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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Wabash College Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/wabash-college/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/wabash-college/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/wabash-college/admissions/)[Majors](/school/wabash-college/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/wabash-college/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does Wabash College cost after financial aid?

The published cost of attendance at Wabash College is $65,144, an average across living arrangements. Tuition and fees are $50,800 and room and board are $14,400.

Grants and scholarships reduce the sticker price by an average of $40,808 for aid recipients. After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)—what students actually pay—is $24,336 for aid recipients.

That is $1,989 above the median net price at similar institutions, which is $22,347 for comparable institutions (same type and size). Aid covers about 63% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.

Azimuth ranks the university #1,020 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Aid recipients at Wabash College pay an average of $24,336 after grants and scholarships, a figure that sits $1,989 above the median at comparable institutions (same type and size). That [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) places the university in the 28th percentile for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $16,586; for those earning over $110,000, it is $30,511. Borrowers who complete hold a median of $27,000 in federal debt, $2,000 above the median for comparable institutions.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s vary across income bands. Aid recipients earning under $30,000 pay an average of $16,586; those in the $30,001–$48,000 band pay $13,526; the $48,001–$75,000 band pays $18,175; the $75,001–$110,000 band pays $18,681; and families earning over $110,000 pay an average of $30,511.

23.7% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $13,925.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$16,586

**$30–48K**
$13,526

**$48–75K**
$18,175

**$75–110K**
$18,681

**$110K+**
$30,511

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$24,336**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

The sticker-to-net gap for the average aid recipient is $40,808, but the size of that reduction differs across family incomes. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported first-year need-based aid for the the 2025-26 academic year.

Students determined to have need received an average need-based grant of $47,705 and an average need-based package of $54,438. On average, 94% of need was met for those aided students.

Of the 264 first-year students, 166 were determined to have financial need, and 105 had their need fully met. The university also awarded merit aid to 97 students, averaging $39,105.

The pattern across the federal income bands shows the lowest average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) in the $30,001–$48,000 band at $13,526, while the highest band averages $30,511. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $13,925.

The published cost of attendance at Wabash College is $65,144, an average across living arrangements. Tuition and fees are $50,800, and room and board are $14,400.

Azimuth ranks the university #1,020 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 is $16,586, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $18,175, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $30,511.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $13,925. Aid covers about 63% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, leaving an average net price of $24,336 across all bands.

That is $1,989 above the $22,347 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Borrowers who finish carry a median of $27,000 in federal student loans, $2,000 above the median for comparable institutions ($25,000).

95.9% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $28,000 in [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) loans.

If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $68,626. That median is in the 74th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The median for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $55,915. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, span a downside of $52,018 to an upside of $86,264.

The typical earnings scenario is $68,626. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $27,000 in federal loans.

That median is $2,000 above the peer median. If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month.

For the separate population of parent borrowers, median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing is $28,000. For student borrowers, the median federal debt of $27,000 corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years.

[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**
$28,000

**Estimated parent payment**
$356/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**
$27,000

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$28,000

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$307/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$356/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$663/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 $68,626, with a $22,590 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**8.0%** of income above the allowance · Good

1.  Excellent Under 8%
2.  Good 8–under 12% · selected scenario
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=wabash-college#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.