1.  [College research](/)
2.  /
3.  [University of Massachusetts-Amherst](/school/university-of-massachusetts-amherst/)
4.  /
5.  Cost & financial aid brief

Cost & financial aid brief

Copy linkPrint brief

# University of Massachusetts-Amherst Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much does University of Massachusetts-Amherst cost after financial aid?

The published cost of attendance at University of Massachusetts-Amherst is $34,549. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported in-state tuition of $17,601 and required fees of $1,386 for the 2025-26 academic year, with on-campus food and housing at $16,726.

Out-of-state students face a published tuition of $40,873. After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients is $22,383.

That is $6,749 above the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Aid covers about 35% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.

Azimuth ranks the university #765 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Affordability is the weakest of the four pillars for University of Massachusetts-Amherst, at the 46th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. For first-time full-time Title IV aid recipients, that figure averages $22,383, which is $6,749 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 average $10,164, while those from families earning over $110,000 average $30,793. The median federal debt for borrowers who complete is $22,763, $2,687 above the peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size).

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 $10,164; for $30,001–$48,000 it is $10,456; for $48,001–$75,000 it is $12,932; for $75,001–$110,000 it is $18,964; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $30,793.

Pell Grant recipients make up 19.9% of undergraduates, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $20,629, a difference of averages that shows aid is concentrated on families with lower incomes.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$10,164

**$30–48K**
$10,456

**$48–75K**
$12,932

**$75–110K**
$18,964

**$110K+**
$30,793

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$22,383**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

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 price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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 the model 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $26,243. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $259.

[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**
$26,243

**Estimated parent payment**
$333/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| 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](/financial-gps/?tool=parent&school=university-of-massachusetts-amherst#parent-tool). [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**
$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

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, $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.

[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-massachusetts-amherst#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.