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Cost & financial aid brief

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# James Madison University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much does James Madison University cost after financial aid?

In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, James Madison University reported in-state tuition of $8,150 and required fees of $6,100 for the 2025-26 academic year. The university listed out-of-state tuition of $25,496 and on-campus food and housing of $13,056 as sticker charges.

The published cost of attendance is $31,735. For aid recipients, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $23,322, with aid reducing the published cost by $8,413 on average.

At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median net price is $15,634, making this average $7,688 above that benchmark. Azimuth ranks the university #815 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. The above-peer net price and affordability rank point in the same direction.

After grants and scholarships, aid recipients at James Madison University pay $23,322 on average. That amount is $7,688 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

The affordability pillar falls in the 42nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. For the lowest income band, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $11,444; for the highest income band, it is $30,147.

Completers who borrowed hold a median of $20,093 in federal student loans, $17 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Among aid recipients, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $11,444 in the lowest family-income band, $12,977 in the next band, $16,475 in the middle band, $22,343 in the next-highest band, and $30,147 in the highest band. Pell Grants go to 17.1% of undergraduates, providing financial-access context for the lowest band. From the lowest to highest bands, the spread is $18,703.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$11,444

**$30–48K**
$12,977

**$48–75K**
$16,475

**$75–110K**
$22,343

**$110K+**
$30,147

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$23,322**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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 average net prices 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/), the gap between what graduates earn and what the model 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing of $37,285, a separate federal borrowing population.

[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**
$37,285

**Estimated parent payment**
$474/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 | Caution |
| $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**
$20,093

**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

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=james-madison-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.