College Cost Planner
Comprehensive college planning calculator with cost estimates, 529 savings projections, financial aid estimation, and student loan planning. Plan for one or multiple children.
Step 1 of 6
How to Use This Calculator
- Select a Planning Mode — 'Comprehensive Plan' combines all four tools at once.
- Choose your College Type (Public In-State, Private Non-Profit, etc.) and enter Years of College and Years Until College.
- For savings planning, enter your Current 529 Balance and Monthly Contribution; adjust Expected Return to match your fund allocation.
- Enter Household Income to get an estimated financial aid amount, and add your Expected GPA and SAT Score for merit scholarship estimates.
- For loan projections, enter the Loan Amount, Loan Type, and Repayment Plan to see Monthly Payment and Total Interest.
- Review the funding breakdown charts and Year-by-Year table to compare 529 savings, aid, and loan needs side by side.
What each input means
- Planning Mode
- Calculation mode to use.
- Number of Children
- Number of dependent children.
- College Cost Inflation
- Expected annual inflation rate.
- Current 529 Balance
- Amount currently saved.
- Monthly Contribution
- Amount contributed each month.
- Loan Amount
- Total amount borrowed.
How this is calculated
Formula
Future Cost = Annual Cost × (1 + Inflation)^Years | FV Savings = PV × (1+r)^n + PMT × ((1+r)^n − 1) / rEngine last updated .
Related Calculators
The questions that sit next to this one — chosen by subject, including calculators filed under a different category.
College Cost Calculator
Calculate the total cost of college including tuition, room and board, books, and personal expenses with inflation adjustment.
Education & AcademicsStudent Loan Estimator
Estimate total student loan debt and monthly payments based on tuition, grants, interest rate, and repayment term.
Education & AcademicsScholarship Calculator
Calculate how much of your college costs are covered by scholarships and financial aid. See the gap you need to fill.
Parenting & Family529 College Savings Calculator
Project your 529 college savings plan balance. See if you're on track to meet your college savings goal with monthly contributions and compound growth.
Higher EducationTuition Affordability Calculator
Calculate tuition as a percentage of household income with financial aid adjustments.
More in Education & Academics.