by our College Data Analytics TeamA large number of students will not be asked to pay the full sticker price of a school. Rather, they are offered a financial aid plan that includes a mix of loans, grants, scholarships, and possibly work-study opportunities. The price tag of going to University of Denver can appear overwhelming, but bear in mind that many students obtain some kind of financial aid.
What financial aid options can DU offer you, and what will you qualify for? Keep reading for more information. Keep going to see how much school funding could be available to you.
Your financial aid package, which may contain grants and scholarships, will be determined on your financial need. Read on to get a sense of the financial assistance available at University of Denver.
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. Bear in mind that not all aid is equal, and the amount any one student receives can vary widely.
For freshmen starting at University of Denver, 99% of first-time, full-time freshmen received some form of financial aid roughly 1422 new students).
| Type of Aid | % of Freshmen Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 99% | $33,955 |
| Institutional grants & scholarships | 98% | $32,374 |
| Federal Pell grants | 14% | $6,152 |
| State/local grants | 6% | $7,479 |
| Federal student loans | 30% | $5,108 |
The best aid is gift aid: grants and scholarships that carry no repayment obligation. Across the undergraduate body at DU, some 90% of the undergraduate population received grant aid that averaged $34,254 (across roughly 5790 awardees).
| Award | % of Undergrads Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 90% | $34,254 |
| Federal Pell grants | 14% | $5,836 |
| Federal student loans | 28% | $6,238 |
Title-IV recipients living on campus saw average grant aid of $42,345.
The figures below show the average net price — cost after all grant and scholarship aid — broken out by family income.
| Family Income | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| $0 – $48,000 | $21,193 |
| $30,001 – $75,000 | $25,444 |
| Over $75,000 | $43,504 |
Each figure is the net price after grants and scholarships, not the published sticker price.
Net price is the cost remaining after grant and scholarship aid is subtracted from the sticker price, and it is the most useful single number for estimating real cost.
| Cohort | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| On-campus title-IV students | $36,131 |
| Off-campus title-IV students | $36,037 |
For a customized cost estimate, visit DU’s official net price calculator: www.du.edu/financialaid/undergraduate/calculator/.
The median student at DU graduates with $18,000 in federal loans.
| Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
| Median federal debt (all student-aid borrowers) | $18,000 |
| Median federal debt (graduates only) | $21,844 |
| Typical 10-year monthly payment (graduates) | $231.58/mo |
The 10-year payment estimate assumes a standard federal repayment plan and the median graduate debt amount.
The numbers below show the full range, not just the middle of the distribution. Use the percentiles below to see the debt range at DU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,246 |
| 25th percentile | $7,765 |
| 75th percentile | $27,157 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $37,000 |
Debt outcomes are not uniform — they shift with income, first-generation status, and dependency.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $15,250 |
| Middle income | $19,500 |
| High income | $18,500 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $17,125 |
| Continuing-generation students | $18,500 |
Dependency-Status Comparison
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $18,000 |
| Independent students | $19,055 |
A handful of calculated indicators summarize the debt outlook at DU.
Stafford loans are the federal government’s primary direct undergraduate lending program. Below is the annual Stafford program activity at DU:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Stafford loan recipients | 37698 |
| Total Stafford loan amount | $1,360,387,813 |
The GI Bill and DoD Tuition Assistance are the main federal aid routes for veterans and service members.
GI Bill volume
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| GI Bill recipients | 528 |
| Total GI Bill amount | $10,305,656 |
| Average GI Bill amount per recipient | $19,518 |
Active-duty Tuition Assistance recipients
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 16 |
| Total DoD amount | $66,828 |
| Average DoD amount per recipient | $4,177 |
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.