Cost & financial aid brief
The University of Alabama Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does The University of Alabama cost after financial aid?
Published cost is reduced for average aid recipients, though the size of the discount differs by family income. Aid covers about 33% of the published cost for the average aid recipient; the sticker-to-net gap is $10,962.
Average net prices range from $19,169 in the lowest income band to $26,729 in the highest, with $19,884, $22,258, and $25,658 in the bands between. The $7,560 spread describes a pattern of lower average net prices at lower incomes, rather than an individual aid package.
The published cost of attendance at The University of Alabama is $33,382. Azimuth ranks the university #978 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $19,169, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $22,258, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $26,729. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $7,560.
Aid covers about 33% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, leaving an average net price of $22,420 across all bands. That figure is $6,786 above the median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Borrowers who finish carry a median of $22,750 in federal student loans, which is $2,674 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size), called the peer median. 91.1% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.
Parents who borrow through Parent PLUS hold a separate median of $48,666. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $259 a month.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal borrowing reaches 91.1% of federal aid recipients, and debt is above peers. Federal-loan borrowers who complete leave with median federal student loan debt of $22,750.
Among comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median is $20,076, making The University of Alabama's figure $2,674 above it. For a separate parent-borrower population, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $48,666.
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 42% of graduates borrowed from any source, averaging $39,767 in cumulative debt per borrower. That figure includes 39% of graduates with federal loans, averaging $20,579. It also includes 12% of graduates with private loans, averaging $70,025.
Four years after completion, the median for federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled at The University of Alabama is $70,439. That figure sits in the 77th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Graduates earn about $131 more than expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level. That result is at the 55th percentile.
Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, span from $49,034 in a downside case to $92,815 in an upside case. The typical outcome is $70,439.
The median federal student debt at completion is $22,750, $2,674 above the peer median of $20,076 for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $259 a month.
For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $48,666. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $259 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
- $48,666
- Estimated parent payment
- $618/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
- $22,750
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $48,666
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $259/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $618/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $877/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 $70,439, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
6.5% 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.