by our College Data Analytics TeamThe majority of students will not be asked to pay the complete price tag of a school. Rather, they are presented a financial aid deal that includes a mix of loans, grants, scholarships, and possibly work-study opportunities. The total price of attendance at Saint Louis University can feel overwhelming, but bear in mind that many students receive some sort of financial aid.
What financing options does SLU offer, and what will you qualify for? Keep scrolling for more information. Keep going to see just how much financial aid could be open to you.
Your financial aid package, which may contain grants and scholarships, will be determined on your financial need. The information provided on this page can help you determine how much aid you may receive from Saint Louis 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.
For incoming first-year students at Saint Louis University, 100% of new full-time first-years were awarded at least some aid around 1768 incoming students).
| Type of Aid | % of Freshmen Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 100% | $44,657 |
| Institutional grants & scholarships | 100% | $42,174 |
| Federal Pell grants | 25% | $5,558 |
| State/local grants | 23% | $2,603 |
| Federal student loans | 45% | $5,295 |
Grants and scholarships are the most valuable form of aid because, unlike loans, they never have to be repaid. At SLU, approximately 69% of undergraduates were awarded an average grant or scholarship of $35,812 (across approximately 7272 awardees).
| Award | % of Undergrads Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 69% | $35,812 |
| Federal Pell grants | 17% | $5,224 |
| Federal student loans | 30% | $6,434 |
For on-campus title-IV students, average grant aid came to $47,534.
Since aid is largely need-based, the real cost of attendance falls steeply for lower-income families.
| Family Income | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| $0 – $48,000 | $20,815 |
| $30,001 – $75,000 | $21,976 |
| Over $75,000 | $31,435 |
Each figure is the net price after grants and scholarships, not the published sticker price.
Net price is the average annual cost after grants and scholarships are subtracted from the published cost of attendance — the figure closest to what a typical aid-receiving student actually pays.
| Cohort | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| On-campus title-IV students | $24,398 |
| Off-campus title-IV students | $27,075 |
To get a personalized net price estimate, try SLU’s net price tool: www.slu.edu/financial-aid/tuition-and-costs/calculator.php.
The median student at SLU graduates with $19,500 in federal student debt.
| Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
| Median federal debt (all student-aid borrowers) | $19,500 |
| Median federal debt (graduates only) | $25,000 |
| Typical 10-year monthly payment (graduates) | $265.04/mo |
Under a standard ten-year plan, the median graduate’s monthly payment lands near the figure above.
Percentiles reveal the spread — half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles. The figures below chart the debt distribution at SLU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $5,500 |
| 25th percentile | $11,000 |
| 75th percentile | $27,209 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $38,500 |
Debt outcomes are not uniform — they shift with income, first-generation status, and dependency.
Debt by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $19,000 |
| Middle income | $19,500 |
| High income | $20,000 |
First-Generation Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $19,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $19,701 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $20,000 |
| Independent students | $16,000 |
These indicators are derived from the underlying debt data and summarize the overall picture at SLU.
Stafford loans make up the bulk of federal direct lending to undergraduates. Below is the annual Stafford program activity at SLU:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Stafford loan recipients | 37446 |
| Total Stafford loan amount | $1,395,161,302 |
GI Bill and DoD Tuition Assistance are the two federal aid programs targeted at military-affiliated students.
Post-9/11 GI Bill recipients
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| GI Bill recipients | 228 |
| Total GI Bill amount | $3,417,752 |
| Average GI Bill amount per recipient | $14,990 |
DoD Tuition Assistance activity
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 15 |
| Total DoD amount | $31,840 |
| Average DoD amount per recipient | $2,123 |
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.