Academics · Subject Resources · College costs

Compare net prices,
not sticker prices.

Run each college’s net price calculator, then copy its cost, grants and loans here. The page ranks the colleges by the whole degree’s net price and shows the yearly gap to what your family can pay.

Compare my collegesWhat you get

The net price comparison

The worked example is a senior’s list of four colleges: a flagship, a private liberal arts college, a regional university and an out-of-state public. Nothing you type leaves this browser.

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What you get

Academics · Subject ResourcesFree

What you finish with
Your colleges ranked by net price over the whole degree, with each one’s first-year net price, the cash needed after the estimate’s loans and work-study, the grant share and the yearly gap. It prints as one page to bring to a family talk or a college visit.
Who it is for
High school juniors and seniors building a college list, their families, and school counselors helping a student compare estimates before applications go in.
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 Subject Resources space in Caveat Academics.
Support
Questions, a correction or a request: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Run each college’s calculator.
  2. Use the same family numbers each time.
  3. Copy cost, grants and self-help.
  4. Set years, increase and what you can pay.
  5. Read the ranking.

Compare my colleges

How the colleges are compared

Net price first, then the whole degree.

The worked example: the regional state universityCost$26,200regional stateMinus grants−$7,800free moneyNet price$18,400the first yearFour years$78,411cost up 3% a yearThe worked example: the regional state universityCost$26,200regional stateMinus grants−$7,800free moneyNet price$18,400the first yearFour years$78,411cost up 3% a year
The net price is the cost of attendance less grants and scholarships. Over four years the cost rises while most grants stay the same, so the total grows faster than four times the first year.

What a net price calculator gives you

Every college that takes federal student aid must post a net price calculator on its website. It estimates the cost of attendance (tuition and fees, housing and food, books, transportation and personal costs) and the grants and scholarships a student like yours received. Cost minus grants is the net price. Loans and work-study are not discounts: they are ways to pay the net price.

Why the whole degree matters

Most grants stay the same each year while costs rise, so the fourth year usually costs more than the first. A college with a larger discount is not cheaper unless its net price is lower. Estimates use last year’s aid rules and your typed numbers, so the financial aid offer after you apply decides.

Sources

  1. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. College Navigator glossary: cost of attendance and net price (nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator).
  2. Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008, Section 111 (20 U.S.C. 1015a(h)): the net price calculator requirement.
  3. Federal Student Aid. Subsidized and Unsubsidized Loans: annual loan limits, 2025–26 (studentaid.gov).
  4. College Board (2025). Trends in College Pricing and Student Aid (research.collegeboard.org).

Each college’s calculator is an estimate; the financial aid offer after you apply decides. Your entries stay in this browser. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.