Cost & financial aid brief
University of Connecticut Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does University of Connecticut cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 36% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, for an average net price of $25,097 and an offset of $14,329 against the sticker total. The pattern across income bands shows aid concentrated on lower-income families: the average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, starts at $15,193 for families earning under $30,000, moves to $16,339 for the $30,001–$48,000 band, $20,608 for $48,001–$75,000, $28,285 for $75,001–$110,000, and reaches $33,797 for families earning over $110,000.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $18,604, a difference of averages that reflects the progressive structure of aid at the university. While the sticker price is substantial, the steep discount for the lowest-income band means the net cost can shift dramatically depending on a family's circumstances.
The University of Connecticut publishes a cost of attendance of $39,426, a figure that shifts considerably once aid is applied. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price—what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships—is $15,193, rising to $16,339 in the $30,001–$48,000 band and $20,608 in the $48,001–$75,000 band.
For families earning $75,001–$110,000, the average net price is $28,285, and for those earning over $110,000 it reaches $33,797. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $18,604.
Azimuth ranks the university #947 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid covers about 36% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an offset of $14,329 against the sticker price.
The average net price across all aid recipients is $25,097, which sits above the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $9,463. 85.1% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans, and the median federal student debt at completion is $21,500.
That figure is above the peer median of $20,076 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,424. For parents, the median Parent PLUS borrowing is $35,324.
The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $244 a month if repaid over ten years.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
85.1% of federal aid recipients borrow federally. For completers who did so, median federal student loan debt at completion is $21,500.
The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $20,076, and the university's median is $1,424 above that figure. Parent borrowers form a separate population, with median Parent PLUS borrowing of $35,324.
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 53% of graduates borrowed from any source, averaging $30,427 per borrower. The any-source group includes 51% of graduates with federal loans averaging $19,868 per federal borrower.
It also includes 12% of graduates with private loans averaging $49,610 per private borrower.
The return picture at University of Connecticut is strong: graduates earn well above both expectation and the peer median. Four years after completion, the median earnings reach $78,925, a figure in the 87th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Graduates earn about $9,186 more than the model expects for similar students, an outcome in the 81st percentile nationally. That median is above the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $13,315.
Earnings scenarios derived from the university's program mix show a downside scenario of $56,589 and an upside scenario of $102,503. On the cost side, the median federal student debt at completion is $21,500, which is above the $20,076 peer median by $1,424.
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $244 a month if repaid over ten years.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $35,324. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $244.
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
- $35,324
- Estimated parent payment
- $449/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 | 26.5% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 11.9% | High pressure |
| $150,000 | 5.6% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 3.7% | 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
- $21,500
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $35,324
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $244/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $449/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $693/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 $78,925, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
5.3% 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.