Cost & financial aid brief
Kenyon College Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Kenyon College cost after financial aid?
At Kenyon College, financial aid offsets about 56% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. That figure is an average, not a guarantee for any one family.
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that first-year students with need received an average need-based grant of $59,495 in the 2025-26 academic year. The average share of need met was 100%, and the average need-based package totaled $60,910.
Of the 412 first-year students, 242 were determined to have need, and all 242 had their need fully met. In the 2025-26 academic year, 131 first-year students received merit awards averaging $28,992.
The gap between bands is wide: the lowest averages $18,242 and the highest averages $51,432, a spread of $33,190. That spread shows aid concentrated at the bottom of the income scale.
The published cost of attendance at Kenyon College is $87,590. Azimuth ranks the university #1,306 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 $18,242, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $19,156, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $51,432. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $33,190.
Aid covers about 56% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, bringing the average net price across all bands to $38,512. That figure is $16,165 above the $22,347 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Borrowers who finish carry a median of $18,527 in federal student loans. That is $6,473 below the $25,000 median for comparable institutions.
Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $56,500. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $211 a month.
It estimates a personalized net price and payment scenario that includes Parent PLUS borrowing.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
The median federal student debt for borrowers who complete a degree at Kenyon College is $18,527. That is $6,473 below the $25,000 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
About 90.2% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. If repaid over ten years, the median debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $211 a month.
Parents who borrow through the separate Parent PLUS program hold a median of $56,500. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 41% of graduates borrowed from any source, with an average cumulative amount of $28,833 per borrower.
Of those graduates, 35% held federal loans averaging $20,842, including some who also held private loans. A smaller share, 6%, held private loans averaging $52,872.
The median earnings figure for Kenyon College is $57,786, measured four years after completion, at the 43rd percentile nationally. That is $1,871 above the $55,915 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, range from $50,934 at the lower end to $102,283 at the upper end, with a typical scenario of $57,786. Median federal debt at completion is $18,527, which is $6,473 below the median for comparable institutions.
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $211 a month if repaid over ten years.
For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $56,500. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $211 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
- $56,500
- Estimated parent payment
- $718/mo
| Household income | Share of income above basic expenses | Risk level |
|---|---|---|
| $35,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $50,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $75,000 | 42.3% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 19.0% | High pressure |
| $150,000 | 9.0% | Caution |
| $200,000 | 5.9% | 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. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $18,527
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $56,500
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $211/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $718/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $929/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 $57,786, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
7.5% 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, $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.
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.