TCU Tuition & Cost · 2026–27
Tuition & fees at Texas Christian University (TCU) include undergraduate tuition ($66,520) and a required Student Government Association fee ($90). Cost of attendance is TCU's estimated total annual amount for an on-campus resident undergraduate, adding housing and food, books and supplies, and estimated travel and personal expenses. These are TCU's current published 2026–27 figures.
But that's not necessarily what your family will pay.
Financial aid changes the price dramatically.
Texas Christian University publishes a ladder of academic merit scholarships awarded at the time of admission. Every applicant is automatically considered — no separate scholarship application is required. Awards are based on academic performance, not family income.
TCU's most competitive merit award. Recipients are selected through an interview weekend, typically held in February. Applicants are encouraged to apply by November 1.
Per year, renewable for up to eight semesters of undergraduate coursework.
Per year, renewable for up to eight semesters of undergraduate coursework.
Between the Dean's and Purple and White tiers, TCU also awards the Faculty Scholarship ($30,000), the TCU Scholarship ($27,000), and the Founders' Scholarship ($17,000), each renewable across four years. Approximately 85% of TCU undergraduates receive some form of financial aid, and 70% graduate debt-free. TCU is need-blind for domestic admissions and need-aware for international admissions. Scholarship renewal requires satisfactory academic progress.
Source: TCU Scholarships & Financial Aid — First-Year Academic Scholarships.
But those awards still don't tell you what TCU will cost your family.
So what will TCU cost your family?
Published prices don't answer that. Your number depends on the aid you receive, what your family can contribute, and how much is left to cover.
And if you need to borrow some of it?
The real cost of college isn't just the four years. It's what that borrowing could mean every month for the next 20 years.
See My TCU Estimate→Two minutes. Free. No account needed.
About these numbers
Published tuition and cost of attendance shown at the top of this page are Texas Christian University's 2026–27 published figures, as posted on TCU Scholarships & Financial Aid's Direct Undergraduate Costs page. Tuition is $66,520 and the required Student Government Association fee is $90, for a combined $66,610 in direct tuition and fees. The estimated total cost of attendance for an on-campus resident undergraduate is $89,810, combining direct costs ($66,610 in tuition and fees, $18,780 in housing and food, and $700 in books and supplies, for a total direct cost of $86,090) with indirect costs ($1,374 in travel, $2,278 in miscellaneous personal expenses, and $68 in average loan fees, totaling $3,720). TCU also publishes an off-campus cost of attendance of approximately $89,130 and a with-parent cost of attendance of approximately $74,130; TCU's with-parent indirect-costs section on its source page currently displays a Fall 2025 header, which we treat as a template artifact rather than a data discrepancy. International students pay an estimated $91,946, which adds a $2,204 health insurance charge (marked subject to change) but excludes average loan fees. Some programs incur additional direct costs: the Neeley School of Business charges a differential tuition of $270 per credit hour beyond the base rate, and the Burnett School of Medicine has its own separate tuition. TCU's tuition rate is set by the University's Board and reviewed annually.
The merit scholarship information shown in the section above is TCU's own current published 2026–27 first-year academic scholarship ladder, as posted on TCU Scholarships & Financial Aid's First-Year Academic Scholarships page. The full ladder comprises six awards: the Chancellor's Scholarship (full tuition and fees), the Dean's Scholarship ($32,000), the Faculty Scholarship ($30,000), the TCU Scholarship ($27,000), the Founders' Scholarship ($17,000), and the Purple and White Scholarship ($12,000). Each award renews for up to eight semesters of undergraduate coursework, contingent on completing at least 24 credit hours per academic year and maintaining a 3.0 cumulative GPA in year one and a 3.25 cumulative GPA in subsequent years. The Chancellor's Scholarship is defined as "full tuition and fees" and therefore inflates alongside TCU's annual tuition adjustments; the five fixed-dollar awards are not automatically adjusted to match tuition increases, so their share of tuition may decrease across four years as tuition rises. TCU raised tuition and fees by 4.75% for the 2026–27 academic year. TCU is need-blind for domestic admissions; international admissions are need-aware, and TCU's published guidance notes that international applicants who can contribute at least $40,000 per year toward educational expenses are the most competitive for admission. Every applicant is automatically considered for merit scholarships through the standard undergraduate admission application — no separate scholarship application is required — and Chancellor's Scholarship candidates are invited to a competitive interview weekend, typically held in February, with applications recommended by November 1. Approximately 85% of TCU undergraduates receive some form of financial aid, and 70% graduate debt-free.
The CollegeClearly estimator translates your family's specific cost into a standardized 20-year monthly financial commitment using CollegeClearly's own repayment model, applied identically to every school we cover so families can compare on the same basis. It is a comparison framework, not a specific loan product.
Figures are for informational purposes only and are not financial advice. Verify final costs with TCU Scholarships & Financial Aid and your family's specific aid letter.