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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Mount Saint Mary's University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

[Overview](/school/mount-saint-marys-university/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/mount-saint-marys-university/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/mount-saint-marys-university/admissions/)[Majors](/school/mount-saint-marys-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/mount-saint-marys-university/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does Mount Saint Mary's University cost after financial aid?

For aid recipients, Mount Saint Mary's University's average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $21,413, well below its published cost of attendance. The standard budget is $66,726, with $49,564 in tuition and fees and $15,518 for room and board.

Financial aid savings average $45,313 against that published price. At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions, is $22,347.

Mount Saint Mary's University's average is $934 below that benchmark. Azimuth ranks the university #846 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The below-peer net price and average aid savings point in the same direction on cost.

The affordability pillar sits at the 40th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, the weakest of the four pillars for Mount Saint Mary's University. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $21,413.

That is $934 below the median of $22,347 for comparable institutions (same type and size). By income band, the lowest-income families average $23,849, while the highest-income families average $18,762.

The spread between the two ends is $5,087. Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median of $25,949 in federal student loans, which is $949 above the peer median of $25,000.

Prices vary irregularly by family income rather than moving in one direction. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $23,849 for the lowest family-income band, $13,718 for the next-lowest band, $17,876 for the middle band, $30,247 for the next-highest band, and $18,762 for the highest band.

57.1% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, providing financial-access context for the lowest band. Across the endpoints, the spread between the lowest and highest bands is $5,087.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$23,849

**$30–48K**
$13,718

**$48–75K**
$17,876

**$75–110K**
$30,247

**$110K+**
$18,762

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$21,413**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

Average aid substantially reduces the published price, but [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s across income bands do not form a simple income ladder. Against a cost of attendance of $66,726, the average net price for aid recipients is $21,413, leaving $45,313 in average financial aid savings.

Aid covers about 68% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The band averages are $23,849 for the lowest-income group, $13,718 for the next-lowest group, $17,876 for the middle group, $30,247 for the next-highest group, and $18,762 for the highest group.

This pattern shows uneven aid targeting across bands rather than a steady income gradient. The large average discount coexists with uneven pricing by family income.

Mount Saint Mary's University has a published cost of attendance of $66,726, with aid-recipient costs varying sharply by family-income band. Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $23,849 for the lowest-income band, $13,718 for the lower-middle band, $17,876 for the middle band, $30,247 for the upper-middle band, and $18,762 for the highest-income band.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $5,087, a difference between band averages. Azimuth ranks the university #846 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 68% of the published cost, offsetting $45,313 from the sticker price on average. The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $21,413 across all aid recipients.

That figure is $934 below the peer median of $22,347 for comparable institutions (same type and size). Published tuition and fees are $49,564, and room and board are listed at $15,518.

The aid offset and lower peer comparison point in the same direction, though family-band averages do not follow a simple income pattern. Federal-loan borrowers who completed leave with median federal student loan debt of $25,949, and 94.0% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.

That median is $949 above the $25,000 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $295 a month if repaid over ten years.

Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing among parent borrowers is $23,250.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Federal borrowing is widespread at Mount Saint Mary's University: 94.0% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Among borrowers who complete, median federal student debt is $25,949.

That median is $949 above the $25,000 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Parents who borrow through the [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) program hold a separate median of $23,250.

At Mount Saint Mary's University, earnings sit well above both the peer median and the model's expectation. Four years after completion, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $79,546, in the 88th percentile nationally.

That is $23,631 above the $55,915 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Graduates earn about $30,325 more than the model expects for similar students, a gap that sits in the 99th percentile.

Earnings scenarios, estimated from the university's program mix, show a downside case of $50,354 and an upside case reaching $119,050. Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median of $25,949 in federal student loans, $949 above the $25,000 median for comparable institutions.

If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated monthly payment of $295.

For the separate population of parent borrowers, median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing stands at $23,250. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $295 a month if repaid over ten years.

[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**
$23,250

**Estimated parent payment**
$295/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| Household income | Share of income above basic expenses | Risk level |
| --- | --- | --- |
| $35,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $50,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $75,000 | 17.4% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 7.8% | Caution |
| $150,000 | 3.7% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 2.4% | 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](/financial-gps/?tool=parent&school=mount-saint-marys-university#parent-tool). [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**
$25,949

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$23,250

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$295/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$295/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$590/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 $79,546, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**6.4%** 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, $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.

[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=mount-saint-marys-university#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.