Cost & aid
What it costs
In 2023–24, the average first-year paid an estimated $55,985 in total (tuition, housing, food, books and other costs, after grants), $31.7K more than the national median. The 55% who received grants paid $29,981 on average; the other 45% paid the full sticker price of $87,470.
- Full price
- $87,470 a year
- tuition, housing, food, books, and other costs
- Need-based aid
- Published data end at $110K
- use the college's net price calculator for higher incomes
- Merit aid
- None
- all grants are need-based
Cost by family income
Per year for a typical family of four with one child in college. Up to $110K it is the average price federal aid recipients paid (2023–24).
Hover, tap, or use the arrow keys to read the price at an income.
- Published federal figures
View as a table
| Family income | Price per year |
|---|---|
| $0–30K | $16K a year |
| $30–48K | $15K a year |
| $48–75K | $14K a year |
| $75–110K | $26K a year |
| $150K | Published data end at $110K |
| $200K | Published data end at $110K |
| $250K | Published data end at $110K |
| $300K | Published data end at $110K |
| $350K | Published data end at $110K |
| $400K and above | Published data end at $110K |
At $150K: Published data end at $110K
Published data end at $110K; use the college's net price calculator for a number.
Your own number depends on the details below, so use the college's calculator for it.
What can change this
- Savings and investments above a typical amount raise the price. The curve assumes typical assets.
- Home equity: some colleges that use the CSS Profile count it. Check this college's own aid page or calculator.
- A sibling in college may lower the parent share at Vassar College: The needs analysis makes allowances for educational costs for other siblings.
- Divorced or separated parents: colleges with their own formula usually ask for both parents' finances.
$55,985
Tuition, housing, food, books & other expenses, after grants · 2023–24
55% got grants averaging $57,443; 45% got none.
Who pays what
Share of first-year students, 2023–24.
Housing and food use the college's on-campus rates, so the estimate runs high where many students live at home. “Other expenses” is the college's estimate of personal and transportation costs. Loans aren't subtracted because they're repaid.
$96,960 before aid
Tuition, fees, and on-campus food and housing · up 14% from 2023–24.
Show the full next-year estimate
- Tuition, fees, food & housing$96,960
- Books and supplies$900
- Transportationnot reported
- Other expensesnot reported
- Total for a student living on campuspartial: not every part is a number
$18.6K
≈ $197/month for 10 years
3.1 yrs
of median salary to cover 4 years of net price
39% of undergrads borrow federally.
Everyone who borrowed and left, whether or not they graduated.
Three years into repayment
Where former undergraduates stand on their federal loans.
- Paid in full35–36%
- Paying it down29–30%
- Payments paused22–24%
- Not paying it down11–12%
- Behind or in default0–4%
- Forgiven or discharged0–2%
Some shares are published as a small range to protect privacy.
Who actually gets aid
Aid generosity
ModerateGrants cover 36% of the $87,470 full price on average across all first-years (moderate), more than at 40% of colleges.
$31,485 in grants per first-year ÷ $87,470 full price.
Who gets grants and scholarships
Full-time first-year students (686), 2023–24
About 1 in 2 first-year students got no grant aid and paid the full sticker price of $87,470.
Where the aid comes from
Share of first-year students receiving each; averages are per recipient.
Aid by family income
The whole first-year class (686)
- Federal aid + grants273avg grant $60.2K
- Grants, no federal aid103avg grant $50.1K
- No grants310pay full price
Students with grants but no federal aid usually got the college's own need-based aid (without federal loans or Pell) or merit aid.
By family income: only students who received federal aid (342 of 686), because income is only reported for them.
From Vassar College's Common Data Set
First-years and all full-time undergraduates, 2025–26 (estimated).
| First-years | All full-time | |
|---|---|---|
| Have financial need | 53%370 students | – |
| Need met, on average | 100% | 100% |
| Need fully met | 100% | 100% |
| Average aid package | $71,991 | $72,209 |
| Average need-based grant | $67,214 | $65,876 |
| Average need-based loan | $3,195 | $4,109 |
| Merit aid without need | 0%average $0 | – |
0% of the college's own grant dollars were awarded without regard to need.
Each college decides what a family needs, so “100% of need met” can mean different prices at different colleges. Merit awards that went toward a student's need count as need-based here.
Applying for aid
For fall 2026 entrants.
If your parents are divorced or separated, the other parent also files the .
Families who own a business or farm also file a .
Priority date: February 1 · Deadline: March 30 · Aid offers: about March 25 · Reply by: May 1
Dates for fall 2026 entrants; the next cycle's are usually similar.
What the college's own scholarships consider
| Academics | not marked | ✓ |
|---|---|---|
| Alumni connection | not marked | ✓ |
| Art | not marked | ✓ |
| Athletics | not marked | ✓ |
| Job skills | not marked | ✓ |
| Leadership | not marked | ✓ |
| Music or drama | not marked | ✓ |
| Religious affiliation | not marked | ✓ |
| State or district residency | not marked | ✓ |
A blank means the college didn't mark it, not that it never counts.
International students
Need-based aid offered.
International applicants file: the CSS Profile ().
Sources:IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;College Scorecard, 2023–24;College Scorecard, most recent release;Vassar College Common Data Set 2025–26, 2026–27;Vassar College Common Data Set 2025–26, 2025–26 (estimated);Vassar College Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2026 entrants;Vassar College Common Data Set 2025–26, 2025–26;IPEDS directory (Institutional Characteristics: HD), 2025–26;Vassar College (2026–27), 2026–27;Common Data Set, most recent releaseAbout the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)