Cost & financial aid brief
University of Dayton Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does University of Dayton cost after financial aid?
The sticker-to-net gap of $36,348 means aid covers about 55% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. That pattern varies by income: the average net price is $21,736 for families earning under $30,000, $21,595 for the $30,001–$48,000 band, $24,155 for $48,001–$75,000, $26,871 for $75,001–$110,000, and $33,731 for families earning over $110,000.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $11,995, a difference of averages that shows aid is concentrated on families with lower incomes.
University of Dayton’s published cost of attendance is $65,881, an average across living arrangements. Its published tuition and fees are $49,140, and room and board is $16,800.
After grants and scholarships, the average net price—what aid recipients actually pay—varies by family income. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $21,736; for the middle band ($48,001–$75,000), it is $24,155; and for families earning over $110,000, it is $33,731.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $11,995, which means aid narrows the sticker-price gap but does not erase it. Azimuth ranks the university #1,190 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Aid covers about 55% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, a savings of $36,348 against the sticker price. The average net price across all aid recipients is $29,533, which sits above the peer median of $27,371 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $2,162.
While the sticker price is high, the aid structure brings the typical cost closer to the peer benchmark, though the net price for higher-income families remains above it. Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, the median federal student debt is $23,250.
That median is below the peer median of $24,199 by $949, and 95.5% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. For a graduate at the median four-year earnings, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $264 a month if repaid over ten years.
Parents who borrow through Parent PLUS carry a separate median of $43,810.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal borrowing is widespread at the University of Dayton, with 95.5% of federal aid recipients taking federal loans. Among borrowers who complete, median federal student debt is $23,250, $949 below the $24,199 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Parents who borrow through the Parent PLUS program hold a separate median of $43,810.
Four years after completion, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $78,870 at the University of Dayton. That amount is $10,620 above the $68,250 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
The median lands in the 87th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $5,688 less than expects for similar students.
That places the gap at the 34th percentile. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, range from $52,887 in a downside case to $97,196 in an upside case, with the median as the typical outcome.
Borrowers who finish hold a median of $23,250 in federal loans, $949 below the peer median of $24,199. If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $264 a month.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $43,810. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $264.
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
- $43,810
- Estimated parent payment
- $557/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 | 32.8% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 14.7% | High pressure |
| $150,000 | 7.0% | Caution |
| $200,000 | 4.6% | 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
- $23,250
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $43,810
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $264/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $557/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $821/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 $78,870, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
5.8% 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.