1.  [College research](/)
2.  /
3.  [University of Louisville](/school/university-of-louisville/)
4.  /
5.  Cost & financial aid brief

Cost & financial aid brief

Copy linkPrint brief

# University of Louisville Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

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

**On this page**+

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

For aid recipients, University of Louisville brings the published price down to an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) of $17,988, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships. The published cost of attendance is $32,941.

In-state tuition and fees are $13,136, out-of-state tuition and fees are $29,482, and room and board are $12,576. Financial aid reduces the published total by $14,953 for the average aid recipient.

The average net price is $2,354 above the $15,634 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth ranks the university #459 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The aid reduction is substantial, though the resulting average price remains above the comparable-institution median.

Aid recipients face a higher average cost than comparable institutions, even though borrower debt matches the peer norm. At University of Louisville, average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $17,988.

That is above the peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), of $15,634, a $2,354 gap. For families in the lowest income band, average net price is $15,138, compared with $25,186 for the highest income band.

Median federal student loan debt among borrowers who completed is $20,500, above the peer median of $20,076 with a $424 gap. Azimuth places affordability in the 68th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The pricing pattern is uneven: the second-lowest family-income band has the lowest average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/). Families earning under thirty thousand dollars average $15,138; those earning thirty thousand one dollars to forty-eight thousand dollars average $14,601; those earning forty-eight thousand one dollars to seventy-five thousand dollars average $16,419; those earning seventy-five thousand one dollars to one hundred ten thousand dollars average $20,995; and families earning over one hundred ten thousand dollars average $25,186.

Pell Grants go to 30.6% of undergraduates, putting the lowest-income band in financial-access context. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $10,048.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$15,138

**$30–48K**
$14,601

**$48–75K**
$16,419

**$75–110K**
$20,995

**$110K+**
$25,186

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$17,988**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

Aid covers about 45% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The pattern across income bands is not a straight line: the lowest two bands see nearly identical average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s, at $15,138 and $14,601, before the figure reaches $25,186 at the top.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $10,048, which is a difference of averages rather than what any one family pays. In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported that first-year students with need received an average need-based grant of $16,423 in the 2024-25 academic year.

Their average package was $19,098. On average, those students had 65% of their need met.

Of the 1,990 students determined to have need, 398 had their need fully met. In the 2024-25 academic year, the university also reported 720 first-year students who received merit aid, averaging $10,432.

At University of Louisville, the published cost of attendance is $32,941, and aid recipients face different average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s across family-income bands. The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $15,138 for families in the lowest income band; $14,601 for those in the next-lowest band; $16,419 for middle-income families; $20,995 for families in the upper-middle band; and $25,186 for families in the highest income band.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $10,048. Azimuth ranks the university #459 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

For the average aid recipient, aid offsets $14,953 against the sticker price and covers about 45% of the published cost. Across all aid recipients, the average net price is $17,988, which is $2,354 above the peer median of $15,634 at comparable institutions (same type and size).

Published tuition and fees are $13,136 for in-state students and $29,482 for out-of-state students. Aid covers a portion of published costs, but the overall average net price remains above the comparable-institution median.

Federal borrowing is common among Louisville undergraduates: 80.3% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. Among borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $20,500, close to the $20,076 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size), with a $424 gap.

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $233 a month if repaid over ten years. For parent borrowers, median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $20,717.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

At University of Louisville, federal borrowing is widespread, and completion debt sits close to its peer reference. 80.3% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.

Among borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $20,500. The peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size) is $20,076; the university's median is above that figure by $424.

[Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowers, a separate parent-borrower population, have median borrowing of $20,717. In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported that 47% of graduates borrowed from any source, averaging $25,854 per borrower.

The report includes federal loans for 46% of graduates, averaging $18,750. It also includes private loans for 11% of graduates, averaging $32,971.

At University of Louisville, four-year earnings and modeled expectations offer a favorable financial picture, with debt matching the peer benchmark. Graduates earn median earnings of $67,853 four years after completion.

Azimuth places the university in the 73rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions for that measure. [Earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/), the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, are also positive.

Graduates earn about $2,742 more than the model expects for similar students. Azimuth places that measure in the 65th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The program-mix earnings scenarios show $67,853 in a typical scenario, $49,099 in a downside scenario, and $88,125 in an upside scenario. Median federal debt of $20,500 is above the $20,076 peer median by $424.

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $233 a month if repaid over ten years. Above-expected earnings alongside peer-level debt point the same way.

For the separate parent-borrower population, median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $20,717. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $233 a month if repaid over ten years.

[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**
$20,717

**Estimated parent payment**
$263/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| Income | Risk level |
| --- | --- |
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | Caution |
| $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**
$20,500

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$20,717

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

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$233/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$263/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$496/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 $67,853, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**6.2%** 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-louisville#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.