Tuition Affordability Calculator
Calculate tuition as a percentage of household income with financial aid adjustments.
Inputs
Results
% of Income
40%
How to Use This Calculator
- Enter Annual Tuition, Room & Board, and Fees & Books from the school's official cost-of-attendance disclosure.
- Enter your Household Income (gross annual) to anchor the affordability calculation.
- Add Grant / Need-Based Aid and Scholarships you have been offered or expect to receive.
- Set Years of Study to match your degree length (typically 4 for a bachelor's, 2 for a master's).
- Review % of Income and the Affordability Rating — under 20% of income is generally considered affordable.
- Check Net Annual Cost and Monthly Cost to plan your monthly budget during school.
How the result changes with Annual Tuition
| Annual Tuition | % of Income |
|---|---|
| $10,000.00 | 10.6% |
| $35,000.00 | 40% |
| $65,000.00 | 75.3% |
| $90,000.00 | 104.7% |
What each input means
- Annual Tuition
- Yearly tuition cost before aid.
- Room & Board
- Annual housing and meal plan cost.
- Fees & Books
- Annual fees, books, and supplies.
- Household Income
- Annual household gross income.
- Grant / Need-Based Aid
- Annual grants and need-based aid (free money).
- Scholarships
- Annual merit or athletic scholarships.
- Years of Study
- Expected years to complete the degree.
How this is calculated
Worked example, using the default values
- Identify Input Parameters4 parametersAnnual Tuition = 35000, Room & Board = 12000, Fees & Books = 2000, Household Income = 85000 = 7 input(s) provided
- Calculate % of Income% of Income40 = 40%
- Calculate Affordability RatingSignificant Burden = Significant Burden
- Calculate Net Annual CostNet Annual Cost34000 = $34,000
Engine last updated .
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