Cost & financial aid brief
Syracuse University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Syracuse University cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 54% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The sticker-to-net gap is $45,724, but the size of that reduction differs across family incomes.
The lowest two bands, for families earning under $30,000 and between $30,001 and $48,000, average $15,817 and $15,845 respectively. The price then steps up through the middle bands to $55,401 for families earning over $110,000.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $39,584, which means the aid formula concentrates its largest reductions at the bottom of the income scale. That is a pattern of targeting, not a guarantee for any individual family.
Syracuse University publishes a cost of attendance of $84,517, an average across living arrangements. Its tuition and fees are $65,528 and room and board is $19,188.
For families earning under $30,000, the average net price—what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships—is $15,817. For families in the $48,001–$75,000 band, it is $21,132, and for families earning over $110,000, it is $55,401.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $39,584. Azimuth ranks the university #1,347 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Aid covers 54% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an offset of $45,724 against the sticker price. The average net price across all aid recipients is $38,793, which sits above the peer median of $36,211 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $2,582.
The median federal student debt at completion is $26,000. That median is above the peer median of $23,168 by $2,832.
93.3% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. The median Parent PLUS borrowing is $39,841.
For a graduate with the median federal debt, the estimated monthly payment if repaid over ten years is $295.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal borrowing is the norm at Syracuse University, where 93.3% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Among those who complete a degree, the median federal student debt is $26,000.
That median is above the peer median of $23,168 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $2,832, a narrow gap. Parent borrowers, a separate population, carry a median Parent PLUS loan of $39,841.
Syracuse University shows a mixed investment picture. Four years after completion, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled show a median of $79,406.
That median falls in the 88th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $3,332 less than expects for similar students.
Earnings beyond expectations measure the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students. That outcome is in the 42nd percentile.
Earnings scenarios stretch from $59,535 in a downside case to $105,437 in an upside case, with a typical scenario of $79,406. Borrowers who complete leave with a median of $26,000 in federal loans, $2,832 above the $23,168 median for comparable institutions.
If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $295 a month. High earnings nationally coincide with below-expected returns and above-peer debt.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $39,841. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $295.
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
- $39,841
- Estimated parent payment
- $506/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | High pressure |
| $150,000 | Caution |
| $200,000 | Safe |
The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. 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
- $39,841
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $295/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $506/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $801/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 $79,406, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
6.2% of income above the allowance · Excellent
- Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
- Good 8–under 12%
- 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, $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.
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.