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Cost & financial aid brief

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# University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much does UIUC cost after financial aid?

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign publishes a cost of attendance of $33,642. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported in-state tuition of $12,992 and required fees of $5,054 for the 2025-26 academic year, with on-campus food and housing at $15,184.

Out-of-state tuition is $33,344. 70.6% of full-time undergraduates pay more than the base charge.

After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients is $14,355, a reduction of $19,287 from the sticker price. Aid covers about 57% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.

That average is $1,279 below the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth ranks the university #360 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Azimuth places the affordability pillar at the 75th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. For first-time full-time aid recipients, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $14,355, which is below the median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,279.

Average net prices run from $2,038 for families earning under $30,000 to $28,761 for those earning over $110,000. Completers who borrowed carry a median federal debt of $19,500, below the peer median of $20,076 by $576.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s by family-income band: under $30,000 — $2,038; $30,001–$48,000 — $5,373; $48,001–$75,000 — $7,982; $75,001–$110,000 — $15,152; over $110,000 — $28,761. Pell Grant recipients make up 23.4% of undergraduates, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $26,723.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$2,038

**$30–48K**
$5,373

**$48–75K**
$7,982

**$75–110K**
$15,152

**$110K+**
$28,761

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$14,355**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

Aid covers about 57% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—the actual cost after grants and scholarships—ranges from $2,038 in the lowest income band to $28,761 in the highest, with $5,373, $7,982, and $15,152 in the bands between.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $26,723, a pattern that shows aid is concentrated among lower-income families. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that for the 2024-25 academic year, 3,810 first-year students were determined to have financial need.

Among those with need, the average share of need met was 82%, with an average need-based grant of $25,878 and an average package of $26,429. Need was fully met for 1,253 of those students.

For the 2024-25 academic year, the university also awarded merit aid to 1,425 first-year students, averaging $6,027.

The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign publishes a cost of attendance of $33,642. For families earning under $30,000, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $2,038.

For the middle-income band ($48,001–$75,000), the average net price is $7,982, and for families earning over $110,000, it is $28,761. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $26,723.

Azimuth ranks the university #360 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid covers about 57% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an average offset of $19,287.

The average net price across all aid recipients is $14,355, which is below the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,279. The median federal student debt at completion is $19,500, with about 86.7% of federal aid recipients borrowing.

That median is below the peer median of $20,076 by $576. The median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $34,511.

If repaid over ten years, the estimated monthly payment on the median federal debt is $222.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

The median federal debt for completers at the university is $19,500, a level below the $20,076 median among comparable institutions (same type and size) by $576. Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing for the separate parent-borrower population is $34,511.

In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 38% of graduates in a cohort of 7,523 borrowed from any source, averaging $22,040 per borrower. Of those borrowers, 37% held federal loans averaging $18,157 and 4% carried private loans averaging $39,659.

Earnings scenarios tied to the program mix at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign run from $56,542 in a downside case up to $131,532 in an upside case, anchored at $79,628 for the typical path. Four years after completion, the median for graduates working and not enrolled reaches $79,628, a level in the 88th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $5,699 more than the model expects for similar students, an outcome in the 73rd percentile. The median federal debt for completers who borrowed is $19,500, a figure that falls below the $20,076 median among comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, the estimated monthly payment is $222.

Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $34,511. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $222.

[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**
$34,511

**Estimated parent payment**
$438/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 | 25.8% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 11.6% | High pressure |
| $150,000 | 5.5% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 3.6% | 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-illinois-urbana-champaign#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**
$19,500

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$34,511

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$222/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$438/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$660/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 $79,628, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**4.8%** 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-illinois-urbana-champaign#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.