Cost & financial aid brief
University of Colorado Boulder Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does CU Boulder cost after financial aid?
The published cost of attendance is $37,684, and the average aid recipient pays $25,346 after grants and scholarships. That is a savings of $12,338 against the sticker price, or about 33% of the published cost.
These are averages across all aided students, not a promise for any particular family. In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported that first-year students with need received an average need-based grant of $19,395 in the 2024-25 academic year.
The average need-based package was $24,892, and the average share of need met was 73%. Of the 1,766 first-year students determined to have need, 454 had their need fully met.
Average net prices by income band show a pattern of lower costs at lower incomes, with the lowest band averaging $14,231 and the highest $34,818. The spread between the two ends is $20,587, a pattern consistent with larger discounts for lower-income families.
The published cost of attendance at University of Colorado Boulder is $37,684. Azimuth ranks the university #976 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
After grants and scholarships, aid recipients in the lowest family-income band (under $30,000) average $14,231, those in the middle band ($48,001–$75,000) average $18,828, and those in the highest band (over $110,000) average $34,818. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $20,587.
Aid covers about 33% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The average net price across all aid recipients is $25,346, which is $9,712 above the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Borrowers who finish carry a median of $19,500 in federal student loans, $576 below the $20,076 peer median. 86.9% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.
Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $46,340 in Parent PLUS loans. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $222 a month.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal borrowing is common at University of Colorado Boulder, although completers’ typical federal debt sits below the benchmark for comparable institutions. 86.9% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.
Among borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $19,500. At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median is $20,076, with Boulder’s figure below it by $576.
Parent borrowers are a separate population, and their median Parent PLUS borrowing is $46,340.
The investment picture pairs higher-than-expected earnings with federal borrowing below the comparable-institution median. University of Colorado Boulder graduates earn about $5,558 more than expects for similar students.
Azimuth places that earnings-beyond-expectations outcome in the 72nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Among federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, median earnings are $76,850 four years after completion.
Azimuth places those earnings in the 85th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Program-mix scenarios put downside earnings at $53,434, typical earnings at $76,850, and upside earnings at $102,508.
For borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $19,500, below the $20,076 median at comparable institutions (same type and size) by $576. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $222 a month if repaid over ten years.
Above-expected earnings and debt below the peer median point in the same direction for the investment picture.
Parent PLUS borrowers, a separate parent-borrower population, have median borrowing of $46,340. Median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $222 a month if repaid over ten years.
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
- $46,340
- Estimated parent payment
- $589/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 | 34.7% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 15.6% | High pressure |
| $150,000 | 7.4% | Caution |
| $200,000 | 4.9% | 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
- $19,500
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $46,340
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $222/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $589/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $811/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 $76,850, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
5.0% 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, $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.
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.