Tuition, costs & financial aid
What a year at Guilford costs, how aid works, and the questions families ask most. Nearly every student receives aid — let’s make the numbers plain.
Cost of attendance
The figures below are estimates for the 2026–27 academic year for a full-time undergraduate. Your actual cost — after grants and scholarships — is almost always lower, and your financial-aid offer will spell it out line by line.
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition | $41,800 |
| Housing | $7,150 |
| Meal plan | $5,600 |
| Fees | $1,050 |
| Estimated total | $55,600 |
How aid works
Aid comes from four buckets — Guilford scholarships and grants, federal and state aid, work-study, and outside scholarships. You apply once (with the FAFSA), and we build an offer that combines everything you qualify for.
Merit scholarships are awarded at admission — no separate application — and are renewable each year you make satisfactory progress.
How to apply for aid
File the FAFSA (school code 002931), submit any documents we request, and watch for your offer. Our counselors read every file and are happy to walk a family through it — by phone, in person, or over email.
Common questions
Is aid renewable each year?
Do transfer students get aid?
What is the Guilford Commitment?
Can I talk to a real person?
Come build your path at Guilford.
Apply, visit, or ask us anything — and your gift, of any size, powers financial aid and the 189-year work of teaching a handful of students at a time.