Total cost of college
in 2035
College Savings Calculator
This college cost and savings calculator is the ideal tool for your college planning needs. It combines a college cost calculator with a 529 college savings calculator. Obtain a personalized projection of your future college costs by entering your child's age, the type of college you're saving for, and your household income. The calculator estimates the total scholarships and grants you may receive based on your income level. This calculator shows you how much to save for college in a 529 college savings plan. You can adjust the monthly contribution to see how much monthly contributions can compound over time and the percentage of total college costs your savings will cover.
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In plain english
In plain english
529 Plan earnings
How we got here
Summary of using 529 plans for college expenses
How much do you need to save for college expenses?
This calculator is designed to help you create the most effective funding strategy to cover your expected college costs using a 529 plan. Note that attendance costs and scholarship availability can vary considerably from school to school. The World’s Simplest College Cost Calculator allows you to estimate costs based on school types (ie. In-state public university).
Using this calculator
- Adjust your child's age, your household income, type of school you are saving for, and either monthly contribution or the percent of cost covered slider. For example, if you would like to cover half of your child’s expected cost of attendance, set the slider to 50%.
- If you want to change the yearly school cost, expected scholarships and grants, inflation rate, expected rate of return, or current college savings balance click on the 'Edit your answers' link.
- If the total cost of college is greater than your expected 529 plan balance, you will see a figure labeled 'College savings gap' which will have to be paid using loans or other funding sources.
