College Scorecard
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $22,407. College Scorecard.
Higher than 50% of Alaska colleges we cover and 22% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 50% of Alaska colleges we cover and 37% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
UAF acceptance rate & admissions
Test scores: College Scorecard. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
UAF tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for Alaska residents who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (in-state, federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What UAF costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of University of Alaska Fairbanks took 4.4 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Alaska. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $7,992 | $35,484 | 4.3 years |
| $30–48k | $6,065 | $26,929 | 3.3 years |
| $48–75k | $11,323 | $50,274 | 6.1 years |
| $75–110k | $15,526 | $68,935 | 8.3 years |
| $110k+ | $17,512 | $77,753 | 9.4 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.4 years, the average time graduates took (21% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($48,866) minus $40,610 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in AK (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $8,256 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
UAF majors, earnings & careers
University of Alaska Fairbanks offers 51 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 10
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 10
- Science & Math · 9
- Engineering · 8
- Arts & Design · 4
- Business & Finance · 3
- Communications & Media · 2
- Education · 2
- Technology & Computing · 2
- Health & Medicine · 1
Highest-earning majors at UAF
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Mechanical Engineering | $91,522 | $18,250 |
| Civil Engineering | $86,819 | $13,750 |
| Business Administration | $70,539 | $35,000 |
| Criminal Justice | $60,306 | $24,125 |
| Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | $59,348 | $33,469 |
| Education (Elementary / Secondary) | $54,423 | $24,573 |
| Social Work | $53,559 | $28,750 |
| Psychology | $43,764 | $24,500 |
Quick list of all 51 majors
- Accounting—
- Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical / Space Engineering—
- American Indian / Native American Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics—
- Anthropology—
- Area Studies—
- Biological and Physical Sciences—
- Biology$41,862
- Business Administration$70,539
- Chemistry—
- Civil Engineering$86,819
- Communications—
- Community Organization and Advocacy—
- Computer and Information Sciences—
- Computer Engineering—
- Computer Science—
- Criminal Justice$60,306
- East Asian Languages (Chinese / Japanese / Korean)—
- Economics—
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$54,423
- Education (Subject Teaching)—
- Electrical Engineering—
- English—
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Film and Photography—
- Fishing and Fisheries Sciences and Management—
- Foreign Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics, Other—
- Geography—
- Geological / Geophysical Engineering—
- Geology / Earth Science—
- History—
- Homeland Security—
- Human Development and Family Studies—
- Journalism—
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science—
- Linguistics—
- Mathematics—
- Mechanical Engineering$91,522
- Mining and Mineral Engineering—
- Multi / Interdisciplinary Studies, Other$59,348
- Music—
- Petroleum Engineering—
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Political Science—
- Psychology$43,764
- Social Work$53,559
- Sociology—
- Studio Art—
- Theatre—
- Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Mechanical Engineering → Mechanical engineer
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 11.2% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Business Administration → Management analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Fairbanks
Overall prices in the Fairbanks-College, AK area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,553. Housing costs 7% below the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 13 inches of rain a year, 64 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: winter weather (very high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Fairbanks North Star Borough
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Fairbanks North Star Borough at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare UAF with similar schools
Similar public colleges in Alaska by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Alaska Fairbanks | — | $10,892 | 38% | $48,866 | This school |
| University of Alaska Southeast | 63% | $12,357 | 28% | $48,475 | |
| University of Alaska Anchorage | 67% | $15,301 | 30% | $51,871 | |
| Ilisagvik College | — | $6,743 | 46% | $39,541 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
University of Alaska Fairbanks would cost you $1,465 less per year than University of Alaska Southeast, on average.
- Higher sticker price at University of Alaska Fairbanks, mostly from more University of Alaska Southeast students living at home, which lowers its average (+$3,152).
- University of Alaska Fairbanks gives aided families $2,829 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Alaska resident | UAF | University of Alaska Southeast | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $8,736 | $7,056 | +$1,680 |
| Books & supplies | $2,000 | $1,400 | +$600 |
| Housing & meals | $10,450 | $12,820 | −$2,370 |
| Personal & travel | $4,250 | $5,948 | −$1,698 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$3,029 | −$6,181 | +$3,152 |
| Sticker price | $22,407 | $21,043 | +$1,364 |
| Average grants | −$11,515 | −$8,686 | −$2,829 |
| You pay | $10,892 | $12,357 | −$1,465 |
“+” means UAF costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about UAF
How much does University of Alaska Fairbanks cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $22,407 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $10,892 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $7,992 and families earning $110k+ pay $17,512.
How much do UAF graduates earn?
Former University of Alaska Fairbanks students earn a median $48,866 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the UAF graduation rate?
38% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 74% return for their second year.
How long does a UAF degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at University of Alaska Fairbanks costs about $50,274 after grants ($11,323 a year for 4.4 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $48,866 ten years after starting, $8,256 more than high school graduates in Alaska ($40,610), so the cost is repaid in 6.1 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “University of Alaska Fairbanks: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/university-of-alaska-fairbanks (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).