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Cost & financial aid brief

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# United States Merchant Marine Academy Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

[Overview](/school/united-states-merchant-marine-academy/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/united-states-merchant-marine-academy/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/united-states-merchant-marine-academy/admissions/)[Majors](/school/united-states-merchant-marine-academy/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/united-states-merchant-marine-academy/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does United States Merchant Marine Academy cost after financial aid?

The published cost of attendance at United States Merchant Marine Academy is $9,168, with in-state tuition and fees of $895. The average aid recipient receives $2,994 in financial aid savings.

For the average aid recipient, grants and scholarships bring the average price students actually pay after grants and scholarships down to $6,174. That [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $6,648 below the $12,822 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth ranks the university #2 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. That places the affordability pillar in the 99th percentile.

Affordability is the pillar that sets United States Merchant Marine Academy apart, landing at the 99th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Here, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $6,174, which is $6,648 below the median of $12,822 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

The published cost of attendance is $9,168, and aid covers about 33% of that for the average aid recipient. By income band, aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 average $1,773, and those from families earning over $110,000 average $9,168.

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $8,833 in federal student loans, $10,667 below the peer median of $19,500.

After grants and scholarships, aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 average $1,773. 7.8% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants.

The figure is $4,098 for the $30,001–$48,000 band, $5,897 for the $48,001–$75,000 band, $8,752 for the $75,001–$110,000 band, and $9,168 for families earning over $110,000. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $7,395.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$1,773

**$30–48K**
$4,098

**$48–75K**
$5,897

**$75–110K**
$8,752

**$110K+**
$9,168

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$6,174**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

Aid covers about 33% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, a discount of $2,994 against the sticker price. The pattern across income bands is one of low costs at every level, with the lowest-income families paying the least.

The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) moves from $1,773 in the bottom band to $9,168 in the top. That narrow range suggests aid is targeted broadly rather than concentrated at the very bottom.

A family reading only the sticker price would see a figure that bears little resemblance to what most aid recipients actually pay.

The published cost of attendance at United States Merchant Marine Academy is $9,168. Azimuth ranks the university #2 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $1,773, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $5,897, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $9,168. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $7,395.

Aid covers about 33% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, bringing the average net price across all bands to $6,174. That is $6,648 below the $12,822 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $8,833 in federal student loans, $10,667 below the peer median of $19,500. 86.1% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.

If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $100 a month. It estimates costs and payments for your own situation.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Borrowers who complete a degree at United States Merchant Marine Academy carry a median of $8,833 in federal student loans. That is $10,667 below the $19,500 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

86.1% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. If repaid over ten years, that median debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $100 a month.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $92,950. That is $39,834 above the $53,116 median for comparable institutions (same type and size), placing the university at the 95th percentile nationally.

Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, show a tight range. Borrowers who finish leave with a median of $8,833 in federal loans, $10,667 below the median for comparable institutions (same type and size) of $19,500.

If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $100 a month.

For borrowers with median federal student debt, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $100 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).

## Student loans: the monthly payment

Financial GPS

### What does repayment look like?

**Institution median student debt**
$8,833

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
No federal loan data

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

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$100/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
No federal loan data

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

#### Student payment as a share of available income

At median graduate earnings of $92,950, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**1.7%** 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=united-states-merchant-marine-academy#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.