Scholarship Calculator

The net price is the actual cost you pay after subtracting all grants and scholarships from the total cost of attendance (COA). The COA includes tuition and fees, room and board, books, transportation, and personal expenses. Net price is what matters for your budget, not the sticker price. The Federal Student Aid website provides a net price calculator for every institution that receives federal aid.

Student loans do not reduce your net cost; they defer it. You still pay the full amount plus interest over the life of the loan. This calculator shows both net cost excluding loans (your true out-of-pocket cash requirement) and remaining cost after all aid including loans (your annual borrowing need). Treat loans as a separate line item from free money like grants and scholarships.

Both grants and scholarships are gift aid that you do not need to repay. Grants are typically need-based (Pell Grant, institutional grants) and based on financial need as determined by FAFSA. Scholarships are typically merit-based (academic, athletic, talent) but can also be need-based. Both reduce your net cost dollar for dollar.

Federal Work-Study provides part-time jobs for eligible students, but the money is paid as a paycheck, not applied directly to your tuition bill. You receive the wages and then pay your college bill with that money. This calculator includes work-study as aid because it offsets your total cost, but you must actually work to earn it.

College tuition has historically increased at about 3 to 4% per year above general inflation, though increases have moderated in recent years. Many scholarships and institutional grants are renewed annually but may not increase to match tuition hikes. Use the tuition cost calculator to project future-year costs with a custom annual increase percentage.