by our College Data Analytics TeamHere is what you can expect to pay at University of Chicago, covering the cost range, projected degree costs, net price, debt at graduation, default rates, and aid distribution patterns.
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The full cost of attending University of Chicago is about $86,856.00 annually.
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 | $70,662.00 |
| + Room, board & other expenses | $16,194.00 |
| Total cost | $86,856.00 |
| That is 165% above the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $86,856.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$75,500.00 |
| Net price | $11,356.00 |
| That is 65% below the national average net price. |
| Total cost | $86,856.00 |
| − Grants and scholarships | −$91,624.00 |
| Net price | $-4,768.00 |
| That is 115% below the national average net price. | |
| Explore each piece on the tuition & fees page and living costs. |
Cost of attendance here has been rising by around 4.3% 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 | 4.3% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Freshman year | $-4,974.00 | $11,847.00 | $90,612.00 |
| Senior year | $-5,648.00 | $13,452.00 | $102,885.00 |
| Total 4-year net price | $-21,225.00 | $50,552.00 | $386,648.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $-8,086.00 | $19,259.00 | $147,299.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $-244.00 | $582.00 | $4,450.00 |
| Total amount paid | $-29,311.00 | $69,811.00 | $533,947.00 |
| Projected 2-year net costs | Low Income w/ Aid | w/ Average Aid | No Aid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Annual growth rate | 4.3% | 4.3% | 4.3% |
| Freshman year | $-4,974.00 | $11,847.00 | $90,612.00 |
| Senior year | $-5,189.00 | $12,360.00 | $94,531.00 |
| Total 2-year net price | $-10,164.00 | $24,207.00 | $185,144.00 |
| 10-year loan interest @ 6.8% | $-3,872.00 | $9,222.00 | $70,533.00 |
| Total monthly payment | $-117.00 | $279.00 | $2,131.00 |
| Total amount paid | $-14,035.00 | $33,428.00 | $255,677.00 |
For the complete net-price picture, see the net price section below.
Net price strips out grant and scholarship aid to show what families really pay. For most prospective students, net price gives a more realistic estimate than sticker tuition.
| Average net price (on-campus) | $14,860.00 |
| Average net price (off-campus) | $18,967.00 |
Net price is far from uniform: lower-income families typically pay much less after aid. The figures below give average net price by income bracket:
| Family income | Average net price |
|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | $-1,428.00 |
| $30,000 to $48,000 | $-294.00 |
| $48,001 to $75,000 | $770.00 |
| $75,001 to $110,000 | $12,816.00 |
| Over $110,000 | $54,800.00 |
Run your own numbers with the University of Chicago Net Price Calculator, or reach out to the financial aid office.
Dig into how aid is awarded on the financial aid breakdown.
The median graduating debt at University of Chicago comes to $13,368.00, landing it in the Low ($10-20k) burden category.
The percentile spread of debt at graduation is shown below:
| Percentile | Debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| 10th | $4,200.00 |
| 25th | $6,300.00 |
| Median (50th) | $13,368.00 |
| 75th | $23,880.00 |
| 90th | $27,000.00 |
The 10th-to-90th-percentile spread is one signal of how variable debt outcomes are across the student body.
For the full borrowing and repayment picture, see the student-loan-debt breakdown.
Median debt at graduation differs meaningfully across income brackets. Below, debt is broken out by low, middle, and high family income:
| Family income | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| Low income | $8,250.00 |
| Middle income | $12,000.00 |
| High income | $14,500.00 |
First-generation students frequently graduate with different debt than continuing-generation students.
| Student group | Median debt at graduation |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $13,783.00 |
| Continuing-generation students | $13,095.00 |
First-generation graduates of University of Chicago graduate with $688.00 more debt than continuing-generation students.
Pell Grant eligibility is a useful proxy for low-income status among undergraduates. Comparing Pell recipients vs non-recipients shows how debt is distributed by need.
The median debt difference between Pell-eligible and non-Pell graduates of University of Chicago is $-3,751.00.
The federal default-rate tier for University of Chicago is Low (<5%).
| Window | Cohort default rate |
|---|---|
| 2-year | 1.2% |
For a sense of scale, Stafford disbursements at University of Chicago add up to $675,694,377.00 over 20,813 borrowers.
Veterans and active-duty servicemembers can tap dedicated federal aid programs like the Post-9/11 GI Bill and DoD tuition assistance.
| GI Bill recipients | 245 |
| Avg GI Bill amount | $40,002.00 |
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 3 |
| Avg DoD Tuition Assistance | $2,389.00 |
Read more about military and veteran aid on the veteran aid breakdown.
Numbers only tell part of the story. As you weigh University of Chicago, a few questions are worth asking:
Dig further into the cost picture with the related pages 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.