Cost & financial aid brief
University of Louisiana at Lafayette Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does University of Louisiana at Lafayette cost after financial aid?
The average net price across all aid recipients is $13,530, against a published cost of $24,884. Aid covers about 46% of the sticker price for the average recipient, a savings of $11,354.
The pattern across income bands is compressed. The lowest band averages $11,157, and the highest averages $18,562, a spread of $7,405 between the two ends.
The middle bands sit close to the bottom: $11,283, $13,692, and $17,079. A spread that narrow means the net price stays within a few thousand dollars from the bottom of the income scale to the top.
That is a pattern of broad-based aid rather than deep targeting at the very bottom, and it is an average across bands, not what any one family pays.
At University of Louisiana at Lafayette, the published cost of attendance is $24,884, but aid recipients see different average net prices by family-income band. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $11,157 in the lowest band, $11,283 in the lower-middle band, $13,692 in the middle band, $17,079 in the upper-middle band, and $18,562 in the highest band.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $7,405. Azimuth ranks the university #303 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Aid covers about 46% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, with average financial aid savings of $11,354 against the sticker price. Across all aid recipients, the average net price is $13,530, which is $2,104 below the peer median of $15,634 at comparable institutions (same type and size).
Published in-state tuition is $10,418, out-of-state tuition is $24,146, and room and board is $12,108. Lower average net pricing than comparable institutions sits alongside substantial average aid savings.
Federal-loan borrowers who complete have median federal student loan debt of $22,902, and 81.5% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. That median is $2,826 above the peer median of $20,076 at comparable institutions (same type and size).
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $260 a month if repaid over ten years. Median Parent PLUS borrowing among parent borrowers is $13,655.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
At University of Louisiana at Lafayette, federal borrowing reaches 81.5% of federal aid recipients, making completion debt a central part of the cost picture. Borrowers who complete have median federal student loan debt of $22,902.
The peer median—the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size)—is $20,076, leaving the university’s median $2,826 above it. For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $13,655.
The earnings picture is mixed: University of Louisiana at Lafayette graduates earn more than expects, though its earnings and debt figures trail comparable institutions. Four years after completion, federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $58,638.
Azimuth places that earnings measure in the 46th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students: Graduates earn about $1,454 more than the model expects for similar students.
Azimuth places this measure in the 60th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios range from $41,806 in a downside scenario to $91,263 in an upside scenario, with $58,638 as the typical scenario.
Median federal debt is $22,902, compared with $20,076 at comparable institutions, a difference of $2,826 above the peer median. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $260 a month if repaid over ten years.
Above-expected earnings sit alongside lower earnings than peers and higher debt.
For the separate parent-borrower population, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $13,655. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $260 a month if repaid over ten years.
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
- $13,655
- Estimated parent payment
- $173/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 | 10.2% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 4.6% | Safe |
| $150,000 | 2.2% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 1.4% | 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
- $22,902
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $13,655
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $260/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $173/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $433/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 $58,638, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
9.0% of income above the allowance · Good
- Excellent Under 8%
- Good 8–under 12% · selected scenario
- 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.