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Public Research University

University of
Alaska Fairbanks

Public Research University in Fairbanks, AK. Six-year graduation rate 41%. Median 10-year earnings $48,866.

Verdict Mixed outcomes
University of Alaska Fairbanks · Campus
Median earnings · 10 yr
$48,866
Median debt at grad
$20,291
Graduation rate
41.5%
Federal loan default
0.1%

The median ten-year earnings figure of $48,866 sits near the national middle rather than at either extreme. 42% finish within six years — respectable, though a meaningful share still leave without a credential. Graduates carry a median of $20,291 in debt — in line with the national norm.

Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.

Green Flags
  • 3-year loan default 0.1% — below national benchmark
Red Flags

Academics

Full-time retention
74%
Transfer-out rate
26%
Student:faculty
11:1

Completion is middling: 42% finish inside six years. Retention of 74% means a meaningful slice of each entering class does not return. That gap between coming back and finishing is where this school loses people — after the first year, not during it. Transfer-out runs to 26% — common enough at this school that the completion rate is measuring a smaller group than the entering class. The part-time picture is harder: 42% return, against 74% full-time.

Financial Aid

Average net price
$11,278
Full-time, first-time undergraduates paying the in-state rate who were awarded grant or scholarship aid
% receiving grants
67%
degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
% receiving federal loans
23%
degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates

IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 4,028 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates

Students pay an average of $11,278 annually, well below typical undergraduate net price. Net price swings hard on family income here, from $7,992 at the $0–30k band to $17,512 at $110k+. About 67% get grants averaging $9,138, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. Federal borrowing is uncommon here at 23% of students.

Entering first-year students

A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.

% receiving grants
87%
Average grant
$10,424

IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 597 students

Net price by family income

The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.

Family income band Average net price
$0–30k $7,992
$30–48k $6,065
$48–75k $11,323
$75–110k $15,526
$110k+ $17,512

IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24

Federal student loans went to 929 of these 4,028 students, totalling $6,242,233 — an average of $6,719 each.

IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24

Local housing costs

Typical rents near campus (Fairbanks North Star Borough) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.

Studio
$1,156/mo
1 bedroom
$1,277/mo
2 bedroom (whole unit)
$1,676/mo

HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026

Veterans & GI Bill

GI Bill students
607
Yellow Ribbon
No
Principles of Excellence
Yes

VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)

Compare University of Alaska Fairbanks with peer institutions

How we evaluate University of Alaska Fairbanks

IPEDS
US Department of Education
College Scorecard
Post-grad earnings
Census PSEO
Earnings by major
Opportunity Insights
Mobility by institution
Read our full methodology →