Cost & financial aid brief
Widener University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does Widener University cost after financial aid?
Aid covers about 64% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. But the pattern across income bands is flat rather than steeply progressive.
Average net prices range from $21,200 in the lowest income band to $32,296 in the highest, with $22,275, $22,514, and $25,900 in the bands between. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $11,096.
A narrow spread means aid does not scale sharply with need. Families at the bottom of the income scale pay an average net price close to what families at the top pay.
The result is a pricing structure that asks more of lower-income families, relative to their resources, than a wider spread would.
Widener University has a published cost of attendance of $70,621 (an average across living arrangements), so the price after aid is central to its affordability picture. For families in the lowest family-income band, the average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $21,200; it is $22,275 for the lower-middle band, $22,514 for the middle band, $25,900 for the upper-middle band, and $32,296 for the highest band.
The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $11,096. Azimuth ranks the university #1,133 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Aid covers about 64% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, with average aid savings of $44,862 against the sticker price. Across all aid recipients, the average net price is $25,759, which is $1,612 below the peer median of $27,371 for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Published tuition and fees are $55,730, and room and board are $16,530. The overall price sits slightly below its peer comparison, though family income still changes the average cost substantially.
Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $27,000, and 97.3% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. That median is $2,801 above the $24,199 peer median at comparable institutions (same type and size).
That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month if repaid over ten years. Median Parent PLUS borrowing for parent borrowers is $33,146.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
At Widener University, federal loan use is widespread: 97.3% of federal aid recipients borrow. For borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt is $27,000.
The peer median among comparable institutions (same type and size) is $24,199, leaving Widener’s median $2,801 above it. Parent PLUS borrowers are a separate parent-borrower population with median borrowing of $33,146.
In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported that 83% of graduates borrowed from any source, averaging $51,002 in cumulative borrowing per borrower. The figures include 82% of graduates with federal loans, averaging $24,102. Of graduates, 41% held private loans averaging $52,663.
The return picture at Widener University is led by earnings that beat both the peer median and expectation. Among federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled, the median four years after completion is $80,946, a figure in the 89th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
That is $12,696 above the $68,250 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Graduates earn about $7,347 more than the model expects for similar students, an outcome at the 77th percentile.
Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, stretch from $59,144 on the downside to $98,272 on the upside, with $80,946 as the typical outcome. Borrowers who finish carry a median of $27,000 in federal loans.
That is $2,801 above the $24,199 median for comparable institutions. If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month, while strong earnings and above-peer debt pull in opposite directions.
Parent PLUS borrowers, a population separate from student federal-loan borrowers, had median borrowing of $33,146. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $307 a month.
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
- $33,146
- Estimated parent payment
- $421/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 | 24.8% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 11.1% | High pressure |
| $150,000 | 5.3% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 3.5% | 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
- $27,000
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $33,146
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $307/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $421/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $728/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 $80,946, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
6.5% 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.