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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Washington University in St Louis Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

[Overview](/school/washington-university-in-st-louis/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/washington-university-in-st-louis/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/washington-university-in-st-louis/admissions/)[Majors](/school/washington-university-in-st-louis/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/washington-university-in-st-louis/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does WashU cost after financial aid?

Washington University in St Louis publishes a cost of attendance of $88,488, with tuition and fees at $65,790 and room and board at $21,854. After grants and scholarships, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) for aid recipients is $21,786, a savings of $66,702 against the sticker total.

That average net price sits below the peer median of $27,371 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $5,585. Azimuth ranks the university #526 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

For families earning under $30,000, the average net price drops to $1,716. The spread between the lowest and highest income bands is $40,454, reflecting a pricing structure where aid is heavily concentrated at lower incomes.

At Washington University in St Louis, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) sits $5,585 below the median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Borrowers who finish carry a median of $17,500 in federal loans, $6,699 below the peer median.

The university's affordability pillar is in the 63rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. For families earning under $30,000, it averages $1,716; for those earning over $110,000, it averages $42,170.

Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s by family-income band show a steeply progressive structure. For families earning under $30,000 the average net price is $1,716; for $30,001–$48,000 it is $1,928; for $48,001–$75,000 it is $5,578; for $75,001–$110,000 it is $12,603; and for families earning over $110,000 it is $42,170.

Pell Grant recipients make up 17.8% of undergraduates, providing context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $40,454.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$1,716

**$30–48K**
$1,928

**$48–75K**
$5,578

**$75–110K**
$12,603

**$110K+**
$42,170

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$21,786**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

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 price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s 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](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) 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 the model 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](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing, a separate parent-borrower population, is $24,585. 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**
$24,585

**Estimated parent payment**
$312/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| 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](/financial-gps/?tool=parent&school=washington-university-in-st-louis#parent-tool). [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**
$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

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, $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.

[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=washington-university-in-st-louis#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.