Cost & financial aid brief
University of Massachusetts-Amherst Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does University of Massachusetts-Amherst cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 35% of the published cost for the average aid recipient at University of Massachusetts-Amherst, a reduction of $12,166 from the sticker price. That is an average across all income bands, and the pattern of aid targeting shows a clear gradient.
Average net prices are $10,164 for families earning under $30,000 and $30,793 for those earning over $110,000, with $10,456, $12,932, and $18,964 in the bands between. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $20,629.
The published cost of attendance at the University of Massachusetts-Amherst is $34,549. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price—what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships—is $10,164, and for families in the $48,001–$75,000 band it is $12,932.
At the top of the income scale, families earning over $110,000 see an average net price of $30,793. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $20,629, a reflection of how aid scales with need at this public university.
Azimuth ranks the university #765 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid covers about 35% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, a savings of roughly $12,166 against the sticker price.
The average net price across all aid recipients is $22,383, which sits above the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $6,749. In-state tuition and fees are part of that published cost, and the net price figures here reflect the public in-state basis.
Graduates who borrow federal loans leave with a median federal student debt of $22,763, and 93.6% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. That median is above the peer median of $20,076 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $2,687.
For a graduate at the median four-year earnings of $78,620, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $259 a month if repaid over ten years. Parents who borrow through the federal Parent PLUS program take on a median of $26,243.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
At University of Massachusetts-Amherst, federal loans are used by 93.6% of federal aid recipients, and borrowers who complete have median federal student loan debt of $22,763. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $20,076, leaving the university’s median $2,687 above it.
For the separate parent-borrower population, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $26,243. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 58% of graduates borrowed from any source, with average cumulative debt of $33,146 per borrower.
The figures include 57% of graduates with federal loans averaging $21,722. They also include 14% of graduates with private loans averaging $47,479.
Four years after completion, federally aided graduates of University of Massachusetts-Amherst who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $78,620. That earnings level sits at the 87th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
The figure is $13,010 above the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Graduates earn about $6,479 more than expects for similar students.
That outcome falls at the 75th percentile. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, range from $52,440 in a downside case to $103,912 in an upside case, with a typical outcome of $78,620.
Borrowers who finish hold a median of $22,763 in federal loans, $2,687 above the peer median. If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $259 a month.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $26,243. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $259.
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
- $26,243
- Estimated parent payment
- $333/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 | 19.7% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 8.8% | Caution |
| $150,000 | 4.2% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 2.8% | 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
- $22,763
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $26,243
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $259/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $333/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $592/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 $78,620, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
5.7% 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.