by our College Data Analytics TeamMost students are not billed 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 Whitman College can feel overwhelming, but bear in mind that many students receive some sort of financial aid.
Just what financing solutions does Whitman provide, and just what are you going to be eligible for? Keep scrolling for answers. Keep going to discover what amount of financial assistance could be accessible 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 Whitman College.
Through a mix of loans, grants, work-study and scholarships, schools bring down the effective cost so more students can attend. However, some types of aid are more desirable than others, and some students will receive more than others.
Looking at the entering class at Whitman College, 97% of the incoming full-time class was awarded financial aid some 430 freshmen).
| Type of Aid | % of Freshmen Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 94% | $40,489 |
| Institutional grants & scholarships | 93% | $38,098 |
| Federal Pell grants | 23% | $6,082 |
| State/local grants | 10% | $8,206 |
| Federal student loans | 67% | $4,635 |
Gift aid — grants and scholarships — beats loans every time because none of it has to be repaid. At Whitman, about 91% of undergraduate students received gift aid averaging $37,864 (across approximately 1408 students).
| Award | % of Undergrads Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 91% | $37,864 |
| Federal Pell grants | 16% | $5,780 |
| Federal student loans | 54% | $5,726 |
On-campus students receiving title-IV aid were awarded grants averaging $44,779.
Need-based aid means lower-income families typically pay far less than the sticker price suggests.
| Family Income | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| $0 – $48,000 | $19,472 |
| $30,001 – $75,000 | $24,728 |
| Over $75,000 | $44,115 |
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 | $33,313 |
| Off-campus title-IV students | $35,506 |
For a personalized estimate based on your family’s financial situation, use Whitman’s official net price calculator: www.whitman.edu/admission-and-aid/financial-aid-and-costs/net-price-calculator.
The median federal debt load at Whitman comes to $12,000 in federal student debt.
| Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
| Median federal debt (all student-aid borrowers) | $12,000 |
| Median federal debt (graduates only) | $18,437 |
| Typical 10-year monthly payment (graduates) | $195.46/mo |
That monthly figure reflects the median graduate debt repaid on a standard 10-year federal schedule.
Percentiles reveal the spread — half of all borrowers fall between the 25th and 75th percentiles. The figures below chart the debt distribution at Whitman.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,500 |
| 25th percentile | $9,971 |
| 75th percentile | $23,438 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $27,500 |
Outcomes differ by income bracket, by first-generation status, and by whether a student is financially dependent.
By Family Income
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $9,500 |
| Middle income | $13,542 |
| High income | $12,000 |
First-Gen vs Continuing-Gen Median Debt
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $13,124 |
| Continuing-generation students | $11,941 |
Federal data publishes pre-calculated indicators that summarize debt outcomes. Whitman.
Stafford loans make up the bulk of federal direct lending to undergraduates. Below is the annual Stafford program activity at Whitman:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Stafford loan recipients | 2505 |
| Total Stafford loan amount | $27,617,649 |
Military-affiliated students can tap the Post-9/11 GI Bill and DoD Tuition Assistance.
GI Bill volume
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| GI Bill recipients | 8 |
| Total GI Bill amount | $314,475 |
| Average GI Bill amount per recipient | $39,309 |
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.