Resources > Cost of Attendance Calculator
Cost of Attendance Calculator
The total cost of going to college isn’t always clear. Tuition is just one of the expenses you may encounter, and on the other side of things, financial aid like scholarships, grants, and work-study programs could reduce what you owe. This calculator will help you understand all of these factors together. By adding up your tuition, fees, and other expenses and subtracting aid and resources, you can see how much you may need to take out in loans, as well as what may be left after reaching your federal borrowing limit.
How to Use the Cost of Attendance Calculator
Fill Out Your Costs
Enter your expected tuition and fees, along with costs from housing, meal plans, and textbooks and other course materials for one academic year. You should be able to find these on your school’s website, and you can leave non-applicable fields blank. For example, you do not need to enter housing costs if you will commute from your home.
Enter Your Aid & Resources
Check your financial aid award letter and any other similar resources you have to determine the amount of any scholarships, grants, and work-study money you will receive for the year. You can also enter any savings you have set aside to pay for college.
Estimate Loan Amounts
Complete the FAFSA to see how much in federal aid you qualify for. Enter that figure, and then enter any other loan amounts you plan on taking out this year.
Get Your Results
You can now see how much, if anything, you will have left to pay after factoring in all costs and resources. Exact figures may differ from this estimate, but you can use this as a baseline to determine how much you may need to borrow or save to pay for any remaining balance.
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