by our College Data Analytics TeamHere’s the full picture on paying for Ave Maria University, from the published cost of attendance and projected degree cost through to net price, median student debt at graduation, default outcomes, and how aid varies by family income.
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The full cost of attending Ave Maria University works out to about $43,220.00 a year.
Here the cost is broken out three ways: no aid, average aid, and the aid a low-income student typically receives.
| Tuition and fees | $30,198.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $13,022.00 |
| Total cost | $43,220.00 |
| That is 32% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $43,220.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$21,269.00 |
| Net price | $21,951.00 |
| That is 33% below the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $43,220.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$27,368.00 |
| Net price | $15,852.00 |
| That is 52% below the national average net price. | |
| Explore each piece on the tuition & fees page plus living costs. |
Costs have trended upward in recent years by roughly 7.1% per year; the projections below compound that across a degree. The detailed projections below compare a degree for a low-income aided student, an average-aid student, and a no-aid student. Loan math assumes ten-year repayment at 6.8% interest.
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 7.1% | 7.1% | 7.1% |
| Freshman year | $16,971.00 | $23,500.00 | $46,271.00 |
| Senior year | $20,824.00 | $28,837.00 | $56,777.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $75,416.00 | $104,432.00 | $205,619.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $28,731.00 | $39,785.00 | $78,333.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $868.00 | $1,202.00 | $2,366.00 |
| Total amount paid | $104,146.00 | $144,216.00 | $283,952.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 7.1% | 7.1% | 7.1% |
| Freshman year | $16,971.00 | $23,500.00 | $46,271.00 |
| Senior year | $18,169.00 | $25,159.00 | $49,537.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $35,140.00 | $48,660.00 | $95,808.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $13,387.00 | $18,538.00 | $36,499.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $404.00 | $560.00 | $1,103.00 |
| Total amount paid | $48,527.00 | $67,197.00 | $132,307.00 |
Jump to the net-price detail in the Net Price section.
The net price figure shows the cost after grants and scholarships are deducted. This is the more honest cost figure for most families, since it accounts for institutional and federal aid.
| Average net price (on-campus) | $24,860.00 |
| Average net price (off-campus) | $23,655.00 |
Net price is not the same for every family — it falls as financial need rises and grant aid increases. The figures below give average net price by income bracket:
| Family income | Average net price |
|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | $19,716.00 |
| $30,000 to $48,000 | $18,784.00 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $22,156.00 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $24,553.00 |
| Over $110,000 | $25,967.00 |
Use Ave Maria University Net Price Calculator, or check with the financial aid office.
Want to know how that aid is awarded? See the financial aid page.
The median graduating debt at Ave Maria University is $12,000.00, landing it in the Low ($10-20k) debt-burden category.
The full distribution of debt at graduation looks like this:
| Percentile | Debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| 10th | $2,750.00 |
| 25th | $5,500.00 |
| Median (50th) | $12,000.00 |
| 75th | $24,830.00 |
| 90th | $30,000.00 |
The gap between 10th and 90th percentile borrowers gives a sense of how uneven debt outcomes are.
Read the complete debt breakdown on the student-loan-debt breakdown.
Student debt at graduation is not evenly distributed across income levels. Below the data splits borrowers across three income groups:
| Family income | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| Low income | $10,875.00 |
| Middle income | $12,000.00 |
| High income | $12,676.00 |
Debt at graduation often differs for first-generation students.
| Student group | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $12,000.00 |
| Continuing-generation students | $12,250.00 |
Pell Grants are the largest source of federal need-based aid for undergrads. Contrasting Pell and non-Pell borrowers shows how need shapes debt.
The median debt gap between Pell and non-Pell graduates of Ave Maria University works out to $750.00. The Department of Education flags this school for a Pell-debt-inequity pattern.
The Department of Education default-rate tier for Ave Maria University is Low (<5%).
| Window | Cohort default rate |
|---|---|
| 2-year | 10.4% |
For a sense of scale, Stafford disbursements at Ave Maria University reach $46,363,735.00 covering 3,156 borrowers.
Veterans and active-duty service members may qualify for substantial federal education benefits like the Post-9/11 GI Bill and DoD tuition assistance.
| GI Bill recipients | 20 |
| Avg GI Bill amount | $22,338.00 |
Explore GI Bill and military aid in detail on the college veterans page.
Beyond the data above, it helps to ask a few questions when weighing Ave Maria University, think through the questions below:
Use the pages below to go deeper on a specific part of the cost story:
Data sources. Figures on this page draw from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), and MediaFactual editorial review. Net-price calculator and financial-aid office links are taken from the institution’s own published data.