Estimate future college bills and the monthly saving needed to fund your chosen share, with an annual cost breakdown and a comparison to your current plan.
Printed from Calxy · https://www.calxy.net/financial/college-cost-calculator
Check your inputs—Complete valid inputs to calculate a current result.
$
0 – 10000000
years
0 – 40
years
1 – 10
%
0 – 25
%
0 – 100
$
0 – 10000000000
$
0 – 10000000
%
0 – 25
%
0 – 100
Monthly saving needed from now
$839.80
Total future college bills$157,145.10
Savings needed when college starts$145,923.19
Projected savings with your monthly plan$47,161.58
Funding gap at college start$98,761.61
Surplus above the savings target$0.00
Projected annual bills and the portion funded by savings
College year
Total cost
From savings
Needed at enrollment
1
$37,006.11
$37,006.11
$37,006.11
2
$38,486.35
$38,486.35
$36,653.67
3
$40,025.81
$40,025.81
$36,304.59
4
$41,626.84
$41,626.84
$35,958.83
Returns are hypothetical. Contributions stop at enrollment; remaining savings keep earning the same return while annual bills are paid at the start of each college year. The tax input applies a simplified annual earnings haircut. This does not estimate financial aid or determine 529 eligibility. Include tuition, housing, fees, books and other costs in the annual input.
Savings target at enrollment = sum of each savings-funded bill discounted by (1 + 0.05)^year offset = $145,923.19.
Existing savings grow to $16,288.95. Each monthly contribution grows by a combined factor of 154.3631613 over 120 end-of-month deposits. Required deposit = max(0, target − grown savings) ÷ factor = $839.80.
Build an annual college budget
Enter an annual cost in today’s dollars that includes tuition, fees, housing, food, books, transport and other spending you want to cover. The initial amount is an example, not an estimate for a particular school.
The projected bill for college year j is C × (1 + g)^(w + j − 1), where C is today’s annual cost, g is the annual cost increase, and w is the wait until enrollment. Use a school’s own cost and aid estimates to choose your inputs.
Why the enrollment target differs from total bills
Bills are modeled at the start of each academic year. Savings left after the first bill can earn a return before later bills are due, so each later bill is discounted back to enrollment.
At zero cost growth and zero investment return, 25,000 per year for four years requires 100,000. Starting with 10,000 and saving for ten years requires another 90,000 / 120 = 750 per month. At a planned 200 per month, projected savings are 34,000 and the enrollment gap is 66,000.
Savings assumptions and limitations
The model converts the assumed annual effective return to an equivalent monthly rate and deposits contributions at the end of each month until enrollment. It assumes no further contributions during attendance and the same return throughout.
The tax input reduces the assumed annual return by the entered earnings-tax percentage; this is a simplified model, not a tax calculation. Costs and returns are uncertain. The tool does not determine financial aid, account eligibility or tax benefits. If enrollment is immediate, it reports a lump-sum shortfall instead of an impossible monthly target.
How to use the College Cost Calculator
Estimate future college bills and the monthly saving needed to fund your chosen share, with an annual cost breakdown and a comparison to your current plan.
Set the college budget
Enter today’s annual costs, time until enrollment, attendance duration and assumed cost growth.
Describe your savings plan
Set the share to fund, current savings, monthly contribution, return and earnings-tax assumption.
Compare target and projected savings
Review the monthly target, enrollment gap and annual bills. Download the table CSV for your budget.
Only if you include them in Annual college cost today. Add all the expenses you want to budget for before entering the amount.
What does Costs to cover from savings mean?
It is the percentage of projected bills that this savings account should fund. The remainder must come from other sources; the calculator does not assume it is automatically covered by aid.
Are contributions made while the student attends college?
No. Monthly saving stops at enrollment. During attendance the model withdraws each annual bill at the start of the college year and lets the remaining balance earn the assumed return.
Last updated . Results are estimates for informational purposes only.