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Cost & financial aid brief

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# University of Dayton Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

[Overview](/school/university-of-dayton/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/university-of-dayton/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/university-of-dayton/admissions/)[Majors](/school/university-of-dayton/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/university-of-dayton/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does University of Dayton cost after financial aid?

The University of Dayton's strongest pillar is return, but its cost picture is mixed. The published cost of attendance is $65,881, an average across living arrangements.

Tuition and fees are $49,140, and room and board are $16,800. For aid recipients, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—what families pay after grants and scholarships—is $29,533, a reduction of $36,348 from the sticker total.

That average net price sits above the peer median of $27,371 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $2,162. Azimuth ranks the university #1,190 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The published cost of attendance at University of Dayton is $65,881 (an average across living arrangements). After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients is $29,533, which is $2,162 above the median of $27,371 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

By income band, average net prices run from $21,736 in the lowest band to $33,731 in the highest, a spread of $11,995 between the two ends. Borrowers who complete their degree carry a median of $23,250 in federal student loans, which is $949 below the peer median of $24,199.

Azimuth places the university at the 16th percentile for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s by family-income band show a relatively flat structure. For families earning under $30,000 the average net price is $21,736; for $30,001–$48,000 it is $21,595; for $48,001–$75,000 it is $24,155; for $75,001–$110,000 it is $26,871; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $33,731.

Pell Grant recipients make up 15.8% of undergraduates, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $11,995.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$21,736

**$30–48K**
$21,595

**$48–75K**
$24,155

**$75–110K**
$26,871

**$110K+**
$33,731

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$29,533**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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 the model 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $43,810. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $264.

[Repayment figures](#combined-borrowing) are in the Financial GPS card below. [Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes).

## Parent loans: what can the family afford?

[How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/)

**Median Parent PLUS debt**
$43,810

**Estimated parent payment**
$557/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| 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](/financial-gps/?tool=parent&school=university-of-dayton#parent-tool). [Read the assumptions and limits](#cost-data-notes).

## 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

1.  Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
2.  Good 8–under 12%
3.  Concerning 12–20%
4.  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.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

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.

[Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=university-of-dayton#student-tool)

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), 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](/about/).

**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](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/).

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.