Cost & financial aid brief
William & Mary Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does William & Mary cost after financial aid?
Grants and scholarships cut the sticker price by $23,939 for the average recipient, covering about 56% of the published cost. The lowest band averages $3,106, the middle $5,916, and the highest $34,370.
12.4% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, so that band applies to a modest share. In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported for the 2024-25 academic year 550 first-year students were determined to have financial need and 169 had that need fully met.
Aided first-year students with need saw an average 82% of need met, with an average need-based grant of $22,933 and an average package of $33,452. The university awarded merit aid to 61 first-year students, averaging $7,696.
The published cost of attendance at William & Mary is $43,035. Azimuth ranks the university #495 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 $3,106, for those earning $48,001 to $75,000 it is $5,916, and for those earning over $110,000 it is $34,370. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $31,264.
Aid covers about 56% of the published cost for the average aid recipient. The average net price across all aid recipients is $19,096, which is $5,028 above the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
Borrowers who complete a degree carry a median of $18,500 in federal student loans. That is $2,729 below the median for comparable institutions, $21,229.
Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $30,326 in Parent PLUS loans. If repaid over ten years, the median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $210 a month. It estimates costs and payments under different scenarios.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Among undergraduates at William & Mary, 83.1% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. For borrowers who complete, the median federal student debt is $18,500.
That median is $2,729 below the $21,229 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate population of parent borrowers, carries a median of $30,326.
In its 2025-26 Common Data Set, the university reported that 33% of graduates borrowed from any source, with an average cumulative amount of $28,934 per borrower. Federal loans were held by 32% of graduates, averaging $17,555. A smaller group, 7%, held private loans averaging $59,552.
Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates of William & Mary who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $80,445. That pay level sits at the 89th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
That median is $23,144 above the $57,301 level for comparable institutions (same type and size). Completers earn about $2,363 more than expects for similar students.
That outcome falls at the 64th percentile. Estimated from the program mix, earnings scenarios run from $53,550 on the downside to $110,782 on the upside, with a typical level of $80,445.
Borrowers who finish carry a median federal debt of $18,500, which is $2,729 below the $21,229 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $210 a month if repaid over ten years.
For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $30,326. For student borrowers, the median federal debt of $18,500 corresponds to an estimated payment of $210 a month if repaid over ten years.
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
- $30,326
- Estimated parent payment
- $385/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 | 22.7% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 10.2% | High pressure |
| $150,000 | 4.8% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 3.2% | 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
- $18,500
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $30,326
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $210/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $385/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $595/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 $80,445, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
4.5% 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.