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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Syracuse University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much does Syracuse University cost after financial aid?

Syracuse University publishes a cost of attendance of $84,517, an average across living arrangements. Tuition and fees are $65,528 and room and board are $19,188.

After financial aid, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships—is $38,793, a savings of $45,724 against the sticker price. That average net price sits above the peer median of $36,211 for comparable institutions (same type and size), by $2,582.

Azimuth ranks Syracuse University #1,347 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. For the lowest-income families, the average net price drops to $15,817, which is well below the overall average and points to substantial aid for qualifying students.

Syracuse University is among the least affordable schools among nonprofit four-year institutions, with the affordability pillar at the 5th percentile. The published cost of attendance is $84,517 (an average across living arrangements), but aid covers about 54% of that for the average aid recipient.

The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships—is $38,793, which is $2,582 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Average net prices by income band run from $15,817 for families earning under $30,000 to $55,401 for those earning over $110,000.

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $26,000 in federal student loans, $2,832 above the median for comparable institutions.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s by family-income band show a wide range. For families earning under $30,000 the average net price is $15,817; for $30,001–$48,000 it is $15,845; for $48,001–$75,000 it is $21,132; for $75,001–$110,000 it is $28,780; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $55,401.

Pell Grant recipients make up 17.1% of undergraduates, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $39,584, a difference of averages that shows aid is concentrated on families with lower incomes.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$15,817

**$30–48K**
$15,845

**$48–75K**
$21,132

**$75–110K**
$28,780

**$110K+**
$55,401

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$38,793**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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 the model expects for similar students.

[Earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $39,841. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $295.

[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**
$39,841

**Estimated parent payment**
$506/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 | 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**
$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

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=syracuse-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.