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Cost & financial aid brief

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# University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much does University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus cost after financial aid?

The published cost of attendance at University of Pittsburgh-Pittsburgh Campus is $38,105. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported in-state tuition of $21,594 and required fees of $2,152 for the 2026-27 academic year.

On-campus food and housing add another $15,430. After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients is $30,434, which is $14,800 above the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Financial aid reduces the published cost by $7,671 on average. Azimuth ranks the university #1,197 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The net price sits well above the peer median, and the affordability pillar is the weakest of the four at the 15th percentile.

The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships—is $30,434, $14,800 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size). By income band, the average net price runs from $14,709 for families earning under $30,000 to $36,008 for those earning over $110,000.

The median federal debt among borrowers who complete a degree is $24,250, $4,174 above the peer median. Azimuth places the affordability pillar at the 15th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s by family-income band show a progressive structure. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $14,709; for $30,001–$48,000 it is $18,371; for $48,001–$75,000 it is $23,192; for $75,001–$110,000 it is $31,567; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $36,008.

Pell Grant recipients make up 14.0% of undergraduates, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $21,299, a difference of averages that shows aid is concentrated on families with lower incomes.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$14,709

**$30–48K**
$18,371

**$48–75K**
$23,192

**$75–110K**
$31,567

**$110K+**
$36,008

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$30,434**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

The typical aid recipient sees the published cost reduced by about 20%, leaving an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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 the model 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $35,031. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $276.

[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**
$35,031

**Estimated parent payment**
$445/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| 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](#cost-data-notes).

## 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

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-pittsburgh-pittsburgh-campus#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.