Cost & financial aid brief
Lafayette College Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Lafayette College cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 59% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The lower-income bands see the deepest discounting: the average net price for families earning under $30,000 is $12,716, while the $30,001–$48,000 band averages $7,445.
The highest band averages $52,608, a spread of $39,892 between the two ends. That pattern shows a pricing structure where aid is concentrated at the bottom of the income scale, with costs rising sharply for families above $110,000.
The average net price across all aid recipients is $34,433, which is $7,062 above the peer median.
The published cost of attendance at Lafayette College is $83,133 (an average across living arrangements). Azimuth ranks the university #1,227 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 $12,716, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $10,881, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $52,608. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $39,892.
The average aid recipient saves $48,700 off the published cost. Tuition and fees are $65,398.
The average net price across all aid recipients is $34,433, which is $7,062 above the $27,371 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Borrowers who finish carry a median of $16,000 in federal student loans.
That is $8,199 below the peer median of $24,199. 92.3% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.
Parents who borrow through the separate Parent PLUS program hold a median of $59,000. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $182 a month.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
The return picture at Lafayette College is built on two things: earnings that run well ahead of peers, and debt that runs well behind. Four years after completion, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $91,758.
That is $23,508 above the $68,250 median for comparable institutions (same type and size), and it sits in the 95th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, range from $54,951 on the downside to $112,210 on the upside, with a typical scenario of $91,758.
Borrowers who finish carry a median of $16,000 in federal loans, which is $8,199 below the peer median. If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $182 a month. High earnings and low debt point the same way here.
For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $59,000. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $182 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
- $59,000
- Estimated parent payment
- $750/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 | Caution |
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
- $16,000
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $59,000
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $182/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $750/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $932/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 $91,758, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
3.2% 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.