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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Santa Clara University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much does Santa Clara University cost after financial aid?

The published cost of attendance at Santa Clara University is $82,026. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported tuition of $64,956, required fees of $780, and on-campus food and housing of $21,234 for the 2026-27 academic year.

After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients is $50,062. That is $22,691 above the $27,371 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Financial aid reduces the sticker price by $31,964 on average. Azimuth ranks the university #1,387 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The net price is the figure behind the ranking, and the sticker price alone tells a different story.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $50,062 at Santa Clara University. That is $22,691 above the peer median of $27,371, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth places the affordability pillar in the 2nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. For the lowest-income band, average net price is $22,985; for the highest-income band, it is $60,678.

Among completers who borrowed, median federal debt is $19,162, $5,037 below the median for comparable institutions (same type and size) of $24,199. Prices sit above peers and debt below them, a mixed affordability picture.

[Net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s vary by family income, and the second-lowest band has a lower average than the lowest. For families earning under thirty thousand dollars, average net price is $22,985; from thirty thousand one dollars through forty-eight thousand dollars, it is $19,154; from forty-eight thousand one dollars through seventy-five thousand dollars, $26,531; from seventy-five thousand one dollars through one hundred ten thousand dollars, $37,219; and above one hundred ten thousand dollars, $60,678.

Pell Grants go to 11.3% of undergraduates, providing financial-access context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $37,693.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$22,985

**$30–48K**
$19,154

**$48–75K**
$26,531

**$75–110K**
$37,219

**$110K+**
$60,678

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$50,062**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

Aid covers about 39% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, but the size of that reduction differs across family incomes. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that for the 2025-26 academic year, first-year students determined to have need received an average need-based package of $54,874.

That met 87% of need on average, across 2,145 students. For the same year, first-year students who received merit aid averaged $9,849.

The lowest income band (under $30,000) averages $22,985, while the highest (over $110,000) averages $60,678. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $37,693, a pattern of lower average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s at lower incomes rather than an individual aid package.

Santa Clara University carries a high published cost of attendance of $82,026, but aid recipients’ prices differ widely by family-income band. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $22,985 for the low-income family band, $19,154 for the lower-middle band, and $26,531 for the middle band.

It reaches $37,219 in the upper-middle family-income band and $60,678 for the high-income band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $37,693.

Azimuth ranks the university #1,387 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 39% of the published cost, a savings of $31,964 against the sticker price.

Across all aid recipients, the average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $50,062. That is $22,691 above the peer median net price of $27,371, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Aid reduces the published charge, yet the overall price remains above the comparable-institution midpoint. Among federal student loan borrowers who complete, median federal student debt is $19,162, and 88.0% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.

The peer median federal debt is $24,199 for comparable institutions (same type and size), making Santa Clara’s figure $5,037 below that benchmark. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $218 a month if repaid over ten years.

Among parent borrowers, median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $56,271.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Borrowing is widespread at Santa Clara University, yet the typical completed borrower’s federal balance is lower than the midpoint at comparable institutions. Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $19,162.

Federal loans are used by 88.0% of federal aid recipients. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $24,199, putting the university’s median $5,037 below it.

Separate parent borrowers have median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing of $56,271.

Median earnings of $108,517 four years after completion set the return picture at Santa Clara University. Azimuth places this earnings measure in the 98th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

[Earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/), the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, also ranks highly. Graduates earn about $23,083 more than the model expects for similar students.

Azimuth places that measure in the 97th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios range from $56,467 in a downside case to $141,633 in an upside case, with $108,517 as the typical scenario.

Median federal debt of $19,162 is $5,037 below the peer median of $24,199. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $218 a month if repaid over ten years. The earnings measures and below-peer debt point in the same direction.

Parent borrowing is a separate part of the cost picture: parent borrowers have median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing of $56,271. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $218 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**
$56,271

**Estimated parent payment**
$715/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 | Caution |
| $200,000 | Caution |

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**
$19,162

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$56,271

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

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$218/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$715/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$933/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 $108,517, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**3.0%** 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=santa-clara-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.