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Cost & financial aid brief

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

Updated October 1, 2026

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

**On this page**+

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

The published cost of attendance at University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth is $33,485, setting the sticker-price starting point before grants and scholarships. In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported $15,418 in-state tuition, $815 in required fees, and $19,132 for on-campus food and housing for the 2025-26 academic year.

Out-of-state tuition was $32,967. For aid recipients, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $20,927.

Financial aid offsets $12,558 from the published cost on average. That net price is above the $14,068 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size), by $6,859.

Azimuth ranks the university #781 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. The above-peer net price and Azimuth ranking describe a less favorable cost picture than the sticker price alone.

Costs for aid recipients run above comparable norms: average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $20,927. That is $6,859 above the peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), of $14,068.

Azimuth places University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth’s affordability pillar in the 45th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Median federal student loan debt for borrowers who completed is $25,000, $3,771 above the comparable-institution median of $21,229.

Average net price is $15,976 for the lowest-income band and $28,147 for the highest-income band. Above-peer prices and debt point in the same direction.

Costs vary widely by income among aid recipients. Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $15,976 in the lowest-income band, $16,042 in the next, $17,530 in the middle, $22,273 in the next-highest, and $28,147 in the highest.

37.0% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, giving context for the lowest-income band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $12,171.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$15,976

**$30–48K**
$16,042

**$48–75K**
$17,530

**$75–110K**
$22,273

**$110K+**
$28,147

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$20,927**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth reported that first-year recipients with need had an average 80% of need met in the 2024-25 academic year. Their average need-based grant was $14,061, and their average package was $20,507.

Of 1,037 first-year students determined to have need, 228 had need fully met. For the 2024-25 academic year, merit aid reached 293 first-year students and averaged $5,785.

Against a published cost of $33,485, aid recipients had an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what they pay after grants and scholarships, of $20,927, leaving $12,558 off the sticker. Aid covers about 38% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.

Across income bands, averages are $15,976, $16,042, $17,530, $22,273, and $28,147, with lower average prices in the lower-income bands.

Family income shapes the price families face at University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth. The published cost of attendance is $33,485.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $15,976 for the lowest family-income band, $16,042 for the lower-middle band, $17,530 for the middle band, $22,273 for the upper-middle band, and $28,147 for the highest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $12,171.

Azimuth ranks the university #781 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid offsets part of the published cost, though the overall price remains higher than the peer benchmark.

For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 38% of the published cost, offsetting $12,558 against the sticker price. Across all aid recipients, the average net price is $20,927.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $14,068, with the university’s average net price $6,859 above that figure. Aid reduces the listed cost, but the average price still sits above the comparable-institution median.

Federal borrowing is common among undergraduates here, and typical borrower debt is above the comparable-institution figure. 93.0% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.

Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $25,000. The peer median federal debt for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $21,229, and the university’s median is $3,771 above it.

Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing among parent borrowers is $22,757. The median federal debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $284 a month if repaid over ten years.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Debt at completion centers on $25,000 in median federal student loan debt for borrowers who completed. The peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $21,229, placing the university's median $3,771 above it.

For the separate parent-borrower population, median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $22,757. In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported that 78% of graduates borrowed from any source, with an average cumulative amount of $33,520 per borrower.

The reporting includes federal loans held by 78% of graduates, averaging $25,699. Private loans were held by 18% of graduates, averaging $30,757.

University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth pairs earnings that sit above its peer benchmark with debt that also sits above peers. Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $69,251 four years after completion; Azimuth places that figure in the 75th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $10,508 more than the model expects for similar students. Azimuth places [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, in the 84th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Earnings scenarios range from $49,125 in a downside case to $90,168 in an upside case, with $69,251 as the typical scenario. Median federal debt of $25,000 is above the $21,229 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size) by $3,771.

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $284 a month if repaid over ten years. Earnings beyond expectations sit alongside higher peer-relative borrowing.

For the separate population of parent borrowers, median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $22,757. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $284 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**
$22,757

**Estimated parent payment**
$289/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**
$25,000

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$22,757

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

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$284/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$289/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$573/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 $69,251, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**7.3%** 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-massachusetts-dartmouth#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.