1.  [College research](/)
2.  /
3.  [Rochester Institute of Technology](/school/rochester-institute-of-technology/)
4.  /
5.  Cost & financial aid brief

Cost & financial aid brief

Copy linkPrint brief

# Rochester Institute of Technology Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much does Rochester Institute of Technology cost after financial aid?

Rochester Institute of Technology publishes a cost of attendance of $74,626, an average across living arrangements. Tuition and fees are $59,274, and room and board are $16,142.

For the average aid recipient, the [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—what families pay after grants and scholarships—drops to $34,906, a savings of $39,720 against the sticker total. That average net price sits below the peer median of $36,211 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,305.

Affordability is the university's weakest pillar. Azimuth ranks Rochester Institute of Technology #1,309 among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The sticker price is high, and while the lowest-income band sees an average net price of $24,680 for families earning under $30,000, the overall average remains above the peer mark. For families who qualify for aid, the discount is real, but the starting point is steep.

After grants and scholarships, aid recipients pay $34,906 on average, $1,305 below the median at comparable institutions (same type and size). Among nonprofit four-year institutions, the affordability pillar for Rochester Institute of Technology is at the 7th percentile.

Families in the lowest income band pay $24,680 on average, while those in the highest pay $44,970. Completers who borrowed hold a median federal student loan debt of $26,778, $3,610 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s by family-income band show a progressive structure. For families earning under $30,000 the average net price is $24,680; for $30,001–$48,000 it is $24,820; for $48,001–$75,000 it is $28,874; for $75,001–$110,000 it is $34,510; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $44,970.

Pell Grant recipients make up 27.2% of undergraduates, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $20,290, a difference of averages that shows aid is concentrated on families with lower incomes.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$24,680

**$30–48K**
$24,820

**$48–75K**
$28,874

**$75–110K**
$34,510

**$110K+**
$44,970

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$34,906**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

For the average aid recipient, grants and scholarships offset about 53% of the $74,626 (an average across living arrangements) sticker price, a reduction of $39,720. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) runs from $24,680 for families earning under $30,000 to $44,970 for those earning over $110,000.

The intermediate bands are $24,820, $28,874, and $34,510. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $20,290.

The pattern shows lower average net prices at lower incomes, though individual packages vary.

Rochester Institute of Technology publishes a cost of attendance of $74,626, an average across living arrangements. Tuition and fees are $59,274 and room and board are $16,142.

After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $24,680; for the middle band, families earning $48,001–$75,000, it is $28,874; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $44,970. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $20,290.

Azimuth ranks the university #1,309 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid covers about 53% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an offset of $39,720 against the sticker price.

The average net price across all aid recipients is $34,906, which sits below the peer median of $36,211 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,305. The median federal student debt at completion is $26,778.

That median is above the peer median of $23,168 by $3,610, and 93.9% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. The median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $35,625.

If repaid over ten years, the median federal debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $304 a month.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Completers who borrowed federal loans at Rochester Institute of Technology left with a median federal debt of $26,778. Federal borrowing is nearly universal, with 93.9% of federal aid recipients taking these loans.

The university's median sits above the peer median of $23,168 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $3,610. For parents who borrow through [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/), a separate population, the median debt is $35,625. Widespread borrowing and the above-peer median point the same way.

Graduates of Rochester Institute of Technology earn about $6,959 more than the model expects for similar students, an outcome in the 76th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The median earnings four years after completion reach $84,133, which places it in the 92nd percentile nationally.

That median is above the $83,615 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $518. Earnings scenarios derived from the university's program mix show a typical earnings level equal to the observed median, with a downside scenario of $55,511 and an upside scenario of $122,333.

Borrowers finish with a median federal debt of $26,778, which corresponds to an estimated payment of $304 a month if repaid over ten years. That debt figure is above the $23,168 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $3,610.

The return picture is mixed: graduates beat the model's expectations, yet median earnings sit below the peer median while median debt sits above its own peer benchmark.

Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $35,625. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $304.

[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**
$35,625

**Estimated parent payment**
$453/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 | 26.7% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 12.0% | High pressure |
| $150,000 | 5.7% | 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](/financial-gps/?tool=parent&school=rochester-institute-of-technology#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**
$26,778

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$35,625

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

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$304/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$453/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$757/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 $84,133, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**6.1%** 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=rochester-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.