Cost & financial aid brief
University of Georgia Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does UGA cost after financial aid?
The published cost of $27,993 drops to an average net price of $13,936 for aid recipients, a gap of $14,057. Aid covers about 50% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.
The average net price—what students pay after grants and scholarships—ranges from $8,085 in the lowest income band to $18,079 in the highest, with $8,686, $13,096, and $16,942 in the bands between. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that for the 2025-26 academic year, 1,798 first-year students were determined to have financial need.
Of those, 491 had their need fully met. The average share of need met was 78%, with an average need-based grant of $13,971 and an average total package of $17,230.
In the 2025-26 academic year, 419 first-year students received an average merit award of $2,191.
The University of Georgia publishes a cost of attendance of $27,993. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $8,085.
For families earning $48,001 to $75,000, the average net price is $13,096. For families earning over $110,000, the average net price is $18,079.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $9,994. Azimuth ranks University of Georgia #232 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Aid covers about 50% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an average offset of $14,057. The average net price across all aid recipients is $13,936, which is below the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,698.
The median federal student loan debt at completion is $18,500, with 83.4% of federal aid recipients borrowing. That median is below the peer median of $20,076 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,576.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing stands at $20,855. The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $210 a month if repaid over ten years.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Borrowers who finish at University of Georgia hold a median federal student debt of $18,500. That amount sits below the $20,076 median at comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,576.
83.4% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Parents who borrow through PLUS represent a separate population with a median debt of $20,855.
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 30% of its 5,594 bachelor's graduates borrowed from any source, with an average cumulative principal of $21,660 per borrower. That group included 29% with federal loans averaging $17,104 and 4% with private loans averaging $35,220.
Graduates of University of Georgia earn about $4,769 less than expects for similar students, an outcome in the 37th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The median earnings four years after completion is $74,144, which places in the 82nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Earnings scenarios derived from the university's program mix suggest a typical outcome of $74,144, with a downside scenario of $54,898 and an upside scenario of $100,305. Borrowers finish with a median federal debt of $18,500, which is below the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, the estimated monthly payment is $210.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $20,855. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $210.
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
- $20,855
- Estimated parent payment
- $265/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 | 15.6% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 7.0% | Caution |
| $150,000 | 3.3% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 2.2% | 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
- $18,500
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $20,855
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $210/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $265/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $475/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 $74,144, 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.