by our College Data Analytics TeamMany students will never be charged the full, advertised sticker price of a school. Instead, they will be given a financial aid offer that will include a combination of scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study. The total price of attendance at University of Kansas can feel overpowering, but remember that the majority of students receive some sort of financial assistance.
What financial assistance options will KU offer, and what will you qualify for? Read on for more information. Keep scrolling to see just how much financial aid could be open to you.
How much aid you qualify for depends largely on your family’s financial circumstances. The information provided on this page can help you determine how much aid you may receive from University of Kansas.
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. Keep in mind that certain forms of assistance are more beneficial than others, and aid amounts differ from student to student.
At University of Kansas, 94% of entering full-time freshmen got some type of financial assistance around 4871 freshmen).
| Type of Aid | % of Freshmen Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 91% | $11,541 |
| Institutional grants & scholarships | 87% | $9,831 |
| Federal Pell grants | 22% | $5,405 |
| State/local grants | 21% | $3,189 |
| Federal student loans | 45% | $5,245 |
Gift aid — grants and scholarships — beats loans every time because none of it has to be repaid. At KU, some 76% of undergraduate students received gift aid averaging $11,245 (across roughly 15700 awardees).
| Award | % of Undergrads Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 76% | $11,245 |
| Federal Pell grants | 20% | $5,380 |
| Federal student loans | 37% | $6,314 |
Title-IV recipients living on campus saw average grant aid of $8,692.
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 | $11,641 |
| $30,001 – $75,000 | $14,712 |
| Over $75,000 | $21,111 |
Remember these are net prices — what families pay after gift aid, not before.
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 | $18,059 |
| Off-campus title-IV students | $17,365 |
To get a personalized net price estimate, try KU’s NPC: admissions.ku.edu/afford/.
The median student at KU graduates with $15,500 of federal borrowing.
| Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
| Median federal debt (all student-aid borrowers) | $15,500 |
| Median federal debt (graduates only) | $21,000 |
| Typical 10-year monthly payment (graduates) | $222.63/mo |
Under a standard ten-year plan, the median graduate’s monthly payment lands near the figure above.
A single median figure conceals how much debt outcomes differ student to student. The four reference points below map the debt distribution at KU.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $3,750 |
| 25th percentile | $5,500 |
| 75th percentile | $25,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $31,000 |
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 | $15,017 |
| Middle income | $15,500 |
| High income | $15,750 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $16,111 |
| Continuing-generation students | $15,000 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $15,500 |
| Independent students | $16,500 |
The Department of Education computes summary indicators that describe debt outcomes at a glance. KU.
The Stafford loan program is the largest source of federal direct loans to undergraduates. The annual Stafford volume below reflects program activity at KU:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Stafford loan recipients | 69387 |
| Total Stafford loan amount | $1,853,270,206 |
If you are a veteran or active-duty service member, the GI Bill and DoD Tuition Assistance are the primary federal programs you can use at this school.
Post-9/11 GI Bill recipients
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| GI Bill recipients | 536 |
| Total GI Bill amount | $5,525,468 |
| Average GI Bill amount per recipient | $10,309 |
DoD Tuition Assistance activity
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 122 |
| Total DoD amount | $323,944 |
| Average DoD amount per recipient | $2,655 |
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.