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Cost & financial aid brief

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

Updated October 21, 2026

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

**On this page**+

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

The published annual cost at University of Massachusetts-Boston is $30,544 (an average across living arrangements), setting the starting price before grants and scholarships. Published in-state tuition and fees are $15,908, out-of-state tuition and fees are $38,125, and room and board are $19,128.

For aid recipients, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what they pay after grants and scholarships, is $17,707. That is $12,837 below the published cost.

At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median net price is $15,634, with this university above it by $2,073. Azimuth ranks University of Massachusetts-Boston #476 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The net price sits above the peer median, even after the average aid reduction from the published cost.

Affordability is the weakest of the four pillars at University of Massachusetts-Boston, sitting at the 66th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—what first-time, full-time aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships—is $17,707, which is $2,073 above the $15,634 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

For borrowers who complete, the median federal student debt is $21,974, $1,898 above the peer median of $20,076. By income band, the average net price runs from $14,070 in the lowest band to $25,571 in the highest.

Aid recipients in the lowest income band have an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) of $14,070, followed by $13,558 in the next band and $15,663 in the middle band. The upper-middle band averages $20,885, and the highest income band averages $25,571.

Pell Grant recipients account for 41.5% of undergraduates, providing financial-access context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $11,501.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$14,070

**$30–48K**
$13,558

**$48–75K**
$15,663

**$75–110K**
$20,885

**$110K+**
$25,571

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$17,707**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 42% of the published cost, leaving the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) at $17,707 rather than the $30,544 (an average) sticker price. The resulting aid offset is $12,837.

Pricing differs sharply by family income: the lowest band averages $14,070, compared with $25,571 for the highest band. Between those endpoints, average net prices are $13,558, $15,663, and $20,885 across the intervening bands.

The $11,501 spread between the lowest and highest bands is a difference of averages, and the pattern shows larger aid reductions in the lower-income bands.

A published cost of attendance of $30,544 (an average) sets the starting price at University of Massachusetts-Boston, but aid recipients face different average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s by family-income band. The average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $14,070 in the lowest family-income band, $13,558 in the lower-middle band, $15,663 in the middle band, $20,885 in the upper-middle band, and $25,571 in the highest band.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $11,501. Azimuth places the affordability pillar in the 66th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 42% of the published cost, with average financial aid savings of $12,837. Across all aid recipients, the average net price is $17,707, which is $2,073 above the peer median of $15,634 at comparable institutions (same type and size).

In-state tuition and fees are $15,908, out-of-state tuition and fees are $38,125, and room and board are $19,128. The higher average price than comparable institutions sits alongside aid that offsets a substantial part of the published cost.

Among borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $21,974, and 80.2% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. That median is $1,898 above the peer median of $20,076 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $250 a month if repaid over ten years. Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $17,163.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Federal borrowing is common at University of Massachusetts-Boston, making completion debt relevant for a large share of undergraduates. Federal loans are used by 80.2% of federal aid recipients.

Among borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $21,974. The median is $1,898 above the $20,076 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size).

For the separate population of parent borrowers, median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) debt is $17,163.

For University of Massachusetts-Boston, [earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) stand alongside federal borrowing above the peer median. Among federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, median earnings are $69,532 four years after completion, in the 75th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $16,376 more than the model expects for similar students. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, are in the 93rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Program-mix earnings scenarios range from $53,122 in the downside scenario to $92,751 in the upside scenario, with $69,532 in the typical scenario. For borrowers, median federal student loan debt at completion is $21,974, $1,898 above the $20,076 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size).

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $250 a month if repaid over ten years. Above-expected earnings and above-peer borrowing point in different directions.

At University of Massachusetts-Boston, parent borrowing is separate from student federal debt: the median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing for parent borrowers is $17,163. The median federal debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $250 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**
$17,163

**Estimated parent payment**
$218/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 | 12.9% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 5.8% | Safe |
| $150,000 | 2.7% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 1.8% | 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-boston#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**
$21,974

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$17,163

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

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$250/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$218/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$468/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 $69,532, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**6.6%** 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-boston#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.