How can my family afford that sticker price?

The short answer is easy: most families won't pay that price since 96% of our students receive scholarships and/or need-based financial aid. 

The first discount we apply is a merit-based scholarship ranging from $8,000 up to full tuition. All students are automatically considered for a merit-based scholarship when they submit their application no extra paperwork! In fact, UD was recently recognized as #1 in the country by Money Magazine for providing merit-based scholarships. See the scholarship calculator to find out where you will fall.  We also offer departmental scholarships of up to $5,000 in nine different academic subjects.

Then, we subtract grant aid of up to $25,000. Grants are based on students' financial need and are gift aid, so they do not need to be repaid.

Finally, we subtract federal loans up to $5,500 for a freshman-level dependent student.

Be sure to submit your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), if you have not already done so. As soon as we receive your FAFSA, we can determine your eligibility for need-based aid. The FAFSA becomes available on Oct. 1 each year, and the sooner you submit it, the sooner we can assess your financial aid eligibility. 

Other sources of aid that help further lower direct and indirect costs are work-study or outside scholarships. We maintain a page dedicated to scholarship search engines and private scholarships to help you further fund your studies. 

*Data for 2014-15 first-time freshmen. See at Integrated Post-Secondary Education Data System.

In the end, you are left with your actual cost, which is generally much lower than the sticker price. The actual cost
is the direct costs after your scholarship, grants and loans have been subtracted.  

Worried about loan debt?

You probably hear a lot about students being unable to pay back their loans. While loan debt is a serious responsibility, UD students generally take out a moderate amount of loans, and about 44% don't take out any loans at all.

*Data for 2013-14 year, the most recent year with national debt information available.

Furthermore, UD graduates are able to pay back their loans on schedule. Armed with the versatility of a liberal arts education, internship experience and the guidance of our Office of Personal Career Development, our graduates find success in a wide range of career fields. UD students default rate on loans is just a fraction of the national average.

*Read more at Bloomberg Businessweek.
*See at Federal Student Aid.

A top-ranked, private, Catholic, liberal arts education can be affordable for your family. We're not the only ones who think so.

UD has earned a reputation not only for providing an outstanding education, but for doing so at a reasonable cost. Weve gained recognition from dozens of national publications for being one of the best educational values in the country.

So now what?

Visit our Net Price Calculator to estimate your actual cost to attend UD. 

If you have not already submitted an application, take the next step and apply.

Schedule a visit to see what UD can offer you. We hope to see you on campus soon!

Any questions?

We're here to answer them! Contact us at crusader@udallas.edu or toll free at 800-628-6999. We look forward to hearing from you.