Compare the total financial cost of two college acceptance offers — sticker price, aid, resulting debt, and the monthly loan payment after graduation.
Two schools' published tuition tells you almost nothing about what you'll actually pay. Grants and scholarships lower the real price, and how much you borrow — and repay with interest — often matters more than the tuition line. This calculator compares the full picture: what you pay out of pocket, what you borrow, and what the loans cost you after graduation.
The total cost of the degree is the bottom line: net price (sticker minus gift aid) plus the interest you'll pay over your repayment term. The monthly loan payment is what actually hits your post-graduation budget — a difference that looks small per month adds up over a standard 10-year term. Watch the line showing how much of the cost isn't covered by loans; that's the amount assumed to come from savings, family, or income, and the real question is whether that's feasible.
Program quality, expected earnings by major, career outcomes, location, and fit — all real, none financial. A modest cost difference can be irrelevant next to a large earnings gap. Tuition inflation also isn't modeled; costs are treated as flat across the years, so a school that raises tuition faster will cost more than the estimate suggests.
Grants are aid you keep; loans are aid you repay. Putting a loan in the grants field would hide debt and understate the true cost.
This shows the standard fixed 10-year plan, the common baseline. Income-driven plans usually lower the monthly payment but raise total interest over a longer term.