The True Cost Comparison Tool.
What will college actually cost your family across the schools you're considering? Calibrated to verified 2026-27 data across 134 schools, using the aid-model framework that separates need-based, merit-heavy, and public-subsidized affordability strategies.
Need-Based Schools
Aid depends on family need.
HYPSM, top LACs, USC, Duke, Vanderbilt and similar. Highly selective admission with strong institutional need-based aid. Qualifying families may pay substantially less than sticker price; merit aid is limited or absent.
Merit-Heavy Schools
Aid depends on student profile.
Chapman, LMU, USD, Northeastern, Tulane and similar. Schools compete for strong students with merit aid, tuition discounting, and negotiation flexibility. Profile strength reduces cost meaningfully.
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What college will actually cost your family.
Methodology & Caveats
The architecture: Each school is classified into one of six aid models that determines how its estimate is calculated. Need-based / no-merit (HYPSM, top LACs) uses an estimated parent contribution based on income tier. Need-based / limited-merit (Duke, USC, Vanderbilt, most elite LACs) starts from the need-based estimate and applies a competitive merit adjustment if the profile justifies it. Merit-heavy (Chapman, USD, LMU, NYU, Northeastern, Tulane, Pepperdine) uses the school's IPEDS historical net price for the family's income band, applies an upper-income phaseout to embedded need-aid (while protecting merit), and subtracts incremental merit based on profile. UC schools use the validated 2026-27 UC aid stack: federal SAI engine (IPA table, flat 23.22% income rate, 5.64% parent asset rate), Pell three-path, Cal Grant A/B with proper ceilings, Blue & Gold guarantee for income ≤ $100K, UC institutional grant, and Middle Class Scholarship (shown as range to reflect 2026-27 budget uncertainty). CSU schools use Pell, Cal Grant (per-campus amount; SDSU = $6,838 confirmed), State University Grant, and MCS. Specialized schools (conservatories) are portfolio-dependent.
Validation: The UC engine was validated against 27 UC NPC outputs across 9 campuses × 3 family profiles plus 7 real award letters, with zero monotonicity reversals. The CSU engine was validated against Emma Sobel's actual SDSU 2026-27 offer letter, with net price matching within $45. CA private Cal Grant uses the confirmed $9,223 maximum (different from UC's $15,588 and CSU's $6,450). 2026-27 constants (IPA fam-4 = $41,900, Pell max = $7,395, Cal Grant A ceilings, MCS rate 17.5%–35%) come from FSA and CSAC official tables.
What's estimated, not guaranteed: SAI assumes a typical W-2 family with standard tax treatment. Self-employment, business ownership, divorced parents, untaxed income, and complex assets produce different results requiring professional analysis. Merit aid likelihood is calibrated to GPA and test scores against each school's profile; actual awards vary by application craft, demonstrated interest, and institutional priorities.
What's not modeled: Non-tuition family costs beyond COA, school-specific fee waivers, ROTC and outside scholarships, sibling discounts beyond the # in college divisor, need-based appeal outcomes, athletic scholarships. Always verify with each school's own Net Price Calculator and a financial aid professional before final decisions.
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