College · Family Resources · Comparing colleges

Home state
or out of state:
four years, net.

Type each college’s tuition, housing, travel and grants. The comparison grows the prices year by year and shows what the out-of-state college would have to give to match.

Compare the twoWhat you get

The in-state and out-of-state comparison

The worked example sets a home-state flagship against a coastal public. Nothing you type leaves this browser.

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What you get

College · Family ResourcesFree

What you finish with
Each college’s net price year by year and over the degree, the difference, and the extra yearly grant that would close it. It prints as a summary and downloads as a spreadsheet.
Who it is for
High school juniors and seniors with an out-of-state college on the list, their families, and school counselors comparing offers.
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. Copy each college’s cost of attendance.
  2. Add grants from the award letter or net price calculator.
  3. Price the trips home.
  4. Keep the yearly increase at 3% unless the college says otherwise.
  5. Ask the out-of-state college whether its awards renew.

Compare the two

How the comparison works

Net price, year by year, over the whole degree.

The worked example: a home-state flagship against a coastal publicIn-state yr 1$21,700$24,700 − $3,000Out yr 1$36,800$45,800 − $9,000Then 3% a year× 1.03grants held flatFour years$64,275less in-stateThe worked example: a home-state flagship against a coastal publicIn-state yr 1$21,700$24,700 − $3,000Out yr 1$36,800$45,800 − $9,000Then 3% a year× 1.03grants held flatFour years$64,275less in-state
Net price each year, grown by the yearly increase, added over the degree.

Net price, not sticker price

Each year’s cost is tuition and fees, housing and food and travel home, less grants and scholarships. Loans are left out because they are paid back. Prices grow by the yearly increase; grants are held flat because many fixed scholarships do not rise.

Closing the gap

The difference over the degree, divided by the years, is the extra grant the out-of-state college would need to give each year to match. It is a useful number to have when asking about merit aid.

Sources

  1. National Center for Education Statistics. College Navigator: tuition, fees and net price by college (nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator).
  2. College Board. Trends in College Pricing (research.collegeboard.org).
  3. Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education. Western Undergraduate Exchange (wiche.edu).
  4. Southern Regional Education Board. Academic Common Market (sreb.org); Midwestern Higher Education Compact. Midwest Student Exchange Program (mhec.org); New England Board of Higher Education. Tuition Break (nebhe.org).

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