Cost & financial aid brief
University of Maryland-College Park Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does UMD cost after financial aid?
On average, aid removes about 46% of the sticker price for recipients, leaving the average net price at $15,678, $13,621 below the published cost. Average net prices range from $2,962 for families earning under $30,000 to $26,691 for those earning over $110,000, with intermediate bands at $6,051, $10,273, and $18,250.
The distance between the lowest and highest band averages is $23,729. That difference indicates pricing is scaled to income, with the smallest net prices in the lowest band.
The published cost of attendance at the University of Maryland-College Park is $29,299. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $2,962.
For families in the $48,001–$75,000 band, the average net price is $10,273, and for families earning over $110,000, it is $26,691. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $23,729.
Azimuth ranks the university #402 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid covers about 46% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an offset of $13,621.
The average net price across all aid recipients is $15,678, which is above the median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $44. The median federal student loan debt at completion is $19,000.
About 80.2% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. That median is below the peer median of $20,076 by $1,076.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing stands at $35,200. If repaid over ten years, the estimated monthly payment for the median federal debt is $216.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
80.2% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $19,000 in federal student debt.
That median is $1,076 below the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $216 a month.
Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $35,200. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 31% of graduates borrowed, averaging $31,672 per borrower.
Of those graduates, 29% held federal loans averaging $17,451. Private loans averaged $57,898 among 8% of graduates.
Earnings scenarios four years after completion at University of Maryland-College Park span $60,514 on the downside and $123,659 on the upside, with $84,365 as the typical outcome. Graduates working and not enrolled earn a median of $84,365 four years after completion, placing the university in the 92nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Graduates earn about $2,584 more than expects for similar students, placing that outcome in the 65th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Borrowers who complete carry a median federal debt of $19,000, a level that is below the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,076. The estimated monthly payment if repaid over ten years is $216.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $35,200. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $216.
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
- $35,200
- Estimated parent payment
- $447/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 | 26.4% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 11.8% | High pressure |
| $150,000 | 5.6% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 3.7% | 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
- $19,000
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $35,200
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $216/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $447/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $663/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 $84,365, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
4.3% 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.