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Cost & financial aid brief

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

Updated October 1, 2026

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

**On this page**+

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

For aid recipients at University of Massachusetts-Lowell, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $17,163, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships. Average financial aid offsets $13,623 of the published cost for that group.

The published cost of attendance is $30,786 (an average across living arrangements). In-state tuition and fees are $16,966, out-of-state tuition and fees are $36,264, and room and board are $16,148.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $15,634; the university's average net price is $1,529 above it. Azimuth ranks University of Massachusetts-Lowell #507 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $17,163. That is $1,529 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size) of $15,634.

Azimuth places the affordability pillar at the 64th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 average $9,943, while those in the highest band, over $110,000, average $26,139.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $16,196. Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median of $23,704 in federal student loans. That is $3,628 above the peer median of $20,076.

Aid recipients in the lowest family-income band face far lower average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s than those in the highest band. From the lowest through the highest income bands, average net prices are $9,943, $10,199, $12,141, $16,460, and $26,139.

Pell Grant recipients make up 30.0% of undergraduates, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $16,196.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$9,943

**$30–48K**
$10,199

**$48–75K**
$12,141

**$75–110K**
$16,460

**$110K+**
$26,139

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$17,163**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

Aid covers about 44% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, but the pattern across income bands shows the discount is not spread evenly. The lowest-income band, families earning under $30,000, averages $9,943 after grants and scholarships.

The highest band, over $110,000, averages $26,139, a spread of $16,196 between the two ends. The middle bands step from $10,199 at $30,001–$48,000 to $12,141 at $48,001–$75,000 and $16,460 at $75,001–$110,000.

Aid is concentrated among lower-income families, with the lowest band paying less than half of what the highest band pays on average.

At University of Massachusetts-Lowell, the published cost of attendance is $30,786 (an average across living arrangements), with aid changing the picture sharply across family-income bands. Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $9,943 in the lowest-income band, $10,199 in the lower-middle band, $12,141 in the middle band, $16,460 in the upper-middle band, and $26,139 in the highest-income band.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $16,196, and Azimuth ranks the university #507 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 44% of the published cost, an average savings of $13,623 that leaves an overall average net price of $17,163.

That average is $1,529 above the peer median net price of $15,634 at comparable institutions (same type and size). Published tuition and fees are $16,966 for in-state students and $36,264 for out-of-state students, so the listed price and aid averages point to different costs for different families.

Federal borrowing is widespread, with 93.3% of federal aid recipients taking federal loans; borrowers who complete have median federal student loan debt of $23,704. The peer median debt is $20,076 at comparable institutions (same type and size), placing this median $3,628 above that benchmark.

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $269 a month if repaid over ten years. Median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $18,400.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Borrowing is common among undergraduates at University of Massachusetts-Lowell, where 93.3% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. For borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $23,704.

At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median is $20,076, placing this median above by $3,628. [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowers are a separate parent-borrower population; their median borrowing is $18,400.

In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported that 71% of graduates borrowed from any source, with average cumulative borrowing of $29,739 per borrower. Its figures include federal loans for 70% of graduates and private loans for 16% of graduates. Federal borrowers averaged $22,533, while private borrowers averaged $33,281.

The earnings picture at University of Massachusetts-Lowell is well above the model's expectation, with median earnings of $81,163 four years after completion. Azimuth places that earnings figure in the 90th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $15,392 more than the model expects for similar students. [Earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) is the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students; Azimuth places this result in the 92nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The program-mix earnings scenarios range from $55,362 in the downside case to $101,024 in the upside case, with $81,163 as the typical scenario. Median federal debt at completion is $23,704, above the $20,076 median at comparable institutions (same type and size) by $3,628.

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $269 a month if repaid over ten years. Earnings exceed the model's expectation, while borrowing sits above the peer median.

For the separate population of parents using [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/), median federal borrowing was $18,400. The median student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $269 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**
$18,400

**Estimated parent payment**
$234/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**
$23,704

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$18,400

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

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$269/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$234/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$503/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 $81,163, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**5.5%** 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-lowell#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.