Cost & financial aid brief
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does MIT cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 76% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, a discount of $62,619 against the sticker price. The pattern across income bands is steeply progressive.
The lowest-income band, families earning under $30,000, averages -$2,533 after grants and scholarships — a negative figure, meaning aid exceeds billed costs and covers some living expenses. The next two bands pay near zero: $93 for families earning $30,001–$48,000 and $1,480 for those at $48,001–$75,000.
Costs are $11,555 in the $75,001–$110,000 band and $48,479 for families earning over $110,000. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $51,012.
The published cost of attendance at Massachusetts Institute of Technology is $82,730, with tuition and fees at $62,396 and room and board at $20,280. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is -$2,533, meaning aid exceeds the full cost for qualifying families.
The average net price is $93 for the $30,001–$48,000 band, $1,480 for the $48,001–$75,000 band, $11,555 for the $75,001–$110,000 band, and $48,479 for families earning over $110,000. Azimuth ranks the university #505 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The average net price across all aid recipients is $20,111, which reflects an average financial aid savings of $62,619 against the sticker price. Among comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median net price is $27,371, placing Massachusetts Institute of Technology $7,260 below that benchmark.
The median federal student debt at completion is $14,768, with roughly 52.4% of federal aid recipients borrowing. That median is $9,431 below the peer median of $24,199 for comparable institutions.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing stands at $42,501. If repaid over ten years, the estimated monthly payment for a graduate with the median federal debt is $168.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Completers who borrowed through federal programs leave Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a median debt of $14,768. Roughly 52.4% of federal aid recipients use such loans.
When measured against comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median is $24,199, so the university sits below by $9,431. Parent PLUS borrowing, tracked separately from student debt, carries a median of $42,501 among parent borrowers.
Median earnings four years after completion reach $161,961 at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a level that sits in the 99th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $63,143 more than expects for similar students, an outcome in the 99th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Earnings scenarios anchored on the mix of programs offered span from $80,087 on the downside to $225,141 on the upside, with $161,961 representing the typical case. The median federal debt among completers who borrowed is $14,768, a balance that falls below the $24,199 median recorded for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, the estimated monthly payment is $168.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $42,501. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $168.
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
- $42,501
- Estimated parent payment
- $540/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
- $14,768
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $42,501
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $168/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $540/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $708/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 $161,961, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
1.4% 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.