Cost & financial aid brief
University of California-Davis Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does UC Davis cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 64% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an offset of $26,497 against the sticker total. The resulting average net price of $14,741 sits below the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size).
The pricing structure is steeply progressive. Families earning under $30,000 see an average net price of $9,211, and the figure moves to $9,966 in the $30,001–$48,000 band, $11,951 for $48,001–$75,000, $16,294 for $75,001–$110,000, and $31,272 for those earning over $110,000.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $22,061, a difference of averages that shows aid is concentrated on families with lower incomes.
The University of California-Davis publishes a cost of attendance of $41,238. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $9,211.
For families earning $48,001 to $75,000, the average net price is $11,951, and for families earning over $110,000, it is $31,272. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $22,061.
Azimuth ranks University of California-Davis #150 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid covers about 64% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an offset of $26,497.
The average net price across all aid recipients is $14,741, which is below the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $893. The median federal student debt at completion is $13,000, with about 73.6% of federal aid recipients taking federal loans.
That median is below the peer median of $20,076 for comparable institutions by $7,076. The median Parent PLUS borrowing is $25,733.
If repaid over ten years, a graduate with the median federal debt would face an estimated monthly payment of $148.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal borrowing at the University of California-Davis is concentrated in the lower half of the distribution. The median federal student debt at completion is $13,000.
That median runs below the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size), a gap of $7,076. Parent borrowers, a separate population, carry a median Parent PLUS loan of $25,733.
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 31% of the 6,155 bachelor's graduates who started as first-time students borrowed from any source. The average cumulative principal per borrower was $17,466.
Federal loans accounted for most of that, with 30% of graduates borrowing an average of $14,232 in federal principal. A small share, 2% of graduates, held private loans, averaging $46,598 per private borrower.
The University of California-Davis combines earnings that exceed modeled expectations with debt that sits well below the peer benchmark. Graduates earn about $10,086 more than expects for similar students, an outcome in the 83rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The median earnings four years after completion reach $73,086, which falls in the 80th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios anchored on the university's program mix show a typical earnings level of $73,086, with a downside scenario of $53,882 and an upside scenario of $96,806.
On the cost side, the median federal debt at completion is $13,000, below the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated monthly payment of $148.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $25,733. 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
- $25,733
- Estimated parent payment
- $327/mo
| Household income | Share of income above basic expenses | Risk level |
|---|---|---|
| $35,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $50,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $75,000 | 19.3% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 8.6% | Caution |
| $150,000 | 4.1% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 2.7% | 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. 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
- $25,733
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $148/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $327/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $475/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 $73,086, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
3.6% 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.