Cost & financial aid brief
University of the Incarnate Word Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does University of the Incarnate Word cost after financial aid?
For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 53% of the published cost, making the sticker price a limited guide to the price after grants and scholarships. The average net price is $22,775 against a published cost of $48,681 (an average across living arrangements), an average aid offset of $25,906.
Across income bands, average net prices move from $19,260 at the low end to $31,539 at the high end, with the middle bands falling between those figures. The $12,279 spread is a difference of band averages.
It shows larger average aid offsets in the lower-income bands, though no individual package is implied by those averages.
The published cost of attendance at University of the Incarnate Word is $48,681 (an average across living arrangements). Across the family-income bands, average net price is $19,260 for families in the lowest band, $19,487 for the next-lowest band, $21,950 for the middle band, $25,084 for the next-highest band, and $31,539 for families in the highest band.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $12,279. Azimuth ranks University of the Incarnate Word #988 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Aid covers about 53% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. Across all aid recipients, the average net price is $22,775 after average financial aid savings of $25,906 against the sticker price.
That average is $4,596 below the peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), of $27,371. Published tuition and fees are $37,090, and room and board are listed at $14,296.
Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $27,000, and 81.9% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. That median is $2,801 above the $24,199 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
For Parent PLUS borrowers, median borrowing is $25,775. The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal debt is a major part of the cost picture for borrowers who complete at University of the Incarnate Word. Median federal student loan debt is $27,000, compared with $24,199 at comparable institutions (same type and size), or $2,801 above.
Parent PLUS borrowers are a separate population, with median borrowing of $25,775. In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported that 63% of graduates borrowed from any source, averaging $31,302 per borrower.
Including 62% of graduates with federal loans, average federal debt was $25,430. Private loans were held by 8% of graduates, averaging $33,552.
The return picture is mixed: graduates show earnings beyond expectations, but borrower debt is above the peer median. Four years after completion, University of the Incarnate Word graduates have median earnings of $63,004, in the 60th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Graduates earn about $14,355 more than expects for similar students. This is , the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students.
It is in the 91st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios from the program mix put typical earnings at $63,004, with a downside scenario of $46,635 and an upside scenario of $77,342.
Median federal student debt at completion is $27,000, above the $24,199 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years. Earnings beyond expectations and debt above peers point in opposite directions.
For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $25,775. For student borrowers, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years.
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
- $25,775
- Estimated parent payment
- $327/mo
| Household income | Share of income above basic expenses | Risk level |
|---|---|---|
| $35,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $50,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $75,000 | 19.3% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 8.7% | Caution |
| $150,000 | 4.1% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 2.7% | 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. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $27,000
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $25,775
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $307/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $327/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $634/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 $63,004, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
9.4% of income above the allowance · Good
- Excellent Under 8%
- Good 8–under 12% · selected scenario
- 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, $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.
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.