Fairbanks, AK · Public
How to pay for University of Alaska Fairbanks
University of Alaska Fairbanks costs about $24,733 a year in-state and $40,158 out-of-state for students entering in 2027 — a $15,425 difference that changes the whole plan. Families on aid pay less than either figure. The useful question is not what it costs. It is which money you spend first, and in what order.
What University of Alaska Fairbanks costs, and what families really pay
Among the students who get aid, the aid is about $12,583 a year, or about $50,332 over four years. The price after grants and the average aid here are for an in-state student. An out-of-state student usually gets less aid at a state university, so check your own figures before you plan against these.
Where the prices come from: University of Alaska Fairbanks's own 2026-27 tuition, fees, housing, food and books, from its website, carried forward to 2027 at 3.0% a year. The grants are the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard (2024-25 figures), carried forward the same way. Each price after grants is the cost less those grants. The out-of-state figure uses the published out-of-state tuition instead. The average price after grants counts the students who get federal aid. Your own figure will be different.
Merit scholarships
What University of Alaska Fairbanks says it awards for grades and test scores.
In state: $2,000 to $4,000 a year, from a 3.0 GPA
GPA 3.5 or higher $4,000 a year Nanook Pledge GPA 3.2 or higher $3,000 a year Nanook Pledge GPA 3.0 or higher $2,000 a year Nanook Pledge Apply for admission by June 15 for a fall start. Your student must enroll full time (12 credits), and the award may be smaller for a student who lives off campus.
In state: $15,000 in all, for students in the top 10% of their Alaska high school class; the high school picks them
“The UA Scholars Award is a $15,000 scholarship awarded to Alaska high school students who are in the top 10% of their class at the end of their junior year as determined by their school.”
Out of state: $1,000 to $12,000 a year by high school GPA, or $1,000 to $8,000 at the Western Undergraduate Exchange rate; the page dates its table fall 2025
“With awards ranging from $1,000 to $12,000 per year, the Nanook Pledge scholarship provides four years of predictable financial assistance.”
Out of state: $1,000 to $3,000 a year by high school GPA; not for students at the Western Undergraduate Exchange rate
Out of state: tuition at 150% of the resident rate, for students from the western states that take part; no GPA needed
“The WUE Tuition Rate is available to all undergraduate students who are residents of the WUE region and are pursuing a degree at UAF.”
Enter your student's GPA in our college comparison to see this scholarship beside your family's price.
Considering University of Alaska Fairbanks against other schools?
This page prices one school, at what it publishes. Put the schools you are considering on one list and we price each of them for your family, and mark each against the most you could pay. It is free. It asks what you earn and what you have saved, never your name.
Put your schools side by side →What a year costs at each income, after grants
The published in-state price is $24,733 a year ($40,158 out of state). Families on aid pay less, though not dramatically less. That is worth knowing before you plan against either price. Every college has to report the average grant its students got, by household income. Here is University of Alaska Fairbanks's full price less that grant, carried forward to 2027 and then run through four years by the same calculations we use for plans.
| Household income | Price after grants | Four years, with a plan |
|---|---|---|
| Under $30,000 | $8,981 a year | $36,665 |
| $30,000 to $48,000 | $6,875 a year | $25,121 |
| $48,000 to $75,000 | $12,621 a year | $45,125 |
| $75,000 to $110,000 | $17,214 a year | $63,497 |
| Over $110,000 | $19,384 a year | $72,177 |
The price after grants is what students who got aid paid each year, carried forward to 2027. “None” means the reported figure is at or below zero — grant aid covering the full cost. The four-year column runs that price through the same calculations at three levels of savings and shows the middle one. It takes off federal tax credits, so a four-year total can come in below four times the yearly price beside it. Each income range is reported on its own, so the prices do not always rise with income. A range with fewer students on aid, or a different mix of them, can come in below the range under it.
Read the two ends together. A household under $30,000 finishes four years at $36,665; the top row pays $72,177. Aid lowers the bill for the household under $30,000, but that family still faces a substantial four-year bill here. That is the number to plan against, not the published price.
Two limits on these figures, both real. They describe students who received financial aid — a family that gets none pays close to the published price, and these rows say nothing about who qualifies. And the top row is the least reliable. “Over $110,000” has no upper limit, so it averages families just over $110,000 with far wealthier ones. A family at $115,000 should expect to pay less than that row shows. Treat it as the ceiling, not as a quote.
Price after grants, by income: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, projected to 2027 at the same rate. The costs they run against are University of Alaska Fairbanks's own. Four-year outcomes computed by SmartTuition.ai's planning engine for the families described — an evenly spaced grid of savings levels, not the distribution of actual families, and not a quote for yours.
Build your University of Alaska Fairbanks payment plan
Semester by semester, in the order that costs least — with your own aid numbers, not the published price. Works best once your award letter arrives.
Start with University of Alaska Fairbanks →Not ready for a plan yet?
The tax year that sets your aid and the day the FAFSA opens both come before the award letter. Pick the year your student starts to see those dates.
SmartTuition.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by University of Alaska Fairbanks. Aid policies change; verify current terms with the school's financial aid office before making decisions.