Cost & financial aid brief
University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus cost after financial aid?
The typical aid recipient sees the published cost reduced by about 20%, leaving an average net price of $30,434. That average conceals a wide range across family incomes: the lowest band pays $14,709 and the highest pays $36,008, a spread of $21,299.
The pattern shows the lowest-income families receive the largest price reductions. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that among 4,590 first-year students, 2,192 were determined to have need and need was fully met for 228.
Across aided students with need, the average share of need met was 58%, the average need-based grant was $19,110, and the average package was $20,104. Among first-year students, 413 received merit aid averaging $7,899 in the 2025-26 academic year.
The University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus publishes a cost of attendance of $38,105. After grants and scholarships, the average net price—what aid recipients actually pay—is $14,709 for families earning under $30,000, $23,192 for the middle band of $48,001–$75,000, and $36,008 for families earning over $110,000.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $21,299, a difference of averages. Azimuth ranks the university #1,197 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Aid covers about 20% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, leaving an average net price of $30,434 across all aid recipients. That figure sits above the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $14,800.
The average aid recipient sees $7,671 in savings against the sticker price. Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, the median federal student debt is $24,250.
That median is above the peer median of $20,076 for comparable institutions by $4,174, and 94.7% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. For parents, the median Parent PLUS borrowing is $35,031.
If repaid over ten years, the median federal debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $276 a month.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
At University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus, federal borrowing reaches 94.7% of federal aid recipients, and borrowers who complete have median federal student loan debt of $24,250. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $20,076, placing the university above by $4,174.
Parent PLUS borrowers are a separate parent-borrower population, with median borrowing of $35,031. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 57% of graduates borrowed from any source, with an average cumulative amount of $40,791 per borrower.
Among all graduates, 56% held federal loans averaging $21,198. Private loans averaged $57,594 among the 19% of graduates who held them, some of whom may also have held federal loans.
Median earnings four years after completion are $73,701 among federally aided graduates of University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus who are working and not enrolled. That lands at the 82nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
That is $8,091 above the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Graduates earn about $4,649 less than expects for similar students.
That gap sits at the 38th percentile. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix show a downside of $52,383, an upside of $98,988, and a typical outcome of $73,701.
Borrowers who finish hold a median of $24,250 in federal loans, $4,174 above the $20,076 peer median. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $276 a month if repaid over ten years.
The return outlook is mixed: earnings exceed the peer median yet trail the model, and debt runs higher than peers.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $35,031. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $276.
Repayment figures are in the Financial GPS card below. Borrowing populations and model assumptions.
Parent loans: what can the family afford?
How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families
- Median Parent PLUS debt
- $35,031
- Estimated parent payment
- $445/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | High pressure |
| $150,000 | Safe |
| $200,000 | Safe |
The model holds the parent balance fixed and varies parent income. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $24,250
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $35,031
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $276/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $445/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $721/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 $73,701, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
6.5% of income above the allowance · Excellent
- Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
- Good 8–under 12%
- Concerning 12–20%
- 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.
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.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, 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.
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.
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.