Cost & financial aid brief
Tulane University of Louisiana Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Tulane cost after financial aid?
For the average aid recipient at Tulane University of Louisiana, the published cost of $87,004 is reduced to an average net price of $39,949, a sticker-to-net gap of $47,055. Aid covers about 54% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.
Across the income bands, ranges from $16,126 in the lowest band to $56,667 in the highest; $18,041, $20,149, and $28,207 sit between them in order. That pattern places more aid at lower incomes as an overall pattern, not as a guarantee for a particular family.
The sizeable overall discount and lower prices in the lower-income bands point in the same direction.
Families face a high published price at Tulane University of Louisiana, with a cost of attendance of $87,004 (an average across living arrangements). Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $16,126 for the lowest family-income band, $18,041 for the lower-middle band, $20,149 for the middle band, $28,207 for the upper-middle band, and $56,667 for the highest band.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $40,541. Azimuth ranks the university #1,316 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Aid offsets much of the published charge for recipients, though the overall average remains above comparable institutions. Aid covers about 54% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, saving $47,055.
The average net price for first-time, full-time Title IV aid recipients is $39,949, $12,578 above the peer median of $27,371 for comparable institutions (same type and size). Published tuition and fees are $68,678.
Federal borrowing at completion sits below the comparable-school median, even as many undergraduates borrow. Among federal-loan borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $20,500, and 91.4% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.
That median is $3,699 below the $24,199 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size). Median Parent PLUS borrowing is $33,574.
The median federal debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $233 a month if repaid over ten years.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
At Tulane University of Louisiana, 91.4% of federal aid recipients take federal loans, making borrowing common even though the median federal student loan debt at completion is $20,500. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $24,199, and the university's median is $3,699 below that figure.
For separate parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $33,574.
At Tulane University of Louisiana, the investment picture is mixed: observed earnings are strong, but earnings beyond expectations are not. Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $73,816 four years after completion.
Azimuth places that earnings figure in the 82nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. , the gap between what graduates earn and what expects for similar students, point the other way.
Graduates earn about $30,917 less than the model expects for similar students. Azimuth places that measure in the 1st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The earnings scenarios run from $49,033 in a downside case to $113,513 in an upside case, with the typical scenario matching the observed median. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $24,199; median federal student loan debt is $20,500, $3,699 below it.
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $233 a month if repaid over ten years. Higher observed earnings and lower debt point favorably, while the model-based earnings measure pulls the return picture in the other direction.
Among the separate parent-borrower population, median Parent PLUS borrowing was $33,574. For completers with median federal student debt, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $233 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
- $33,574
- Estimated parent payment
- $427/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | High pressure |
| $150,000 | Safe |
| $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
- $20,500
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $33,574
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $233/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $427/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $660/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 $73,816, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
5.5% 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.