Full price info · Scholarships and grants
How scholarships and grants change the real price
A degree has three prices: the sticker price on the brochure, the average net price after grant aid, and the price in your own written aid offer. This page explains how to read the first two honestly, and why only the third one can budget a family.
The three prices, in order of trust
- Your aid offer. A written letter from the school naming grant amounts, conditions, and renewal rules. This is the only figure you can budget against.
- Average net price. The federal IPEDS figure republished by College Scorecard: published cost of attendance minus the average grant or scholarship aid, for full-time, first-time students who received federal Title IV aid. Useful for comparing how schools treat a typical aided freshman. It excludes part-time students, transfer students, and students who received no federal aid.
- Sticker price. Tuition, fees, room, board, and books before any aid. It is the ceiling, the number aid gets subtracted from, and the right starting point for a worst-case budget.
What "average grant aid" actually counts
The IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey reports the share of all undergraduates who received grant or scholarship aid from federal, state, or institutional sources, and the average amount per recipient. Two traps hide inside that average. First, a high average can reflect a few very large merit awards rather than broad discounting; the percentage receiving aid is the better breadth signal, which is why our school pages show both. Second, private outside scholarships are excluded, so a student with strong local scholarship support can land below the published average net price.
The arithmetic we show, labeled as arithmetic
On each school page we place College Scorecard's cost of attendance next to its average net price. The gap between them is, by the federal definition, the average grant discount for that net-price cohort. We label it as an implied average, never as a promised discount, because the cost basis and the student cohort come from the same federal release but describe an average student who does not exist. A family should run three cases in the True Degree Price Calculator: sticker price with no aid, the school's average grant applied, and the actual written offer when it arrives.
Reading a school's aid profile in 60 seconds
- High share receiving aid plus a high average grant usually means broad institutional discounting. Expect negotiation room and check renewal conditions.
- Low share receiving aid plus a low average grant usually means the sticker price is close to the real price for most students. Compete on total cost, not on aid strategy.
- A large gap between sticker and average net price at a private school is normal. A large gap at a public school usually reflects nonresident students in the net-price cohort; residents should budget from the resident sticker.
What averages hide
Family income. Net price by income band varies enormously at the same school, and a family above the top band can pay close to sticker even where the published average looks gentle. Time. Every figure names its academic year and the date we checked it; aid budgets change annually. Renewal risk. A first-year grant that is not guaranteed for four years is a one-year discount, not a price. And loans. Federal loan uptake never reduces a price on this site, because debt is deferred payment, not savings.
Full price picture: 50 schools
Sticker totals are this site's one-year published totals on a resident basis where applicable. Grant averages are IPEDS 2022-23, all undergraduates. Net price is College Scorecard's federal average. City unemployment is BLS metro data for August 2026 (preliminary). Earnings are College Scorecard median earnings ten years after entry. Every school page carries the field names and checked dates.
| School | One-year sticker | Share with grant aid | Avg grant per recipient | Avg net price | Dorm capacity | Metro unemployment | Median earnings, 10 yrs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Harvard University Cambridge, Massachusetts | $83,866 | 49% | $55,827 | $19,066 | 14,344 beds | 4.1% (Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH) | $101,817 |
| Stanford University Stanford, California | $94,140 | 60% | $58,688 | $13,807 | 14,415 beds | 4.3% (San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA) | $124,080 |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology Cambridge, Massachusetts | $90,264 | 64% | $55,629 | $20,111 | 7,610 beds | 4.1% (Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH) | $143,372 |
| Yale University New Haven, Connecticut | $95,100 | 55% | $60,846 | $23,777 | 5,576 beds | 4.9% (New Haven, CT) | $100,533 |
| Princeton University Princeton, New Jersey | $83,988 | 60% | $62,593 | $6,128 | 5,526 beds | 4.9% (Trenton-Princeton, NJ) | $110,066 |
| Columbia University New York, New York | $97,930 | 55% | $52,519 | $21,590 | 13,284 beds | 4.7% (New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ) | $102,491 |
| University of California, Los Angeles Los Angeles, California | $37,885 | 55% | $21,007 | $12,548 | 23,912 beds | 4.8% (Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA) | $82,511 |
| University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, California | $41,318 | 57% | $22,996 | $13,481 | 9,899 beds | 4.6% (San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA) | $92,446 |
| University of Michigan, Ann Arbor Ann Arbor, Michigan | $35,334 | 52% | $24,478 | $13,138 | 11,631 beds | 4.2% (Ann Arbor, MI) | $83,648 |
| University of Texas at Austin Austin, Texas | $27,240 | 51% | $12,383 | $19,857 | 7,960 beds | 3.9% (Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX) | $75,121 |
| University of Florida Gainesville, Florida | $19,311 | 83% | $9,719 | $6,541 | 11,668 beds | 5.4% (Gainesville, FL) | $71,588 |
| Ohio State University, Columbus Columbus, Ohio | $29,012 | 62% | $11,931 | $17,339 | 15,097 beds | 3.3% (Columbus, OH) | $60,409 |
| Pennsylvania State University, University Park University Park, Pennsylvania | $36,318 | 49% | $13,716 | $32,875 | 14,238 beds | 3% (State College, PA) | $63,435 |
| New York University New York, New York | $87,768 | 46% | $40,263 | $37,050 | 12,577 beds | 4.7% (New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ) | $82,509 |
| Boston University Boston, Massachusetts | $88,122 | 48% | $50,703 | $24,402 | 11,767 beds | 4.1% (Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH) | $83,238 |
| Northeastern University Boston, Massachusetts | $86,742 | 65% | $34,044 | $30,915 | 11,759 beds | 4.1% (Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH) | $92,538 |
| University of Washington, Seattle Seattle, Washington | $32,278 | 39% | $15,799 | $14,091 | 10,230 beds | 4.8% (Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA) | $78,466 |
| Georgia Institute of Technology Atlanta, Georgia | $26,466 | 70% | $11,761 | $12,116 | 8,805 beds | 3.4% (Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA) | $102,772 |
| University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Chapel Hill, North Carolina | $24,088 | 52% | $15,205 | $11,655 | 10,006 beds | 3.3% (Durham-Chapel Hill, NC) | $72,200 |
| University of Virginia Charlottesville, Virginia | $38,083 | 42% | $26,492 | $21,565 | 7,363 beds | 3.2% (Charlottesville, VA) | $86,863 |
| Texas A&M University College Station, Texas | $27,266 | 57% | $11,036 | $21,315 | 11,357 beds | 4% (College Station-Bryan, TX) | $72,097 |
| University of Central Florida Orlando, Florida | $20,020 | 69% | $7,929 | $10,411 | 7,582 beds | 4.6% (Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL) | $58,308 |
| Arizona State University Tempe, Arizona | $30,255 | 77% | $12,396 | $14,967 | 16,179 beds | 4.9% (Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ) | $62,668 |
| University of Wisconsin-Madison Madison, Wisconsin | $26,827 | 42% | $14,133 | $17,354 | 8,949 beds | 2.9% (Madison, WI) | $73,792 |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, Illinois | $31,726 | 55% | $16,592 | $14,355 | 15,766 beds | 3.8% (Champaign-Urbana, IL) | $81,054 |
| Michigan State University East Lansing, Michigan | $30,402 | 73% | $9,950 | $19,680 | 17,503 beds | 4.6% (Lansing-East Lansing, MI) | $67,253 |
| Purdue University West Lafayette, Indiana | $23,882 | 43% | $10,024 | $14,600 | 16,270 beds | 3.5% (Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN) | $72,424 |
| Indiana University Bloomington Bloomington, Indiana | $27,378 | 66% | $11,389 | $16,264 | 12,496 beds | 3.8% (Bloomington, IN) | $63,742 |
| University of Georgia Athens, Georgia | $24,056 | 86% | $10,849 | $13,936 | 10,759 beds | 3% (Athens-Clarke County, GA) | $68,726 |
| North Carolina State University Raleigh, North Carolina | $24,007 | 51% | $11,521 | $17,303 | 10,291 beds | 3.1% (Raleigh-Cary, NC) | $68,758 |
| Rutgers University, New Brunswick New Brunswick, New Jersey | $35,061 | 55% | $14,940 | $24,406 | 15,305 beds | 4.7% (New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ) | $74,479 |
| University of Maryland, College Park College Park, Maryland | $29,017 | 50% | $12,278 | $15,678 | 12,479 beds | 3.8% (Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV) | $82,860 |
| Virginia Tech Blacksburg, Virginia | $35,176 | 52% | $9,452 | $24,953 | 10,213 beds | 4% (Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA) | $81,698 |
| University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, Colorado | $35,334 | 49% | $11,665 | $25,346 | 7,550 beds | 4.6% (Boulder, CO) | $69,738 |
| University of Utah Salt Lake City, Utah | $24,175 | 60% | $10,312 | $16,200 | 5,956 beds | 3.7% (Salt Lake City-Murray, UT) | $67,170 |
| University of Minnesota, Twin Cities Minneapolis, Minnesota | $32,070 | 51% | $11,363 | $16,778 | 7,558 beds | 4.7% (Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI) | $69,020 |
| Florida International University Miami, Florida | $20,995 | 61% | $8,796 | $9,288 | 4,403 beds | 3.7% (Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL) | $60,249 |
| Stony Brook University Stony Brook, New York | $30,027 | 65% | $9,940 | $18,784 | 10,501 beds | 4.7% (New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ) | $74,502 |
| University of Southern California Los Angeles, California | $93,228 | 69% | $44,920 | $32,740 | 8,500 beds | 4.8% (Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA) | $92,498 |
| Duke University Durham, North Carolina | $87,422 | 52% | $53,004 | $29,612 | 5,775 beds | 3.3% (Durham-Chapel Hill, NC) | $97,800 |
| Vanderbilt University Nashville, Tennessee | $90,746 | 66% | $53,335 | $15,846 | 6,009 beds | 3.1% (Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin, TN) | $91,565 |
| Rice University Houston, Texas | $83,684 | 63% | $50,264 | $13,370 | 3,477 beds | 5% (Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX) | $89,718 |
| University of Notre Dame Notre Dame, Indiana | $84,175 | 61% | $47,922 | $26,780 | 6,934 beds | 4.2% (South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI) | $99,980 |
| Georgetown University Washington, District of Columbia | $89,813 | 35% | $46,162 | $40,815 | 5,340 beds | 3.8% (Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV) | $103,494 |
| Emory University Atlanta, Georgia | $85,762 | 55% | $47,663 | $22,585 | 4,813 beds | 3.4% (Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA) | $80,137 |
| Washington University in St. Louis St. Louis, Missouri | $88,948 | 44% | $53,057 | $21,786 | 7,088 beds | 3.9% (St. Louis, MO-IL) | $86,182 |
| Brigham Young University Provo, Utah | $17,476 | 72% | $7,507 | $15,564 | 7,697 beds | 4.1% (Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT) | $75,790 |
| University of Chicago Chicago, Illinois | $92,571 | 51% | $48,772 | $14,860 | 4,568 beds | 5.2% (Chicago-Naperville-Elgin, IL-IN) | $91,885 |
| Dartmouth College Hanover, New Hampshire | $89,272 | 49% | $59,603 | $29,519 | 3,875 beds | 2.4% (Lebanon-Claremont, NH-VT) | $97,434 |
| University of Miami Coral Gables, Florida | $87,672 | 69% | $37,436 | $37,244 | 4,668 beds | 3.7% (Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL) | $75,328 |
Rent context: the Census Bureau's American Community Survey API now requires a registered key, so this table does not publish a median rent figure yet. When access is in place, each school page will add the ACS median gross rent for its city with the survey year, labeled as area context rather than a school price.
Common questions
What is the difference between sticker price and net price?
Sticker price is the published cost of attendance before aid. Net price is that cost minus grant and scholarship aid for a defined group of students. The federal average net price covers only full-time, first-time students who received Title IV aid, so it never describes every student.
Is an average grant the same as my grant?
No. An average mixes students with very different family incomes, merit profiles, and residency. Your written aid offer is the only confirmed grant figure. Averages tell you whether a school tends to discount heavily or lightly.
Why do two sources show different prices for the same school?
Sources differ by academic year, by which costs are included, and by which students are counted. This site names the source, field, and checked date for every figure instead of blending them into one unlabeled number.
Should loans be subtracted from the price?
No. Loans move payment into the future with interest. Grants and scholarships reduce the price. Keep the two in separate columns on any worksheet.
Why is city rent context missing?
The Census Bureau API now requires a registered key. Rather than publishing an unverified rent figure, this site shows BLS metro unemployment data and says plainly that the Census rent figure is not published yet.