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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Massachusetts Institute of Technology Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/massachusetts-institute-of-technology/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/massachusetts-institute-of-technology/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/massachusetts-institute-of-technology/admissions/)[Majors](/school/massachusetts-institute-of-technology/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/massachusetts-institute-of-technology/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does MIT cost after financial aid?

Massachusetts Institute of Technology lists a total cost of attendance of $82,730, which includes $62,396 in tuition and fees and $20,280 for room and board. For students who receive financial aid, the average annual [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $20,111, an offset of $62,619 from the published sticker price.

Aid covers about 76% of the listed annual cost for the average aid recipient. That average net price is below the median for comparable institutions (same type and size), which is $27,371, by $7,260.

Among nonprofit four-year institutions, the university ranks #505 for affordability. The affordability pillar falls in the 64th percentile.

Azimuth rates the affordability pillar for Massachusetts Institute of Technology at the 64th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid recipients face an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) of $20,111, below the $27,371 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $7,260.

The median among federal loan borrowers who completed is $14,768, below the $24,199 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $9,431. By income band, the average net price is -$2,533 for the lowest-income band and $48,479 for the highest-income band.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s by family-income band show a steeply progressive structure. For families earning under $30,000 the average net price is -$2,533; for $30,001–$48,000 it is $93; for $48,001–$75,000 it is $1,480; for $75,001–$110,000 it is $11,555; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $48,479.

Pell Grant recipients make up 19.3% of undergraduates, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $51,012.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
\-$2,533

**$30–48K**
$93

**$48–75K**
$1,480

**$75–110K**
$11,555

**$110K+**
$48,479

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Net price can be negative: when grants and scholarships exceed the listed cost of attendance, students can receive the difference as a refund for other expenses.

Overall average annual net price: **$20,111**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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 the model 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $42,501. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $168.

[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**
$42,501

**Estimated parent payment**
$540/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**
$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

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=massachusetts-institute-of-technology#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.