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Cost & financial aid brief

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# University of Virginia-Main Campus Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

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

**On this page**+

## How much does University of Virginia-Main Campus cost after financial aid?

The University of Virginia-Main Campus publishes a cost of attendance of $39,926. In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported in-state tuition of $18,613 and required fees of $3,793 for the 2025-26 academic year.

On-campus food and housing were listed at $15,300. After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients is $21,565, which is $5,931 above the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth ranks the university #553 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. That places the affordability pillar in the 61st percentile.

Among nonprofit four-year institutions, the affordability pillar for University of Virginia-Main Campus falls in the 61st percentile. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients is $21,565, which is above the median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $5,931.

Borrowers who complete owe a median of $17,500 in federal student debt, a level below the median of $20,076 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $2,576. By family-income band, the average net price spans from $8,174 in the lowest band to $35,402 in the highest.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s by family-income band show a progressive structure. For families earning under $30,000 the average net price is $8,174; for $30,001–$48,000 it is $9,696; for $48,001–$75,000 it is $13,283; for $75,001–$110,000 it is $20,822; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $35,402.

Pell Grant recipients make up 15.6% of undergraduates, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $27,228.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$8,174

**$30–48K**
$9,696

**$48–75K**
$13,283

**$75–110K**
$20,822

**$110K+**
$35,402

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$21,565**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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 the model 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $28,903. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $199.

[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**
$28,903

**Estimated parent payment**
$367/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| 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](#cost-data-notes).

## 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

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, $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.

[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-virginia-main-campus#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.