Focus on Net Price, Not Sticker Price

College may seem expensive. But the truth is that most students pay less than their college’s sticker price, or published price, thanks to financial aid. So instead of looking at the published price, concentrate on your net price — the real price you’ll pay for a college.

What Is Net Price?

Net Price = Sticker Price - Grants/Scholarships

Your net price is a college’s cost of attendance minus the grants and scholarships you receive. The net price you pay for a particular college is specific to you because it's based on your personal circumstances and the college’s financial aid policies.

College may seem expensive. But the truth is that most students pay less than their college’s sticker price, or published price, thanks to financial aid. So instead of looking at the published price, concentrate on your net price — the real price you’ll pay for a college.

Start With a Quick Estimate

Before you compare net price across colleges, it helps to know that colleges estimate it in more than one way.

Many colleges have partnered with MyinTuition to deliver two quick, simple estimator tools that give you a fast, ballpark sense of what you might pay. The Instant Net Price Estimator lets you quickly and easily assess what a college might cost you — with no personal information needed.

You can then complete a Quick Cost Estimator, which asks just a few more questions to get additional detail. Neither is as detailed as a full Net Price Calculator, but they're a good first step, especially early in your search, before you're ready to enter your complete financial picture.

Think of it as a path: an instant estimate while you're just exploring, a quick estimate to help you get a clearer picture, and the official Net Price Calculator to get you specific.

See which colleges offer a quick cost and instant net price estimator.

Once you're seriously considering a college, that calculator is where you'll turn next for a precise, personalized number — and that's exactly what we'll walk through in the next section.

Get More Precise with a Net Price Calculator

A college net price calculator is a free online tool that gives you a personalized estimate of net price.

Check out net price calculators for hundreds of colleges.

How Do Net Price Calculators Work?

A college’s net price calculator asks you questions about your family’s finances and may also ask you questions about your GPA, test scores, activities, and other things that may qualify you for financial aid. It uses your answers to figure out how much money in grants and scholarships the college is likely to award you. It then subtracts that number from the full cost of attendance to estimate how much the college might really cost you.

Many net price calculators also provide information about other kinds of financial aid you might be offered. These include loans and work-study jobs.

Why are These Tools Important?

By providing personalized estimates, cost estimators and net price calculators offer a more informed way of deciding which colleges you can afford. Knowing your estimated price:

• Gives you the best idea of what you’ll pay for a particular college
• Makes comparing colleges easier
• Widens your choice of colleges so you can focus on fit instead of price

Tips

As you use estimators and net price calculators:

• Answer each question as accurately as possible. The more accurate your numbers, the more accurate the result.
• Remember that these are estimates. The actual price you pay may be higher or lower than the college’s net price calculator estimate.