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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Tulane University of Louisiana Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much does Tulane cost after financial aid?

Cost is a weak point at Tulane University of Louisiana: the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $39,949. The published cost of attendance is $87,004, an average across living arrangements.

On-campus figures are $68,678 for tuition and fees and $18,868 for room and board. For the average aid recipient, financial aid offsets $47,055 of the published price.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $27,371, putting this average $12,578 above that benchmark. Azimuth places the affordability pillar in the 7th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The above-peer net price and low affordability standing point in the same direction.

The published cost of attendance at Tulane University of Louisiana is $87,004 (an average across living arrangements). The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients is $39,949, which is $12,578 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Affordability is the weakest of the four pillars, at the 7th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. By income band, the lowest-income families average $16,126, while the highest-income families average $56,667, a spread of $40,541 between the two ends.

Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median of $20,500 in federal student loans, which is $3,699 below the peer median.

The lowest family-income band has an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, of $16,126, compared with $56,667 for the highest band. The next-lowest, middle, and next-highest bands are $18,041, $20,149, and $28,207, respectively.

Pell Grants reach 9.8% of undergraduates, providing financial-access context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $40,541.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$16,126

**$30–48K**
$18,041

**$48–75K**
$20,149

**$75–110K**
$28,207

**$110K+**
$56,667

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$39,949**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

For the average aid recipient at Tulane University of Louisiana, the published cost of $87,004 is reduced to an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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, average net price 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $33,574.

At Tulane University of Louisiana, the investment picture is mixed: observed earnings are strong, but [earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) 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. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](#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**
$33,574

**Estimated parent payment**
$427/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| Household income | Share of income above basic expenses | Risk level |
| --- | --- | --- |
| $35,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $50,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $75,000 | 25.1% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 11.3% | High pressure |
| $150,000 | 5.4% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 3.5% | Safe |

The 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS balance, as a share of household income above basic expenses ($54,640 a year: 200% of the 2026 federal poverty guideline for a household of three). No room is High pressure. [Open the parent tool for your own numbers](/financial-gps/?tool=parent&school=tulane-university-of-louisiana#parent-tool). [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**
$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 $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**5.6%** 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, $23,940, uses the published framework’s 2026 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=tulane-university-of-louisiana#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.