Cost & financial aid brief
University of San Francisco Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does University of San Francisco cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 48% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. Average net prices differ across family-income bands.
Aid recipients in the lowest band average $31,537, while those in the highest band average $52,497. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $20,960.
University of San Francisco's published cost of attendance is $80,141, an average across living arrangements. Its published tuition and fees are $60,492 and room and board are $19,764.
After grants and scholarships, the average net price—what aid recipients actually pay—varies by family income. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $31,537; for the middle band ($48,001–$75,000), it is $34,315; and for families earning over $110,000, it is $52,497.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $20,960. Azimuth ranks the university #1,355 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Aid covers about 48% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an offset of $38,710 against the sticker price. The average net price across all aid recipients is $41,431, which is above the peer median of $27,371 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $14,060.
While the university's sticker price is high, the aid package narrows the gap for many families, though the net price remains above the peer benchmark. Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, the median federal student debt is $23,000.
That debt is below the peer median of $24,199 for comparable institutions by $1,199, and 91.5% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. The median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower figure, is $44,413.
If repaid over ten years, the median federal debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $261 a month.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
The median federal student debt for borrowers who complete a degree at the University of San Francisco is $23,000. That median sits below the $24,199 median at comparable institutions (same type and size) by $1,199, a narrow gap.
About 91.5% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Parent borrowers, a separate population, carry a median Parent PLUS loan of $44,413.
The estimated monthly payment on the median federal debt is $261 if repaid over ten years.
The return on investment at University of San Francisco is anchored by strong earnings that outpace both peers and expectations. Graduates earn a median of $91,483 four years after completion, a figure in the 95th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
That median sits $23,233 above the $68,250 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Graduates earn about $22,169 more than the model expects for similar students, an outcome that falls in the 97th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Earnings scenarios, derived from the university's program mix, suggest a typical outcome that matches the observed median, with a downside scenario of $57,189 and an upside scenario of $137,695. Borrowers finish with a median federal debt of $23,000, which is $1,199 below the $24,199 median for comparable institutions.
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $261 a month if repaid over ten years. The earnings picture is unusually strong: the median sits well above the peer benchmark, and the gap between actual and expected earnings is among the widest nationally.
Combined with a debt load that is slightly below the peer median, the return profile points clearly in one direction.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $44,413. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $261.
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
- $44,413
- Estimated parent payment
- $564/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | High pressure |
| $150,000 | Caution |
| $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
- $23,000
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $44,413
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $261/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $564/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $825/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 $91,483, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
4.5% 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.