US Dept of Education data
The sticker price is fiction. See what college really costs.
The $80,000 college can cost a middle-income family less than the state school once aid is in. Line your shortlist up and rank them on what each one actually charges you.
| College | Sticker | Real net price |
|---|---|---|
| Harvard University | $85,540 | $2,091 |
| University of Michigan | $34,654 | $4,895 |
| Ohio State University | $30,305 | $9,807 |
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Why it matters
Families rule out the wrong colleges over a number that isn't real.
The published cost of attendance is a list price almost nobody pays. What a family actually pays, the net price after grants and scholarships, depends on income and can be a fraction of the sticker. Seen side by side, the ranking often flips, and a college crossed off for being "too expensive" turns out to be the cheapest on the list.
What's in the report
Every number that decides affordability, in one file.
The federal government has the real figures, but they're buried one college at a time. This pulls your shortlist into a single report you can weigh at the kitchen table.
Real net price for your income
What a family at your income actually pays after aid, not the list price on the website.
Sticker vs net, side by side
See how far the real cost falls below the published one, and how the ranking changes.
Graduate earnings
Median earnings ten years after entry, so price sits next to what the degree returns.
Typical debt
The median debt students actually leave with, alongside those earnings.
Graduation and admission rates
How many finish, and how selective it is, because a degree not finished still costs.
The best value, flagged
The lowest net price and the strongest earnings-to-debt on your list, called out.
Where these numbers come from
An average, not your quote.
We'd rather be straight with you: the net price here is what families in your income band paid on average, in the most recent year the government reports. Your own aid offer depends on your full financial picture and can land above or below it. Treat this as a well-grounded way to compare colleges on real value and to spot which are worth an application, then confirm the exact figure with each college's net price calculator and your FAFSA and aid letters. It's the federal government's own data, presented straight.
How it works
Your list in, the real cost out.
Step 1
Enter your colleges
Up to four, plus your household income band.
Step 2
We pull the federal data
The College Scorecard net price, earnings, debt, and outcomes for each.
Step 3
You get the PDF
Ranked by real net price, with earnings and debt beside each, in seconds.