Cost & financial aid brief
Simpson College Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Simpson College cost after financial aid?
For the average aid recipient, Simpson College’s pricing shows a large discount from the published charge, but that discount is not distributed in a simple step-by-step pattern across income bands. Aid covers about 64% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.
The sticker-to-net difference is the average aid offset described above, not a promise for a particular family. Across the listed bands, the next-lowest income group has the lowest average net price; prices then move upward through the middle and upper bands.
That pattern shows more aid is associated with lower and middle family incomes than with the highest band, while the lowest band does not have the lowest average price. The figures describe average pricing within income groups, so a family’s grant and final bill can depart from the pattern.
At Simpson College, the published cost of attendance is $61,227, with aid recipients facing lower average prices across the income bands. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $17,941 for the lowest family-income band; $15,764 for the next band; $19,176 for the middle band; $22,468 for the next-highest band; and $26,586 for the highest band.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $8,645. Azimuth ranks Simpson College #877 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Aid covers about 64% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, equal to $39,291 against the sticker price. Across all aid recipients, the is $21,936.
The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $22,347, placing Simpson’s average $411 below it. Published tuition and fees are $47,656, so the aid figure and below-peer average price point in the same direction.
Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $26,000, and 95.7% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. Comparable institutions (same type and size) have median federal debt of $25,000, leaving Simpson $1,000 above that benchmark.
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $295 a month if repaid over ten years. Median Parent PLUS borrowing is $23,702.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal borrowing is widespread at Simpson College, where 95.7% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Among borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $26,000.
Comparable institutions (same type and size) have a peer median federal debt of $25,000, placing Simpson’s median $1,000 above that benchmark. For the separate parent-borrower population, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $23,702.
At Simpson College, return is the strongest pillar, yet the investment picture is mixed because earnings fall short of expectation and borrowing sits above the peer benchmark. Four years after completion, median earnings are $56,509.
Azimuth places that earnings measure in the 37th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, sits in the 40th percentile.
Graduates earn about $3,872 less than the model expects for similar students. Earnings scenarios range from $47,653 in a downside case to $77,766 in an upside case, with $56,509 as the typical scenario.
Median federal student loan debt is $26,000, $1,000 above the $25,000 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $295 a month if repaid over ten years.
Below-expected earnings and debt above the peer median point in the same direction.
Among parent borrowers, the median amount borrowed through Parent PLUS is $23,702, separate from student federal borrowers. Median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $295 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
- $23,702
- Estimated parent payment
- $301/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 | 17.7% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 8.0% | Caution |
| $150,000 | 3.8% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 2.5% | 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
- $26,000
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $23,702
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $295/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $301/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $596/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 $56,509, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
10.9% of income above the allowance · Good
- Excellent Under 8%
- Good 8–under 12% · selected scenario
- 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.