College · Family Resources · Paying for college

Same degree.
Two roads.
What is the gap?

Starting at a community college can cut the cost of a bachelor’s degree, as long as the credits transfer. Type both schools’ prices and see the saving year by year, with lost credits counted.

Compare the routesWhat you get

The route comparison

The worked example is a commuter student with example prices. Nothing you type leaves this browser.

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What you get

College · Family ResourcesFree

What you finish with
The cost of each route to the bachelor’s degree year by year, the saving and the extra time from credits that do not transfer. It prints as a summary and downloads as a spreadsheet.
Who it is for
High school students and families deciding where to start college, and school counselors walking through the choice.
Format
Browser calculator for a phone, tablet or computer, by touch or keyboard. Prints a summary; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); export and import a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Family Resources space in Caveat College.
Support
Questions, a correction or a request: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Run each school’s net price calculator, or use real aid offers.
  2. Type tuition after grants and the living costs at each.
  3. Ask the university how many community college credits it accepts toward your major.
  4. Set a yearly price increase.
  5. Print the comparison and bring it to the transfer office.

Compare the routes

How the two routes are priced

Same finish line, different first two years.

The worked example: a commuter student, 3% price increasesYears 1 and 2$21,924community college+ Years 3 and 4$63,532university+ 6 lost credits$6,6412.4 more monthsvs four years$123,417saves $31,320The worked example: a commuter student, 3% price increasesYears 1 and 2$21,924community college+ Years 3 and 4$63,532university+ 6 lost credits$6,6412.4 more monthsvs four years$123,417saves $31,320
Both routes end at the same degree; the difference is the first two years and any credits that do not transfer.

Net price, not sticker price

Net price is the cost after grants and scholarships. Every college that takes federal aid must post a net price calculator. Comparing sticker prices overstates what most students pay at a university and sometimes understates the saving.

Credits that do not transfer

A bachelor’s degree is about 120 credits, 30 a year. Credits the university will not count toward your degree must be retaken there, so each one costs time and money. The page adds that time at 30 credits a year at the next year’s price.

Sources

  1. U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard: net price and costs by school (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
  2. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. College Navigator (nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator).
  3. U.S. Government Accountability Office (2017). Higher Education: Students need more information to help reduce challenges in transferring college credits (GAO-17-574).
  4. U.S. Department of Education, Federal Student Aid. Federal Pell Grants and the FAFSA (studentaid.gov).

The worked example’s prices are examples, not any school’s figures. Your entries stay in this browser. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.