Cost & financial aid brief
University of Virginia-Main Campus Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does University of Virginia-Main Campus cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 46% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. Families earning under $30,000 average $8,174, while those earning over $110,000 average $35,402.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $27,228. That pattern shows a pricing structure where aid targets lower-income families, but the average net price for the highest band still sits well below the published sticker.
The University of Virginia-Main Campus publishes a cost of attendance of $39,926. For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $8,174; for the $48,001–$75,000 band it is $13,283; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $35,402.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $27,228. Azimuth ranks the university #553 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Aid covers 46% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an offset of $18,361. The average net price for first-time full-time Title IV aid recipients is $21,565, which is above the median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $5,931.
Median federal student debt at completion is $17,500. 84.8% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans.
That median is below the peer median of $20,076 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $2,576. Median Parent PLUS borrowing stands at $28,903.
If repaid over ten years, the estimated monthly payment on the median federal debt is $199.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal borrowers who complete a degree at the University of Virginia-Main Campus face a median debt of $17,500. That median falls below the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $2,576.
Overall, 84.8% of federal aid recipients use federal loans. Parent borrowers represent a separate population; their median Parent PLUS debt is $28,903.
In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported that 30% of graduates borrowed from any source, with an average cumulative amount of $25,137 per borrower. 29% had federal loans averaging $15,881, and 5% had private loans averaging $50,300.
Earnings scenarios anchored to the University of Virginia-Main Campus program mix outline a typical earnings level of $91,448, alongside a downside of $52,920 and an upside of $126,775. Among graduates working and not enrolled four years after completion, median earnings are $91,448, placing the university in the 95th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Graduates earn about $10,583 more than expects for similar students, an outcome in the 84th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Completers who borrowed leave with a median federal debt of $17,500, a balance below the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). If repaid over ten years, the estimated monthly payment is $199.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $28,903. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $199.
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
- $28,903
- Estimated parent payment
- $367/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | Caution |
| $150,000 | Safe |
| $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
- $17,500
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $28,903
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $199/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $367/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $566/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 $91,448, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
3.5% 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.