199 less than the model expects for similar students, an outcome in the 4th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The median earnings four years after completion are $60,436, which falls in the 52nd percentile and is below the $68,250 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Earnings scenarios from the university's program mix show a typical earnings level of $60,436, with a downside scenario of $45,939 and an upside scenario of $79,036. Borrowers who complete a degree leave with a median federal debt of $24,000, which is below the $24,199 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $273 a month if repaid over ten years. The return picture is mixed: earnings fall short of the model's expectation and sit below the peer median, while debt is slightly lower than the peer benchmark.

Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $53,476. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $273.

[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**
$53,476

**Estimated parent payment**
$679/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 | 40.0% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 18.0% | High pressure |
| $150,000 | 8.5% | Caution |
| $200,000 | 5.6% | 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=ithaca-college#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**
$24,000

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$53,476

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

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$273/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$679/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$952/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 $60,436, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**9.0%** of income above the allowance · Good

1.  Excellent Under 8%
2.  Good 8–under 12% · selected scenario
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=ithaca-college#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.