Cost & financial aid brief
Vanderbilt University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Vanderbilt University cost after financial aid?
The published cost of attendance at Vanderbilt University is $89,590, while the average net price for aid recipients is $15,846, a sticker-to-net gap of $73,744. Aid covers about 82% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.
Across income bands, average net prices are $3,414 for families under $30,000, $1,876 for the $30,001–$48,000 band, $4,498 for $48,001–$75,000, $12,153 for $75,001–$110,000, and $45,145 for those over $110,000. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $41,731, a difference of averages that reflects a steep gradient by income.
The bottom two bands fall far beneath the overall net price, a pattern alongside larger discounts for lower-income families. About 20.2% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, the population the lowest band chiefly reflects.
The published cost of attendance at Vanderbilt University is $89,590, a figure that includes $67,498 in tuition and fees and $22,054 for room and board. Azimuth ranks the university #220 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $3,414, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $4,498, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $45,145. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $41,731.
Aid covers about 82% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, bringing the overall average net price to $15,846. That is $11,525 below the $27,371 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Borrowers who finish carry a median of $14,000 in federal student loans, $10,199 below the $24,199 peer median. About 58.4% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.
Parents who borrow through the separate Parent PLUS program hold a median of $30,844. If repaid over ten years, the median student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $159 a month.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Among undergraduates at Vanderbilt University, 58.4% of federal aid recipients take out federal student loans. Borrowers who finish a degree leave with a median federal loan balance at completion of $14,000.
This balance is below the $24,199 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $10,199. Parent borrowers represent a separate borrowing population; their median Parent PLUS loan is $30,844.
Four years after completing a degree at Vanderbilt University, graduates earn a median of $101,204, which places the university in the 97th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. That median is above the $68,250 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $32,954.
Graduates earn about $1,279 less than expects for similar students, an outcome in the 50th percentile nationally. Earnings scenarios anchored on the university's program mix show a typical earnings level of $101,204, with a downside scenario of $59,265 and an upside scenario of $147,171.
Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median federal student debt of $14,000, which is below the $24,199 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $10,199. The estimated monthly payment on that median debt if repaid over ten years is $159.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $30,844. The estimated monthly student payment if repaid over ten years is $159.
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
- $30,844
- Estimated parent payment
- $392/mo
| Income | Risk level |
|---|---|
| $35,000 | High pressure |
| $50,000 | High pressure |
| $75,000 | High pressure |
| $100,000 | High pressure |
| $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
- $14,000
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $30,844
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $159/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $392/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $551/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 $101,204, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:
2.4% 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.