Cost & financial aid brief
James Madison University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does James Madison University cost after financial aid?
For the average aid recipient, grants and scholarships leave a sizeable but incomplete reduction from the published price. Aid covers about 27% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, and the sticker-to-net gap is $8,413.
The price pattern changes steadily by family income: average net price is $11,444 in the lowest band, $12,977 in the next, $16,475 in the middle, $22,343 in the next-highest, and $30,147 in the highest. That progression shows lower for lower-income aid recipients, rather than a prediction of any individual award.
The difference between the endpoint band averages is $18,703, so family income remains central to the cost picture.
At James Madison University, family income makes a substantial difference in the price left after aid. The published cost of attendance is $31,735, while the average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $11,444 for families in the lowest-income band, $12,977 in the lower-middle-income band, $16,475 in the middle-income band, $22,343 in the upper-middle-income band, and $30,147 for families in the highest-income band.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $18,703. Azimuth ranks the university #815 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 27% of the published cost, an average offset of $8,413. Across all aid recipients, the average net price is $23,322.
The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $15,634, and the university’s average net price is $7,688 above that figure. The aid offset reduces the published cost, but the overall average remains above the comparable-institution median.
Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt at completion is $20,093. That is $17 above the peer median debt of $20,076 at comparable institutions (same type and size).
89.9% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans, and that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $228 a month if repaid over ten years. Parent borrowers’ median Parent PLUS borrowing is $37,285.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal borrowing is widespread at James Madison University: 89.9% of federal aid recipients take federal loans, and borrowers who complete have median federal student loan debt of $20,093. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $20,076, placing the university's median $17 above it.
For the separate parent-borrower population, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $37,285. Debt sits slightly below the peer median, though federal borrowing reaches a large share of undergraduates.
James Madison University pairs its strongest Azimuth pillar, mobility, with a mixed financial return picture. Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $70,627 four years after completion, placing earnings in the 77th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what expects for similar students, stands in the 31st percentile. Graduates earn about $6,307 less than the model expects for similar students.
Earnings scenarios range from $55,254 in the downside scenario to $96,111 in the upside scenario, with $70,627 in the typical scenario. Median federal student loan debt at completion is $20,093, above the $20,076 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size) by $17.
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $228 a month if repaid over ten years. The model result and debt just below peers point in different directions.
The estimated payment tied to median federal student debt is $228 a month if repaid over ten years. Parent borrowers have median Parent PLUS borrowing of $37,285, a separate federal borrowing population.
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
- $37,285
- Estimated parent payment
- $474/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | High pressure |
| $150,000 | Caution |
| $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
- $20,093
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $37,285
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $228/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $474/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $702/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 $70,627, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
5.7% 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.