by our College Data Analytics TeamA large number of students will never be charged the advertised price of a school. Instead, they will be provided a financial aid package that will include a combination of scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study. The total cost of going to Pacific Lutheran University can seem overwhelming, but bear in mind that many students are given some form of financial aid.
What financing options does PLU offer you, and what will you qualify for? Keep scrolling for more information. Keep scrolling to see how much school funding could be available to you.
Eligibility for aid and scholarships is driven mostly by your household’s income and need. Continue reading to find information to help you understand just how much assistance you can expect to receive from Pacific Lutheran University.
Financial aid, in the form of loans, grants, work-study, and scholarships, is one way colleges reduce the cost of attendance so most students can actually afford to attend. However, some types of aid are more desirable than others, and some students will receive more than others.
Among first-time, full-time freshmen at Pacific Lutheran University, 99% of the incoming full-time class was awarded financial aid roughly 614 incoming students).
| Type of Aid | % of Freshmen Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 98% | $40,573 |
| Institutional grants & scholarships | 98% | $33,166 |
| Federal Pell grants | 40% | $5,699 |
| State/local grants | 51% | $9,541 |
| Federal student loans | 44% | $5,252 |
The best aid is gift aid: grants and scholarships that carry no repayment obligation. At PLU, around 94% of undergrads got grants or scholarships worth on average $38,262 (across approximately 2245 recipients).
| Award | % of Undergrads Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 94% | $38,262 |
| Federal Pell grants | 35% | $5,551 |
| Federal student loans | 44% | $11,353 |
Among title-IV aid recipients living on campus, grant and scholarship aid averaged $42,870.
How much a family pays depends heavily on income, because most aid is awarded on the basis of financial need.
| Family Income | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| $0 – $48,000 | $13,452 |
| $30,001 – $75,000 | $15,984 |
| Over $75,000 | $27,904 |
Remember these are net prices — what families pay after gift aid, not before.
The net price strips out grant and scholarship aid from the sticker price to show roughly what families really pay.
| Cohort | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| On-campus title-IV students | $19,589 |
| Off-campus title-IV students | $21,370 |
To project your own net price, use PLU’s NPC: www.plu.edu/financial-aid/HEOA-Required-Consumer-Information/net-price-calculator.php.
The median student at PLU graduates with $17,074 in federal loans.
| Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
| Median federal debt (all student-aid borrowers) | $17,074 |
| Median federal debt (graduates only) | $22,578 |
| Typical 10-year monthly payment (graduates) | $239.36/mo |
Spreading the median graduate debt over a standard 10-year repayment schedule works out to roughly the monthly payment shown above.
A single median figure conceals how much debt outcomes differ student to student. The four reference points below map the debt distribution at PLU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,500 |
| 25th percentile | $10,000 |
| 75th percentile | $29,876 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $37,314 |
The figures below break down median federal debt by income tier, first-generation status, and dependency.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $16,500 |
| Middle income | $18,500 |
| High income | $16,750 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $17,625 |
| Continuing-generation students | $16,500 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $15,868 |
| Independent students | $25,000 |
The figure below distills the debt data into a single burden category for PLU.
The Stafford loan program is the largest source of federal direct loans to undergraduates. These figures summarize annual Stafford program activity at PLU:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Stafford loan recipients | 11349 |
| Total Stafford loan amount | $226,692,845 |
Veterans and active-duty service members may qualify for the Post-9/11 GI Bill or DoD Tuition Assistance.
GI Bill volume
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| GI Bill recipients | 134 |
| Total GI Bill amount | $3,247,726 |
| Average GI Bill amount per recipient | $24,237 |
DoD program volume
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 2 |
| Total DoD amount | $7,250 |
| Average DoD amount per recipient | $3,625 |
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.