Cost & financial aid brief
University of Chicago Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does UChicago cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 84% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, but the pattern across income bands is steep. The lowest-income band, families earning under $30,000, averages -$1,264 after grants and scholarships.
That figure is negative: aid exceeds billed costs and covers some living expenses. At the other end, families earning over $110,000 average $48,524, a spread of $49,788 between the two ends.
The middle bands sit between those poles, with families earning $30,001 to $48,000 averaging $914 and those earning $48,001 to $75,000 averaging $226. The $75,001 to $110,000 band averages $12,602.
The published cost of attendance at University of Chicago is $90,360, an average across living arrangements. Tuition and fees are $70,662 and room and board are $20,109.
For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is -$1,264—aid exceeds the full cost for qualifying families. The average net price for families earning $48,001–$75,000 is $226, and for families earning over $110,000 it is $48,524.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $49,788. Azimuth ranks the university #245 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Financial aid offsets the sticker price by an average of $75,500, bringing the average net price across all aid recipients to $14,860. That figure is below the median net price of $27,371 at comparable institutions (same type and size), a gap of $12,511.
The university's tuition and fees are $70,662. The published cost of attendance is $90,360, an average across living arrangements.
Median federal student debt at completion is $15,000. That median is below the peer median of $24,199 at comparable institutions, a gap of $9,199.
About 49.6% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. Median Parent PLUS borrowing is $33,297.
The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $170 a month if repaid over ten years.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
At University of Chicago, completers who took federal loans owed a median of $15,000. Measured against the $24,199 median at comparable institutions (same type and size), that figure is below by $9,199.
Federal loans reach 49.6% of federal aid recipients. Parent borrowers, tracked separately, show a median Parent PLUS balance of $33,297.
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 11% of graduates in the cohort borrowed from any source, averaging $35,364 per graduate who borrowed. That figure included 10% with federal loans averaging $13,460 and 3% with private loans averaging $83,089.
Four years after completing a degree at University of Chicago, graduates earn a median of $127,757, a figure in the 99th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $27,445 more than expects for similar students, an outcome that falls in the 99th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Earnings scenarios derived from the university's program mix point to a typical earnings level of $127,757, a downside scenario of $57,031, and an upside scenario of $167,145. The median federal debt at completion is $15,000, which is below the $24,199 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, the estimated monthly payment is $170.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $33,297. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $170.
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
- $33,297
- Estimated parent payment
- $423/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
- $15,000
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $33,297
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $170/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $423/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $593/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 $127,757, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
1.9% 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.