Cost & financial aid brief
Northeastern University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Northeastern cost after financial aid?
Most aid recipients see a large reduction from the published price, though the amount varies substantially with family income. Aid covers about 63% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.
That coverage describes the sticker-to-net gap for an average, rather than a promise of a particular award. Across the income bands, the least expensive averages appear in the lower-income ranges and the highest average appears in the highest-income range.
The five band averages apply only to aid recipients within their respective income ranges, not to every undergraduate or to a single family’s bill. This pattern shows that larger average discounts are concentrated in the lower-income bands.
At Northeastern University, the published cost of attendance is $84,641 (an average across living arrangements), and aid changes the picture substantially by family income. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $2,264 for the lowest family-income band, $2,436 for the lower-middle band, $5,301 for the middle band, $16,241 for the upper-middle band, and $47,696 for the highest band.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $45,432, and Azimuth ranks the university #1,208 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. For the average aid recipient, financial aid savings against the sticker price average $53,726, with aid covering about 63% of the published cost.
Across aid recipients, the average net price is $30,915; it is below the peer median of $36,211 at comparable institutions (same type and size), a difference of $5,296. Published tuition and fees are $66,162, while room and board are $19,580.
Federal borrowing is widespread here: 91.6% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $24,250, above the $23,168 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size), with a difference of $1,082.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing among parent borrowers is $34,984. The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $276 a month if repaid over ten years.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Borrowing is widespread at Northeastern University, so federal debt at completion is relevant to many families. 91.6% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.
For borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $24,250. The peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size) is the same, leaving the university's median above it by $1,082.
Parent PLUS borrowers are a separate parent-borrower population, with median debt of $34,984. The debt benchmark matches peers, even as federal borrowing reaches a large share of undergraduates.
The return at Northeastern University is strong, but the cost side pulls the investment picture in two directions. Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $101,903, a figure in the 97th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Graduates earn about $3,343 less than expects for similar students, an outcome that falls at the 42nd percentile. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the university's program mix, range from $72,999 in a downside case to $142,144 in an upside case, with $101,903 as the typical outcome.
Borrowers who finish carry a median of $24,250 in federal student loans, which is $1,082 above the $23,168 median for comparable institutions. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $276 a month if repaid over ten years.
Federal borrowing figures separate student and parent borrowers. For the separate parent-borrower population, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $34,984.
For student borrowers, median federal debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $276 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
- $34,984
- Estimated parent payment
- $444/mo
| Household income | Share of income above basic expenses | Risk level |
|---|---|---|
| $35,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $50,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $75,000 | 26.2% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 11.8% | High pressure |
| $150,000 | 5.6% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 3.7% | 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. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $24,250
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $34,984
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $276/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $444/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $720/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 $101,903, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
4.2% 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, $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.
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.