We know that college costs can be intimidating, but many students like you find that once financial aid is factored in, PLU is an affordable option – sometimes comparable to or even less expensive than state schools!

Simply, financial aid is money from university, as well as federal, state, and independent resources.  It includes scholarships, grants, loans, and work study, and can be used to help pay for tuition, room and meals, books, and other college-related costs.

Below, we break down financial aid at PLU for you. Click on an icon or scroll down for information on each section.

COSTS
SCHOLARSHIPS & GRANTS
LOANS
WORK STUDY
THE FAFSA & WASFA
APPLYING
HOW TO DO THE MATH
PLU'S VALUE

COSTS

PLU's Sticker Price

2024-2025
Tuition* & Fees: $52,259
Room & Meals (if living on campus): $13,008
Total (if living on campus): $65,267

Financial Aid Facts

$46,417 was the average financial aid offer in 2022-23
(from all sources, including scholarships, grants, work study, and student loans)
99% of PLU students receive financial aid

*For the incoming class of Fall 2024, PLU has a fixed tuition guarantee, which ensures that the cost of tuition is locked in from the first day of class until graduation day. You can find more information about the full cost of attendance here.

Net Price Calculator

This helpful tool can use your high school GPA, test scores, and financial information to give you an estimate of what your PLU financial aid award could be, and an estimate of what your actual out-of-pocket costs could be.

SCHOLARSHIPS & GRANTS

You probably already know that scholarships and grants don’t have to be repaid, but did you know that each year PLU awards more than $61 million in university-funded scholarships and grants?

Some of our scholarships include:

  • Academic Scholarships – $12,000 to $26,000 per year – When you apply to PLU, you’re automatically considered for an academic scholarship
  • Artistic Achievement Awards – $1,000 to $7,500 per year – In the areas of Art & Design, Media, Dance, Music, and Theatre
  • Visit Scholarship – $1,000 per year – Visit campus the year prior to your enrollment and you’ll automatically receive this scholarship

We also offer need-based scholarships and grants (as determined by the FAFSA or WASFA)

But that’s not all! We encourage you to look and apply for outside scholarships, too. Some of the scholarship search engines we recommend are BigFuture, Niche, CollegeScholarships.org, Scholarships.com, and theWashboard.org (for Washington state residents).

LOANS - THEY DON'T HAVE TO BE SCARY!

Loans are available to students (and parents) on a need and non-need basis. Many student loans are interest-free while you are in school. A low-interest repayment program begins six to nine months after you graduate.

Loans at PLU

Average PLU student loan debt: $29,274
Average national student loan debt: $28,565
Average national private school student loan debt: $33,500

PLU statistics from the 2019-20 graduating year
National statistics from lendedu.com “Average Student Loan Debt Statistics, Class of 2018” and research.collegeboard.org “Trends in Student Aid 2019”

WORK STUDY

Work study is money you can earn from on- or off-campus jobs and offers you the flexibility to schedule around your classes and activities.

The average work-study award at PLU is $2,500, and Student Employment offers more than 1,400 work-study jobs on campus.

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE FAFSA & WASFA

Completing the FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) is the best way we can build a comprehensive financial aid package for you. The FAFSA is the method the federal government uses to determine how much you and your family can afford to contribute to your education, and it’s how PLU determines what need-based scholarships and grants, as well as loans and work study we can offer you. PLU’s FAFSA code is 003785.

If you’re not eligible to submit the FAFSA and you’re a Washington resident (i.e. if an undocumented student), you can fill out the Washington Application for State Financial Aid (WASFA), which we can use instead to determine state and university need-based financial aid options.

UPDATE: The FAFSA has recently undergone an overhaul by the U.S. Department of Education (you’ll find information about what that means here) and recently announced that colleges and universities will not receive FAFSA information until “the first half of March”. As soon as we receive FAFSA information, we’ll work diligently to use that information to put together financial aid offers, with the goal of sending our first batch of offers in early April. We know that with this delayed process, students and their families may need some additional time to be able to make a college decision, which is why we have extended our decision date to June 1.

HOW TO APPLY FOR FINANCIAL AID

  1. Apply to PLU to be automatically considered for academic scholarships
  2. Research and apply for any other scholarships for which you may be eligible
  3. Complete the FAFSA or the WASFA

ONCE YOU HAVE YOUR OFFER - DOING THE MATH

Connect with your PLU Admission Counselor, who can walk you through each part your financial aid offer and answer any questions you and your family have.

You can also work through our Do the Math Worksheet, which helps you calculate your total out-of-pocket expenses for PLU and compare financial aid offers and expenses from other schools.

THE VALUE OF YOUR INVESTMENT

After considering all financial aid, there’s still the question of what makes PLU worth it? Your investment in college and in yourself is important, and as a Lute, you can expect:

Excellent academic programs and liberal arts education – research by the Association of American Colleges and Universities shows that employers value the skills and knowledge a liberal arts education provides as important for career success.

Professors who are mentors, teachers, and experts in their fields.

A global education, with hundreds of study abroad options. Over 50% of PLU students study away!

Valuable research, field, and internship experience – 64% of the Class of 2019 completed an internship, field work or research while students.

Preparation for your next steps after graduation and connections with fellow alumni around the world.

Washington's #1

small college to help graduates find jobs

-Zippia

Top 13%

in the Nation for return on investment

–Georgetown University study