Net Price Calculator
Sticker price isn't what you pay. Pick a school type, add your family's finances, and see your real cost range after grants.
Most unmarried undergrads under 24 are dependent students and report parent info.
Estimate based on the 2026–27 federal formula (max Pell $7,395). Assumes full-time enrollment; part-time awards are prorated. Not an award decision.
How your net price is estimated
We run the federal formula on your finances to get your Student Aid Index (SAI), subtract it from the school's cost of attendance to find your demonstrated need, and compute your Pell Grant. The range reflects the one thing that varies by school: how much of that need gets covered by the school's own grants. The cost presets are the College Board's average 2025–26 student budgets. Swap in a real school's cost of attendance for a sharper estimate.
For schools you're serious about, also run their official net price calculator (every college is required to have one). It uses that school's actual aid policy.
Dig into the pieces: Total aid calculator · FAFSA estimator · Loan repayment
Common questions
What is net price?
Sticker price minus gift aid: grants and scholarships you don't repay. It's what your family actually pays (from savings, income, loans, and work). At private colleges the average student pays roughly half the sticker price, so never rule out a school on its published cost alone.
Why is my estimate a range?
Because institutional aid varies by school. The low end assumes the school covers 100% of your demonstrated need with grants (common at well-endowed colleges); the high end assumes you only receive federal aid. Most schools land in between.
What is demonstrated need?
Your school's cost of attendance minus your Student Aid Index (SAI) from the FAFSA. It's the gap that need-based aid is designed to fill. A $65,000 school with a $10,000 SAI leaves $55,000 of demonstrated need.
How is this different from a college's own net price calculator?
Every college is required to publish its own net price calculator, which uses that school's actual aid formulas. Always check it for schools you're serious about. This tool gives you the fast cross-school picture first, using the federal formula and average published costs.
How do I lower my net price?
Scholarships are the lever you control: they're gift aid, so every dollar cuts your net price directly. Award Scholar matches you with scholarships you actually qualify for and writes the essays.