by our College Data Analytics TeamThis guide covers the real cost of attending Grinnell College, 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.
Use the section links below to navigate this overview:
The full cost of attending Grinnell College stands at about $79,228.00 for a single academic year.
Below, the published cost is shown three ways — the full sticker price with no aid, the net price after the average grant package, and the net price for low-income students who typically receive the most aid.
| Tuition and fees | $68,106.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $11,122.00 |
| Total cost | $79,228.00 |
| That is 142% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $79,228.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$65,792.00 |
| Net price | $13,436.00 |
| That is 59% below the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $79,228.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$73,470.00 |
| Net price | $5,758.00 |
| That is 82% below the national average net price. | |
| Want the line-by-line detail? Dig into tuition and fees and living costs. |
The reported cost series has been increasing at a recent average of 5.1% 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 totals assume a ten-year repayment at 6.8%.
| Projected 4-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 5.1% | 5.1% | 5.1% |
| Freshman year | $6,052.00 | $14,123.00 | $83,277.00 |
| Senior year | $7,028.00 | $16,400.00 | $96,708.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $26,129.00 | $60,970.00 | $359,523.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $9,954.00 | $23,227.00 | $136,965.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $301.00 | $702.00 | $4,137.00 |
| Total amount paid | $36,083.00 | $84,198.00 | $496,489.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 5.1% | 5.1% | 5.1% |
| Freshman year | $6,052.00 | $14,123.00 | $83,277.00 |
| Senior year | $6,362.00 | $14,844.00 | $87,533.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $12,414.00 | $28,967.00 | $170,809.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $4,729.00 | $11,035.00 | $65,072.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $143.00 | $333.00 | $1,966.00 |
| Total amount paid | $17,143.00 | $40,002.00 | $235,882.00 |
See the full net-price breakdown in the net-price section.
Net price is what students actually pay after grants and scholarships are subtracted from the published sticker price. This is the more honest cost figure for most families, since it accounts for institutional and federal aid.
| Average net price (on-campus) | $17,648.00 |
| Average net price (off-campus) | $15,608.00 |
The real cost varies by income because need-based aid scales with financial need. Here is the average net price for each family-income range:
| Family income | Average net price |
|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | $6,739.00 |
| $30,000 to $48,000 | $6,235.00 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $6,220.00 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $16,891.00 |
| Over $110,000 | $36,265.00 |
Get a tailored estimate from the Grinnell College Net Price Calculator, or check with the financial aid office.
Want to know how that aid is awarded? See the financial aid page.
The typical debt load for borrowers leaving Grinnell College stands at $14,151.00, categorized as a Low ($10-20k) debt-load classification.
Here’s how debt at graduation distributes across borrowers:
| Percentile | Debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| 10th | $3,500.00 |
| 25th | $7,753.00 |
| Median (50th) | $14,151.00 |
| 75th | $19,500.00 |
| 90th | $25,500.00 |
The 10th-to-90th-percentile spread is one signal of how variable debt outcomes are across the student body.
Explore borrowing, repayment, and default in detail on the student loan debt detail.
Family income tracks closely with debt at graduation. The breakdown below segments borrowers by family income at entry:
| Family income | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| Low income | $12,052.00 |
| Middle income | $13,600.00 |
| High income | $15,250.00 |
First-gen students typically face different financial-aid contexts than students whose parents attended college.
| Student group | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $13,600.00 |
| Continuing-generation students | $14,813.00 |
The Pell Grant is the main federal need-based award for undergraduates. Pell vs non-Pell comparisons surface how debt breaks down by need.
The Pell-versus-non-Pell median debt difference at Grinnell College amounts to $-2,314.00.
The federal default-rate tier for Grinnell College is Low (<5%).
| Window | Cohort default rate |
|---|---|
| 2-year | 1.7% |
For a sense of scale, Stafford disbursements at Grinnell College add up to $29,923,097.00 covering 2,808 disbursements.
Veteran and active-military students often access dedicated federal aid programs including the Post-9/11 GI Bill and Department of Defense Tuition Assistance.
| GI Bill recipients | 5 |
| Avg GI Bill amount | $39,504.00 |
Dig into veteran education benefits on the college veterans page.
Numbers only tell part of the story. As you weigh Grinnell College, a few questions are worth asking:
For a closer look at any of these topics, follow the links below:
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.