Tuition Cost Calculator

According to the College Board's Trends in College Pricing, published tuition and fees at four-year public institutions rose at an average rate of about 4% per year above general inflation over the last two decades, though increases have moderated since 2010. Private non-profit colleges have seen similar or slightly lower average annual increases. Using 3 to 5% as an annual increase assumption is reasonable for planning purposes.

For full planning purposes, use the total cost of attendance (COA), which includes tuition and fees, room and board, books and supplies, transportation, and personal expenses. Tuition alone understates the true cost of attending college. The College Board provides average COA figures by sector (public vs. private, in-state vs. out-of-state) updated annually.

In-state tuition is the lower rate charged by public colleges to residents of the state that funds the institution. Out-of-state students pay higher tuition because they have not contributed to the state tax base that subsidizes the school. The gap can be significant: the College Board reported average 2023-24 tuition of approximately $11,260 in-state versus $29,150 out-of-state at public four-year schools.

Some colleges offer guaranteed tuition programs that lock incoming freshman tuition at a fixed rate for four years. These programs eliminate tuition inflation risk for the enrolled years. If your institution offers this, you would use 0% as the annual increase for years 1 through 4 in this calculator.

Yes. Enter the current annual graduate school tuition or total cost of attendance and apply an annual increase rate. Graduate programs typically last 2 to 5 years, so enter the number of years you expect to be enrolled. The calculator will sum the cost for each year separately with the chosen inflation rate applied.