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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Tufts University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

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

**On this page**+

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

The published annual cost at Tufts University is high even after the average aid recipient’s discount. The university’s published cost of attendance is $88,300, an average across living arrangements.

On-campus tuition and fees are $70,704 and room and board is $18,588. For aid recipients, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $39,998.

Financial aid offsets $48,302 of the published cost on average. At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median net price is $27,371; Tufts sits $12,627 above that figure.

Azimuth ranks Tufts University #1,275 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. The higher average net price and the peer comparison both point to a costly price picture.

The published cost of attendance at Tufts University is $88,300 (an average across living arrangements), but aid covers about 55% of that for the average aid recipient. After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $39,998, which is $12,627 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Net prices vary widely by income. Aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 average $11,284, while those in the highest band, over $110,000, average $58,570.

The spread between the two ends is $47,286. Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median of $16,250 in federal student loans, $7,949 below the peer median.

Azimuth ranks the university #1,275 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s differ widely by family-income band: $11,284 for the lowest band, $9,811 for the next-lowest band, $14,923 for the middle band, $23,311 for the next-highest band, and $58,570 for the highest band. Pell Grants reach 12.0% of undergraduates, providing financial-access context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $47,286.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$11,284

**$30–48K**
$9,811

**$48–75K**
$14,923

**$75–110K**
$23,311

**$110K+**
$58,570

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$39,998**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

Aid makes a large reduction from the published price for the average recipient, but the remaining cost depends heavily on family income. Aid covers about 55% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, leaving a sticker-to-net gap of $48,302.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $11,284 in the lowest income band and $58,570 in the highest band, with $9,811, $14,923, and $23,311 across the intervening bands. This pattern shows lower average net prices at lower family incomes, rather than a uniform discount from the published cost.

At Tufts University, the published cost of attendance is $88,300 (an average across living arrangements), so aid makes a large difference to the price families face. Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $11,284 for families earning under thirty thousand dollars; $9,811 for families earning from thirty thousand and one dollars through forty-eight thousand dollars; $14,923 for families earning from forty-eight thousand and one dollars through seventy-five thousand dollars; $23,311 for families earning from seventy-five thousand and one dollars through one hundred ten thousand dollars; and $58,570 for families earning over one hundred ten thousand dollars.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $47,286, and Azimuth ranks the university #1,275 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid covers about 55% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, offsetting $48,302 against the sticker price and leaving an average net price of $39,998 across aid recipients.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $27,371; the university’s average is $12,627 above that figure. Published tuition and fees are $70,704, with room and board at $18,588.

Aid reduces the listed price substantially, yet the average price for aid recipients remains above the comparable-school median. Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $16,250, and 74.6% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.

The median at comparable institutions (same type and size) is $24,199, placing the university $7,949 below that figure. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $185 a month if repaid over ten years.

Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing among parent borrowers is $38,325.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Federal borrowing at Tufts University ends below the comparable-institution benchmark for completers. Median federal student loan debt at completion is $16,250, which is $7,949 below the $24,199 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Federal loans are used by 74.6% of federal aid recipients. For the separate parent-borrower population, median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $38,325.

In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported that 26% of graduates borrowed from any source, with average cumulative borrowing of $25,584 per borrower. That figure includes 25% of graduates with federal loans, averaging $15,190 per federal borrower.

It also includes 4% of graduates with private loans, averaging $64,668 per private borrower.

Tufts University presents a mixed return picture: observed earnings are high, while the model result is less favorable. Graduates working and not enrolled have median earnings of $97,474 four years after completion.

Azimuth places that earnings figure in the 96th 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, offers a separate model-based measure.

Graduates earn about $7,804 less than the model expects for similar students. Azimuth places that measure in the 26th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Earnings scenarios place earnings at $60,388 in a downside case, $97,474 in a typical case, and $138,417 in an upside case. Median federal debt is $16,250, compared with $24,199 at comparable institutions (same type and size); it is $7,949 below the peer median.

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $185 a month if repaid over ten years. High observed earnings and lower debt point one way, but earnings beyond expectations point another.

Among the separate population of [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) parent borrowers, median borrowing was $38,325. For student borrowers at the median federal debt level, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $185 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**
$38,325

**Estimated parent payment**
$487/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**
$16,250

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$38,325

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

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$185/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$487/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$672/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 $97,474, 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=tufts-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.