by our College Data Analytics TeamHere is what you can expect to pay at Buena Vista University, spanning what it costs to attend, projected costs over a degree, net price, debt outcomes, and aid equity.
Want a specific number? Skip ahead to any section using the links below:
The cost of attendance at Buena Vista University amounts to about $52,490.00 per academic year.
The three scenarios below move from the full sticker price, to the net price after average aid, to the net price low-income students typically pay.
| Tuition and fees | $41,798.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $10,692.00 |
| Total cost | $52,490.00 |
| That is 60% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $52,490.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$35,376.00 |
| Net price | $17,114.00 |
| That is 48% below the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $52,490.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$41,321.00 |
| Net price | $11,169.00 |
| That is 66% below the national average net price. | |
| Go deeper on the components with the tuition & fees page and living costs. |
Costs have trended upward in recent years at about 3.7% per year; the projections below compound that across a degree. Below, the cost is projected across a degree for three students at once — low-income with aid, average aid, and no aid. Loan figures amortise the projected total over ten years at 6.8%.
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 3.7% | 3.7% | 3.7% |
| Freshman year | $11,579.00 | $17,742.00 | $54,415.00 |
| Senior year | $12,900.00 | $19,766.00 | $60,625.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $48,925.00 | $74,967.00 | $229,930.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $18,639.00 | $28,560.00 | $87,595.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $563.00 | $863.00 | $2,646.00 |
| Total amount paid | $67,564.00 | $103,527.00 | $317,526.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 3.7% | 3.7% | 3.7% |
| Freshman year | $11,579.00 | $17,742.00 | $54,415.00 |
| Senior year | $12,003.00 | $18,392.00 | $56,411.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $23,582.00 | $36,134.00 | $110,826.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $8,984.00 | $13,766.00 | $42,221.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $271.00 | $416.00 | $1,275.00 |
| Total amount paid | $32,566.00 | $49,900.00 | $153,047.00 |
Read more in the net price section below.
The net price is the real out-of-pocket cost — what families pay after grant and scholarship aid is applied. This is the more honest cost figure for most families, since it accounts for institutional and federal aid.
| Average net price (on-campus) | $18,846.00 |
| Average net price (off-campus) | $18,321.00 |
Net price is far from uniform: lower-income families typically pay much less after aid. The breakdown below splits average net price across income brackets:
| Family income | Average net price |
|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | $14,583.00 |
| $30,000 to $48,000 | $15,328.00 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $16,286.00 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $19,059.00 |
| Over $110,000 | $22,791.00 |
Use Buena Vista University Net Price Calculator, or contact the financial aid office.
Curious how grants and scholarships are distributed? Explore the financial aid page.
The typical debt load for borrowers leaving Buena Vista University works out to $17,500.00, placing the school in the Low ($10-20k) burden category.
The full distribution of debt at graduation looks like this:
| Percentile | Debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| 10th | $3,750.00 |
| 25th | $7,607.00 |
| Median (50th) | $17,500.00 |
| 75th | $26,522.00 |
| 90th | $32,725.00 |
The distance from the 10th to the 90th percentile shows how widely debt outcomes vary.
Read the complete debt breakdown on the student loan debt detail.
Family income tracks closely with debt at graduation. Below, debt is broken out by low, middle, and high family income:
| Family income | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| Low income | $15,250.00 |
| Middle income | $18,723.00 |
| High income | $18,750.00 |
First-generation students frequently graduate with different debt than continuing-generation students.
| Student group | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $16,700.00 |
| Continuing-generation students | $19,011.00 |
Pell Grants are the federal government’s primary need-based undergraduate aid program. Comparing Pell recipients vs non-recipients shows how debt is distributed by need.
The gap between Pell-eligible and non-Pell median debt at Buena Vista University comes to $2,311.00. Federal data flags this school for Pell-related debt inequity.
The federal default-rate classification for Buena Vista University is Low (<5%).
| Window | Cohort default rate |
|---|---|
| 2-year | 5.2% |
For a sense of scale, Stafford disbursements at Buena Vista University come to $266,755,961.00 over 14,368 recipients.
Veteran and active-military students often access dedicated federal aid programs like the Post-9/11 GI Bill and DoD tuition assistance.
| GI Bill recipients | 20 |
| Avg GI Bill amount | $12,064.00 |
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 4 |
| Avg DoD Tuition Assistance | $2,688.00 |
Explore GI Bill and military aid in detail on the veterans benefits detail.
Beyond the data above, it helps to ask a few questions when weighing Buena Vista University, keep these questions in mind:
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.