1.  [College research](/)
2.  /
3.  [Northwestern University](/school/northwestern-university/)
4.  /
5.  Cost & financial aid brief

Cost & financial aid brief

Copy linkPrint brief

# Northwestern University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much does Northwestern cost after financial aid?

The standard budget at Northwestern University carries a published cost of attendance of $91,250, covering $68,322 in tuition and fees and $21,126 for room and board. After financial aid, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for recipients falls to $29,167, which represents a reduction of $62,083 from the sticker total.

Among comparable institutions (same type and size), the median net price is $27,371; the university is $1,796 above that level. Aid covers about 68% of the published cost for a typical aid recipient.

Roughly 18.6% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, Azimuth ranks Northwestern University #807 for affordability. That places the affordability pillar in the 43rd percentile.

At Northwestern University, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients is $29,167, a sum that sits above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,796. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, the affordability pillar falls at the 43rd percentile.

Borrowing completers hold median federal debt of $15,000. That figure is below the median among comparable institutions (same type and size) of $24,199 by $9,199.

Families in the lowest income band face an average net price of $1,764, while those in the highest income band average $48,777.

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 $1,764; for $30,001–$48,000 it is $6,099; for $48,001–$75,000 it is $7,898; for $75,001–$110,000 it is $18,282; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $48,777.

Pell Grant recipients make up 18.6% of undergraduates, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $47,013.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$1,764

**$30–48K**
$6,099

**$48–75K**
$7,898

**$75–110K**
$18,282

**$110K+**
$48,777

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$29,167**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

Aid covers about 68% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The pattern across income bands shows where the support is concentrated.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s start at $1,764 in the lowest band and reach $48,777 in the highest, a spread of $47,013. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that first-year students determined to have need received an average need-based grant of $65,946 in the 2025-26 academic year.

The average share of need met was 100%, and the average need-based package totaled $67,935. Of the 2,138 first-year students in that cohort, 868 were determined to have need, and all 868 had that need fully met.

Merit aid was limited: 7 recipients received an average of $23,571 in the 2025-26 academic year.

Northwestern University publishes a cost of attendance of $91,250, with tuition and fees at $68,322 and room and board at $21,126. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships—varies sharply by family income.

For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $1,764; for the middle band ($48,001–$75,000), it is $7,898; and for families earning over $110,000, it is $48,777. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $47,013, a gap that reflects the university's high-sticker, high-aid model.

Azimuth ranks Northwestern #807 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid covers about 68% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an offset of $62,083 against the sticker price.

The average net price across all aid recipients is $29,167, which sits above the peer median of $27,371 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,796. The published sticker is high, but the aid structure brings the net cost for most aided families well below the published figure.

Median federal student debt at completion is $15,000, with about 72.1% of federal aid recipients borrowing. That debt is below the peer median of $24,199 for comparable institutions by $9,199, and corresponds to an estimated payment of $170 a month if repaid over ten years.

Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate parent-borrower figure, is $26,966.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Borrowers who complete a degree at Northwestern University leave with a median of $15,000 in federal student loans. That is $9,199 below the $24,199 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

If repaid over ten years, that median debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $170 a month. Parents who borrow through the [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) program hold a separate median of $26,966.

In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 24% of graduates borrowed from any source, with an average cumulative amount of $41,330 per borrower. Federal loans accounted for most of that, with 23% of graduates holding an average of $16,398. A smaller share of graduates, 3%, held private loans averaging $70,354.

Completers at Northwestern University earn about $8,042 more than the model expects for similar students, a gap that sits in the 79th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Measured four years after completion, median earnings for graduates working and not enrolled are $109,275, placing the university in the 98th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Azimuth models earnings scenarios from the university's program mix. The typical earnings scenario lands at $109,275, the downside scenario at $52,192, and the upside scenario at $137,236.

Among completers who borrowed federal loans, the median federal debt at completion is $15,000. That balance is below the $24,199 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, the estimated monthly payment is $170.

Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $26,966. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $170.

[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**
$26,966

**Estimated parent payment**
$343/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| Income | Risk level |
| --- | --- |
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | Caution |
| $150,000 | Safe |
| $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**
$15,000

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$26,966

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

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$170/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$343/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$513/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 $109,275, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**2.4%** 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=northwestern-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.