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Cost & financial aid brief

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# University of Memphis Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much does University of Memphis cost after financial aid?

For aid recipients at University of Memphis, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), the amount paid after grants and scholarships, is $12,397. The published standard cost of attendance is $25,169; it includes in-state tuition and fees of $10,728 and room and board of $11,342.

Published out-of-state tuition and fees are $15,384, stated separately from that standard budget. Average financial aid offsets $12,772 of the published cost, covering about 51% for the average aid recipient.

The university’s average net price is below the $15,634 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size), by $3,237. Azimuth ranks University of Memphis #307 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The aid offset and lower peer comparison describe a lower average price for aid recipients than at comparable institutions.

The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) at University of Memphis is $12,397, which is $3,237 below the median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Azimuth places the university in the 78th percentile for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Completers who borrowed carry a median federal debt of $23,300, $3,224 above the peer median of $20,076. For the lowest income band, the average net price is $10,607; for the highest, it is $18,691.

Costs vary sharply by family income, with the lowest band facing the smallest average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/). Average net prices are $10,607 for the lowest band, $10,968 for the next band, $13,923 for the middle band, $17,384 for the next-highest band, and $18,691 for the highest band.

41.2% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, providing context for the lowest income band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $8,084.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$10,607

**$30–48K**
$10,968

**$48–75K**
$13,923

**$75–110K**
$17,384

**$110K+**
$18,691

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$12,397**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

The aid pattern brings published costs down most for lower-income families. Against the published cost of $25,169, aid recipients have an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) of $12,397, a sticker-to-net gap of $12,772.

Aid covers about 51% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. Across the income bands, average net price is $10,607 at the lowest end, $10,968 in the next band, $13,923 in the middle, $17,384 in the next-highest band, and $18,691 at the highest end.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $8,084, a difference of averages that shows lower average prices are concentrated in the lower-income bands.

The published cost of attendance at University of Memphis is $25,169. Azimuth ranks the university #307 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $10,607, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $13,923, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $18,691. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $8,084.

Aid covers about 51% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The average net price across all aid recipients is $12,397, which is $3,237 below the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $23,300 in federal student loans, $3,224 above the peer median of $20,076. An estimated 83.9% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.

Parents who borrow through [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) hold a separate median of $15,393. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $265 a month.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Federal borrowing reaches 83.9% of federal aid recipients at University of Memphis, and borrowers who complete carry median federal student loan debt of $23,300. The peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size) is $20,076; the university's median is above that figure by $3,224.

[Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowers are a separate parent-borrower population, with median borrowing of $15,393.

At University of Memphis, access is the strongest pillar, but the investment picture is restrained. Graduates earn a median of $57,507 four years after completion, placing earnings in the 41st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $2,686 less than the model expects for similar students. [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, sit in the 45th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Earnings scenarios range from $44,374 in the downside case to $78,246 in the upside case, with the typical scenario matching the observed median. Median federal debt at completion is $23,300, above the $20,076 peer median by $3,224.

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $265 a month if repaid over ten years. Below-expected earnings and debt above the peer median point in the same direction.

For the separate parent-borrower population using [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/), median borrowing is $15,393. That student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $265 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**
$15,393

**Estimated parent payment**
$196/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| Income | Risk level |
| --- | --- |
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | Safe |
| $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**
$23,300

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$15,393

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

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$265/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$196/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$461/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 $57,507, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**9.1%** of income above the allowance · Good

1.  Excellent Under 8%
2.  Good 8–under 12% · selected scenario
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-memphis#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.