Cost & financial aid brief
Linfield University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Linfield University cost after financial aid?
For the average aid recipient, grants and scholarships cover about 60% of the published cost. Average net prices run from $20,059 for families earning under $30,000 to $32,519 for those earning over $110,000, with $18,664, $22,806, and $26,070 in the bands between.
The $12,460 spread between the two ends shows lower average prices for lower-income families, though individual packages vary. In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported that for the 2024-25 academic year, 313 first-year students were determined to have financial need.
Of those, 99 had their need fully met. The average share of need met was 95%, the average need-based grant was $43,500, and the average package was $48,073. Among first-year students, 60 received merit awards averaging $29,375.
The published cost of attendance at Linfield University is $65,935. Azimuth ranks the university #1,105 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 $20,059, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $22,806, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $32,519. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $12,460.
Aid covers about 60% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The across all aid recipients is $26,536, which is $4,189 above the $22,347 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median of $25,000 in federal student loans, level with the peer median. 95.8% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.
Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $36,067 in Parent PLUS loans. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $284 a month.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Borrowers who complete a degree at Linfield University leave with a median of $25,000 in federal student loans. 95.8% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.
That is level with the $25,000 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported that 70% of graduates borrowed from any source, with an average cumulative total of $39,557 per borrower.
Including 69% of graduates who held federal loans, averaging $26,308. Another 22% held private loans, averaging $42,596.
Parents who borrow through the federal PLUS program hold a separate median of $36,067.
Graduates earn about $17,466 more than expects for similar students. That result is at the 94th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Their median earnings four years after completion at Linfield University are $81,180. That places the median at the 90th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Those earnings are $25,265 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth ranks the university #119 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Estimated earnings scenarios from the program mix run from $53,006 to $109,374, with $81,180 as the typical outcome. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $25,000 in federal loans, level with the peer median (the median for comparable institutions).
If repaid over ten years, the estimated monthly payment is $284. Earnings are above the peer median, and median federal student debt at completion is level with the peer median.
For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $36,067. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $284 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
- $36,067
- Estimated parent payment
- $458/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | High pressure |
| $150,000 | Safe |
| $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
- $25,000
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $36,067
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $284/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $458/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $742/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 $81,180, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
5.8% 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.