How to use this college cost calculator
- Pick a Type of school. It fills Cost of one year today with the College Board 2025-26 average budget for that kind of school, or choose "My own number" and type the total from a school's cost of attendance page.
- Enter the Years until college starts and the Years of college you want to cover.
- Set the Yearly cost increase. Published tuition rose 2.9% (public in-state), 3.4% (public out-of-state) and 4.0% (private) in 2025-26; the default is 4%.
- Add what you have in Already saved for college and the Expected return on savings to get a monthly savings target.
How the costs are worked out
Each year's price is today's cost × (1 + increase)years until that year starts. The total adds every year, and a half year counts as half a price. The average budgets come from the College Board's Trends in College Pricing and Student Aid 2025, and they include tuition and fees, housing and food, books, transportation and other expenses.
For "Savings needed by day one" each year's price is discounted back to the first day of college at your expected return, because money you have not spent yet keeps growing. The monthly figure is the deposit that builds that amount, after your current savings have grown, with deposits at the end of each month, rounded up to the next dollar.
Worked example with the default numbers
A public four-year in-state school costs $30,990 a year today. In 10 years at 4% growth, the first year costs $45,873, then $47,708, $49,616 and $51,601, so four years total $194,797. To pay for all of it from savings earning 6% you need $177,947 on day one, which means saving about $1,086 a month for 120 months starting from $0. With $10,000 already saved, the monthly figure drops to about $975.
What the number leaves out
- It is the sticker price. Grants and scholarships lower what most families pay, and every college's website has a net price calculator that estimates your bill.
- At public universities, room and board ($13,900 on average in 2025-26) costs more than in-state tuition and fees ($11,950), so living at home changes the total a lot.
- Costs are in future dollars and savings are level monthly deposits. Real prices and returns move around from year to year, and graduate school costs differ from these undergraduate averages.
To see how a 529 account would grow toward this number, use the 529 plan calculator. To plan any other target, try the savings goal calculator. If savings will fall short, check borrowing with the student loan calculator, and for general price growth, the inflation calculator.
College cost questions people ask
How much will college cost in 18 years?
If the average in-state public budget of $30,990 grows 4% a year, the first year costs about $62,780 in 18 years and four years cost about $266,593. Type 18 into Years until college starts to see your own figure.
What tuition inflation rate should I use?
The College Board reports 2025-26 increases of 2.9% for public in-state, 3.4% for public out-of-state and 4.0% for private nonprofit tuition and fees. Long-run growth has been uneven, so 4% is a middle choice; try 3% and 5% to see the range.
Does this include financial aid?
No. It shows the full price before grants, scholarships and work-study. Use a school's net price calculator to see what students like yours actually pay, then enter that yearly amount as Cost of one year today.
How much should I save each month for college?
Enter your savings so far and an expected return, and Monthly savings needed shows the deposit that covers every year. You do not have to fund all of it; even covering half from savings and the rest from aid and income can work.
Sources: College Board, Trends in College Pricing and Student Aid 2025 (2025-26 tuition, fees and student budgets). Figures checked September 2026.