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Cost & financial aid brief

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# University of Kansas Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

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

**On this page**+

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

University of Kansas publishes a cost of attendance of $26,751, which includes $12,102 in-state tuition and fees and $11,358 for room and board. Students from outside the state pay $30,432 in tuition and fees.

Once grants and scholarships are applied, aid recipients pay an average of $18,059. That amount is $2,425 above the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

The peer median is the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size). Aid reduces the sticker price by $8,692 on average.

Aid covers about 32% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. Azimuth ranks the university #550 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The University of Kansas sits in the 61st percentile for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships—is $18,059, which is above the median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $2,425.

Median federal student debt for completers who borrowed is $21,000, above the median for comparable institutions of $20,076 by $924. Average net prices scale with income: $12,544 for families earning under $30,000, $12,942 for $30,001–$48,000, $15,154 for $48,001–$75,000, $19,169 for $75,001–$110,000, and $22,544 for families earning over $110,000. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $10,000.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s by family-income band show a progressive structure. For families earning under $30,000 the average net price is $12,544; for $30,001–$48,000 it is $12,942; for $48,001–$75,000 it is $15,154; for $75,001–$110,000 it is $19,169; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $22,544.

Pell Grant recipients make up 20.5% of undergraduates, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $10,000.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$12,544

**$30–48K**
$12,942

**$48–75K**
$15,154

**$75–110K**
$19,169

**$110K+**
$22,544

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$18,059**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

The University of Kansas publishes a sticker price of $26,751, but the average aid recipient pays an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) of $18,059—what students actually owe after grants and scholarships. That means aid covers about 32% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an offset of $8,692 against the sticker total.

The pattern across income bands shows aid is concentrated on families with lower incomes. The average net price starts at $12,544 for families earning under $30,000, moves to $12,942 for the $30,001–$48,000 band, $15,154 for $48,001–$75,000, $19,169 for $75,001–$110,000, and reaches $22,544 for families earning over $110,000.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $10,000, a difference of averages that reflects how the largest discounts flow to the lowest-income families. The overall average net price sits above the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size), by $2,425.

The lowest-income bands see prices well below the overall average, so affordability here depends heavily on where a family falls on the income scale.

The published cost of attendance at the University of Kansas is $26,751, with in-state tuition and fees of $12,102 and room and board at $11,358. For families earning under $30,000, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships—is $12,544.

For the middle band ($48,001–$75,000) it is $15,154, and for families earning over $110,000 it is $22,544. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $10,000.

Azimuth ranks the university #550 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid covers about 32% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an average savings of $8,692 against the sticker price.

The average net price across all aid recipients is $18,059, which sits above the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $2,425. Out-of-state students face a higher published tuition of $30,432, though individual aid packages can shift the final cost.

Graduates who borrow federal loans leave with a median federal student debt of $21,000, and 89.4% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. That median is above the peer median of $20,076 by $924.

For a graduate at the median four-year earnings, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $239 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 $32,347.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

The University of Kansas combines a high borrowing rate with a median federal debt figure that sits close to the peer median. About 89.4% of federal aid recipients take federal loans, and among those who complete a degree, the median federal student debt is $21,000.

That median is above the peer median of $20,076 at comparable institutions (same type and size) by $924. For a separate population of parent borrowers, the median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) loan is $32,347.

Graduates of the University of Kansas earn about $9,632 more than the model expects for similar students, a result that places the university in the 82nd percentile nationally. The median earnings four years after completion reach $69,680, which is above the peer median of $65,610 at comparable institutions (same type and size) by $4,070.

Earnings scenarios derived from the university's program mix show how earnings can differ: a typical scenario lands at $69,680, while a downside case falls to $51,954 and an upside case reaches $94,358. Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median federal debt of $21,000, which corresponds to an estimated payment of $239 a month if repaid over ten years.

The earnings picture is strong: graduates beat the model's expectation and sit above the peer median, while the debt load is only slightly above the peer figure.

Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $32,347. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $239.

[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**
$32,347

**Estimated parent payment**
$411/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| Income | Risk level |
| --- | --- |
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | High pressure |
| $150,000 | Safe |
| $200,000 | Safe |

The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. [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**
$21,000

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$32,347

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

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$239/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$411/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$650/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 $69,680, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**6.1%** 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, $22,590, uses the published framework’s 2024 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-kansas#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.