Cost & financial aid brief
University of California-Berkeley Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does UC Berkeley cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 70% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The pattern across income bands is one of sharply rising net prices.
The lowest band, families earning under $30,000, averages $5,311, while the highest band, over $110,000, averages $34,529. The spread between the two ends is $29,218.
The middle bands fill in the picture: $30,001–$48,000 averages $6,501, $48,001–$75,000 averages $9,693, and $75,001–$110,000 averages $15,074. The pricing structure keeps costs low at the bottom of the income scale and increases steadily from there.
The published cost of attendance at University of California-Berkeley is $45,619. Azimuth ranks the university #128 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 $5,311, for those earning $48,001–$75,000 it is $9,693, and for families earning over $110,000 it is $34,529. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $29,218.
Aid covers about 70% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, bringing the average net price across all bands to $13,481. That is $2,153 below the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Borrowers who finish carry a median of $13,000 in federal student loans, $7,076 below the $20,076 peer median. About 66.4% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.
Parents who borrow through the Parent PLUS program hold a separate median of $28,508. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $148 a month.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Borrowers who finish carry a median of $13,000 in federal loans, $7,076 below the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $148 a month.
66.4% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $28,508 in Parent PLUS loans.
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 26% of graduates borrowed from any source, averaging $18,653 per borrower. 25% of graduates held federal loans averaging $13,659. Private loans were held by 2% of graduates, averaging $62,896.
The University of California-Berkeley combines strong earnings with relatively low debt. Graduates earn about $6,810 more than expects for similar students, an outcome in the 76th percentile nationally.
The median earnings four years after completion reach $96,018, placing the university in the 96th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios anchored on the program mix show a typical earnings level of $96,018.
The downside earnings scenario sits at $65,376, while the upside scenario reaches $192,078. Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median federal student debt of $13,000, which is below the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). The estimated monthly payment if repaid over ten years is $148.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $28,508. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $148.
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
- $28,508
- Estimated parent payment
- $362/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | Caution |
| $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
- $13,000
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $28,508
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $148/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $362/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $510/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 $96,018, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
2.4% 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
The income spectrum compares the estimated student payment with the income left after the selected annual expense allowance. Changing the earnings scenario or allowance changes that comparison; parent payments are not included in this calculation.
The earnings choices are planning scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles or predictions of an individual graduate’s pay. The allowance is an adjustable model input, not a verified budget for your household.
Read the result as a comparison under those assumptions, not a guarantee that a payment is affordable.
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.
Federal student and Parent PLUS borrowing figures do not capture all private education loans. A federal balance therefore should not be described as a family’s complete borrowing total.
Annual loan awards in a Common Data Set, when available, answer a different question from accumulated borrower debt. Compare amounts only after identifying the loan type, reporting period and population; annual school-wide awards cannot be added to a median borrower balance.
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.