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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Saint Louis University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much does Saint Louis University cost after financial aid?

Saint Louis University publishes a cost of attendance of $71,932, with tuition and fees at $55,760 and room and board at $15,280. After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—what aid recipients actually pay—drops to $24,398, a savings of $47,534 against the sticker total.

That average net price sits below the peer median of $27,371 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $2,973. Azimuth ranks the university #1,016 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The return pillar tells a different story: Azimuth ranks Saint Louis University #140 for return on investment. A net price below the peer median and a return pillar in the top decile point in opposite directions, so the overall picture depends on both cost and earnings.

Affordability is the weakest pillar for Saint Louis University, landing in the 28th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for first-time, full-time aid recipients is $24,398, which sits below the peer median of $27,371 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $2,973.

Median federal student debt for borrowers who complete is $25,000, above the peer median of $24,199 by $801. Average net prices are tightly clustered across income bands: $22,501 for families earning under $30,000, $21,854 for $30,001–$48,000, $21,880 for $48,001–$75,000, $21,702 for $75,001–$110,000, and $27,466 for families earning over $110,000. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $4,965.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s by family-income band stay in a narrow range. For families earning under $30,000 the average net price is $22,501; for $30,001–$48,000 it is $21,854; for $48,001–$75,000 it is $21,880; for $75,001–$110,000 it is $21,702; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $27,466.

Pell Grant recipients make up 16.9% of undergraduates, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $4,965.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$22,501

**$30–48K**
$21,854

**$48–75K**
$21,880

**$75–110K**
$21,702

**$110K+**
$27,466

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$24,398**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

Aid covers about 66% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The published cost of $71,932 is the starting point before grants and scholarships are applied.

The pricing structure is nearly flat across income bands. Families earning under $30,000 average $22,501.

Those earning $30,001 to $48,000 average $21,854, and the $48,001 to $75,000 band averages $21,880. The $75,001 to $110,000 band averages $21,702, while families earning over $110,000 average $27,466.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $4,965. A narrow spread alongside a lowest-band [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) that remains above twenty thousand dollars suggests aid is distributed broadly rather than concentrated on the neediest students.

The published cost of attendance at Saint Louis University is $71,932. Azimuth ranks the university #1,016 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

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 $22,501, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $21,880, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $27,466. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $4,965.

Across all aid recipients, the average net price is $24,398, which is $2,973 below the $27,371 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Tuition and fees are $55,760, and the average aid package offsets $47,534 of the published cost.

Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median of $25,000 in federal student loans. That is $801 above the peer median of $24,199.

92.1% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Parents who borrow through the [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) program hold a separate median of $34,177.

If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $284 a month.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Saint Louis University graduates who borrow federal loans leave with a median debt of $25,000. That median is above the $24,199 median at comparable institutions (same type and size) by $801, and 92.1% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.

For a separate population of parent borrowers, the median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) loan is $34,177.

Graduates of Saint Louis University earn a median of $77,024 four years after completion, a figure in the 85th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. They earn about $10,163 more than the model expects for similar students, an outcome that falls in the 83rd percentile nationally.

Earnings scenarios derived from the university's program mix suggest a downside of $57,492 and an upside of $90,540, framing the range around the typical outcome. Borrowers finish with a median federal debt of $25,000, which is above the $24,199 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $284 a month if repaid over ten years. Graduates earn above the median at comparable institutions (same type and size) by $8,774, while the median federal debt sits only slightly above the peer median.

Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $34,177. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $284.

[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**
$34,177

**Estimated parent payment**
$434/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 | 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**
$25,000

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$34,177

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

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$284/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$434/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$718/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 $77,024, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**6.3%** 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=saint-louis-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.