Cost & financial aid brief
Washington University in St Louis Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does WashU cost after financial aid?
The published cost of attendance is $88,488, while the average aid recipient pays $21,786, a gap of $66,702. Aid covers about 75% of the published cost for the average aid recipient.
Average net prices vary widely by family income. Families earning under $30,000 average $1,716; the $30,001–$48,000 band averages $1,928; the $48,001–$75,000 band is $5,578; the $75,001–$110,000 band is $12,603; and those earning over $110,000 average $42,170.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $40,454, a difference of averages that coincides with the lowest-income families facing the smallest net prices.
The published cost of attendance at Washington University in St Louis is $88,488. Azimuth ranks the university #526 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 $1,716, for those earning $48,001–$75,000 it is $5,578, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $42,170. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $40,454.
Aid covers about 75% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, bringing the average net price across all bands to $21,786. That is $5,585 below the median of $27,371 for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median of $17,500 in federal student loans, $6,699 below the peer median of $24,199. About 69.6% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.
Parents who borrow through the separate Parent PLUS program hold a median of $24,585. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $199 a month.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Federal borrowing at Washington University in St Louis sits well below the norm for comparable institutions. The median federal student debt among borrowers who complete a degree is $17,500.
That median is below the $24,199 median at comparable institutions (same type and size) by $6,699. Roughly 69.6% of federal aid recipients take federal loans.
Parent borrowers, a separate population, carry a median Parent PLUS loan of $24,585. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 18% of graduates borrowed from any source, with an average cumulative amount of $22,127 per borrower.
17% held federal loans averaging $14,204, and 2% held private loans averaging $78,886.
Washington University in St Louis records a median of $95,899 in earnings four years after completion, a figure Azimuth places in the 96th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $6,561 less than expects for similar students, an outcome in the 30th percentile.
Earnings scenarios anchored to the program mix span a downside of $60,106, a typical level of $95,899, and an upside of $170,432. For borrowers, the median federal debt at completion is $17,500, a level that is below the $24,199 median for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $6,699.
If repaid over ten years, the estimated monthly payment for graduates comes to $199.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $24,585. 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
- $24,585
- Estimated parent payment
- $312/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 | 18.4% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 8.3% | Caution |
| $150,000 | 3.9% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 2.6% | 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
- $17,500
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $24,585
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $199/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $312/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $511/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 $95,899, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
3.3% 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.