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Cost & financial aid brief

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# University of San Francisco Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much does University of San Francisco cost after financial aid?

The University of San Francisco's strongest pillar is return on investment, but its cost profile tells a different story. The published cost of attendance is $80,141, an average across living arrangements.

Tuition and fees are $60,492, and room and board are $19,764. In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported sticker charges of $592 in required fees and $18,490 for on-campus food and housing.

For the average aid recipient, the [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—what students pay after grants and scholarships—is $41,431, a savings of $38,710 against the sticker price. That average net price sits above the peer median of $27,371 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $14,060.

Azimuth ranks the university #1,355 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. The affordability percentile, at 4th, reflects a net price that remains high even after aid.

The return pillar is in the 96th percentile. The cost side is a clear counterweight: strong earnings potential comes with a price tag that is among the steepest among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Affordability is the weakest of the four pillars for University of San Francisco, sitting at the 4th percentile 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 $41,431, which is $14,060 above the median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

By income band, the lowest averages $31,537 and the highest averages $52,497, a spread of $20,960. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $23,000 in federal loans, $1,199 below the peer median.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, are lowest for families with the least income and highest for those with the most. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $31,537; for $30,001–$48,000 it is $33,207; for $48,001–$75,000 it is $34,315; for $75,001–$110,000 it is $38,933; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $52,497.

Pell Grant recipients make up 28.0% of undergraduates, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $20,960.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$31,537

**$30–48K**
$33,207

**$48–75K**
$34,315

**$75–110K**
$38,933

**$110K+**
$52,497

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$41,431**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

Aid covers about 48% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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 the model's 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $44,413. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $261.

[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**
$44,413

**Estimated parent payment**
$564/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| Household income | Share of income above basic expenses | Risk level |
| --- | --- | --- |
| $35,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $50,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $75,000 | 33.3% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 14.9% | High pressure |
| $150,000 | 7.1% | Caution |
| $200,000 | 4.7% | Safe |

The 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS balance, as a share of household income above basic expenses ($54,640 a year: 200% of the 2026 federal poverty guideline for a household of three). No room is High pressure. [Open the parent tool for your own numbers](/financial-gps/?tool=parent&school=university-of-san-francisco#parent-tool). [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**
$23,000

**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 $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**4.6%** 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, $23,940, uses the published framework’s 2026 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-san-francisco#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.