Cost & financial aid brief
University of Vermont Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does University of Vermont cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 46% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, so the sticker-to-net gap is substantial. The published cost of attendance is $35,649, compared with an average net price of $19,343 and an average aid offset of $16,306.
Across the income bands, average net price is $11,127 in the lowest band, $13,373 in the next band, $14,339 in the middle band, $20,926 in the next-highest band, and $25,775 in the highest band. The $14,648 spread between the endpoints shows that aid is more concentrated in the lower-income bands than pricing is uniform across families.
At University of Vermont, the published cost of attendance is $35,649, and aid recipients’ average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, varies across family-income bands. It is $11,127 for families in the lowest income band, $13,373 for the next band, $14,339 for the middle band, $20,926 for the next-highest band, and $25,775 for families in the highest income band.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $14,648. Azimuth ranks the university #734 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 46% of the published cost and offsets $16,306. Across all aid recipients, the average net price is $19,343.
The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $15,634, placing the university’s average $3,709 above that benchmark. The higher average price and the peer comparison point in the same direction.
Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $20,951, and 93.4% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. That debt is $875 above the $20,076 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $238 a month if repaid over ten years. Parent PLUS borrowers have median borrowing of $48,000.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Borrowing is widespread at University of Vermont: 93.4% of federal aid recipients take federal loans, and borrowers who complete have median federal student loan debt of $20,951. Comparable institutions (same type and size) have a peer median of $20,076, placing the university $875 above that benchmark.
Parent PLUS borrowers are separate; their median borrowing is $48,000. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported 54% of graduates borrowed from any source, averaging $34,870 cumulatively.
It reported 52% of graduates with federal loans, including graduates who may also have private loans. The average cumulative federal amount was $18,804 per federal borrower. Private borrowers averaged $51,165 cumulatively.
Graduates of University of Vermont earn about $16,558 less than expects for similar students, a gap in the 7th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Among federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, the median four years after finishing is $62,009.
That figure sits $3,601 below the peer median of $65,610 for comparable institutions (same type and size). That earnings level falls in the 57th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix range from $45,366 on the downside to $82,603 on the upside, with $62,009 as the typical outcome. Borrowers who finish hold a median of $20,951 in federal loans, $875 above the peer median of $20,076 for comparable institutions (same type and size).
If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $238 a month. Earnings fall short of the peer median and the model's expectation, while debt sits above the peer median.
Parent borrowing is a separate part of the family cost picture. For Parent PLUS parent borrowers, median borrowing is $48,000.
The median federal student loan debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $238 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
- $48,000
- Estimated parent payment
- $610/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 | 35.9% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 16.1% | High pressure |
| $150,000 | 7.7% | Caution |
| $200,000 | 5.0% | 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
- $20,951
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $48,000
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $238/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $610/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $848/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 $62,009, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
7.5% 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, $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.